Aussie Beer
What types of Australian Beer are there?
ALE A top fermented English-style beer. Very few ales are sold commercially in Australia. The best known are Coopers Sparkling and Pale Ales.
BITTER In Australia this is likely to be a bottom fermented lager rather than the top-fermented ale that English would call a bitter. Take XXXX Bitter as an example.
DRAUGHT This is beer served from a keg (barrel). Beer that is available at a pub as draught is said to be "on tap". Some bottled beers are
labeled "draught", presumably the brewery tried to capture the taste of the draught product.
EXPORT Some beers are
labeled Export. This seems to be a marketing ploy to suggest that the beer is of a higher quality than the locals would appreciate.
HEAVY A full strength beer ranging from about 4.5-6 per cent alcohol by volume.
LAGER This is beer made using bottom-fermenting yeast. This is the typical Aussie beer. Examples include Fosters, XXXX and VB.
LIGHT This refers to a low alcohol content beer. Light is usually 2.5-3 per cent alcohol by volume. Light has become fairly popular as drink driving prohibitions have become stricter. It is relatively new to Australia because until the late 1970s it was illegal for breweries to brew beer below a certain alcohol limit. For many years, it wasn’t particularly tasteful and so was not well regarded. Additionally, the notion of a low alcohol beer was not particularly palatable – unfortunately light was known as a very unmanly beer. Recently some good brews have been released, including, Hahn Premium Light and VB "Double Hopped" Light.
MIDSTRENGTH A beer with an alcoholic content that fills the niche between lights and heavies. They are about 3.5 per cent alcohol by volume. Some examples include XXXX Gold and Carlton Midstrength.
NEW A lager. The prime example is Tooheys New. Lager is called "new" because bottom-fermentation (ie. lager) brewing was introduced in Australia a few decades after top-fermentation brewing.
OLD A top-fermented ale. For example, Tooheys Old . It is "old" because it is brewed using the older top-fermentation method of brewing. This process takes a shorter time than bottom-fermentation so an "Old" is likely to be younger than a "New".
STOUT This a dark beer made using roasted malts. Most Australian breweries produce stouts but these are not as popular as lagers. For example, Carbine Stout.
PILSENER The name Pilsener derives its name from the town in the Czech Republic, Pilsen. A
Pilsner is therefore a beer that is brewed in a way in order to mimic the famous Pilsen brewery
flavor. A Pilsner is a mild flavored lager with a medium hop flavor. Brewed using the traditional Czech Saaz hops that give it that familiar hoppy aroma with a dry finish,
pilsners are brewed all over the world and Australia is no exception. Some familiar local
pilsners are Hahn Premium, Wills Pils, KB Microbrewery Pilsner, Matilda Bay Pils, Kiandra Gold
Pilsner and Tooheys Pils.
BOTTLE SIZES
"Stubby" or "Stubbie" – 375ml - The standard bottle for consumption. Recently some low dog brewers have been slyly reducing the size of their stubbie from 375 to 345 ml without informing the public!
Traditionally, the stubbie was a squat bottle that came together in a narrow, short end. Then five or so years ago the bottles changed to the "American" look in the name of coolness. Just another aspect of the
Americanization of our culture.
"Throwback" or "Hand Grenade" – 250 ml
"Long Neck" or "Tallie" – 750m - The tallie is an oldie but a goodie. A big
one to keep you going on those long summer days.
Beer Glass Names
The Australian dialect of English is remarkable for having virtually no regional variation over the entire continent. However, there's one place that regional terminology runs rampant: the Pub. You can always pick a "foreigner" because they come in and ask for a beer using the wrong glass name or the wrong brand (although the big commercial brands are pretty much national nowadays). To prevent embarrassment, the following
is a list of beer glass terminologies used in the various Australian states. One of the amazing things about this list is that although some terms actually are common between two or more states, they generally refer to different sized glasses in each state. Some states actually have names for six different sizes of beer glass.
These are the most commonly-used two or three for each state.
New South Wales
Glass (200ml) ..... Middy (285ml) ..... Schooner (425ml)
Northern Territory
Six (200ml) ..... Seven (285ml) ..... Handle (425ml)
Queens land
Glass (200ml) ..... Pot (285ml) ..... Schooner (425ml)
South Australia
Butcher (200ml) ..... Schooner (285ml) ..... Pint (425ml)
Tasmania
Seven (200ml) ..... Ten (285ml) ..... Pint (425ml)
Victoria
Glass (200ml) ..... Pot (285ml)
Western Australia
Bobby (200ml) ..... Glass (285ml) ..... Pot (425ml)
VB - Victoria Bitter
Crow, fuelled by VB, is said to have bailed up and harangued the producer of the BBC live broadcast... Crow had been swigging cans of VB during the awards ceremony, where he sat next to his girlfriend Danielle Spencer.
Why a cut Russell sought poetic justice, The Daily Telegraph, 27 Feb 2002
VB's the leading full strength beer in NSW, Queens land and Victoria... The beer consuming public that loves cricket knows who is fair dinkum.
Carlton & United Spokesman, David Park, Truth First Casualty in Beer War, Daily Telegraph, Feb 2002
Victoria Bitter or more commonly known as VB is the only mainstream beer to successfully penetrate across Australia’s culturally entrenched state beer obsession. It can be seen on tap from outback Western Australia, to old Sydney town and the Northern Territory. But perhaps the extent of its success is perhaps best
emphasized in Queens land where XXXX once completely ruled the state’s beer drinkers. Nowadays, you would be hard pressed to find a
Queens land pub that did not have both XXXX and VB on tap for all to enjoy.
It is of great credit to Carlton & United (CUB) that VB is now the top selling beer in Australia, accounting for a quarter of the total beer market and 60% of CUB’s output. It is the most popular beer in New South Wales, Northern Territory, Victoria and the Australian Capital Territory.
But why has VB been able to cross the great state divides? The
answer is threefold.
First, VB is a crisp, easy to drink beer which, when chilled, is perfectly suited to occasions such as the famous Aussie Barbie. It is a pleasant, easy to drink, bitter lager which many claim has a fruity aroma
.
Second, Victoria Bitter is cheap. A carton of VB is usually one of the cheapest options in any bottle shop.
Third, and arguably the most important, CUB has run very successful VB advertising campaigns which target the heart of Australian culture. Ads for VB depict
Shearer's, jackaroos, truck drivers and other working class Australians engaged in hard yakka. You would
have difficulty finding an Australian male who could not recite extracts from the long running prose used as a voice over on the Victoria Bitter ads. Lines such as, “A hard earned thirst needs a big cold beer, and the best cold beer's VIC” and the other literary masterpiece, “You can get it any old how, Matter o' fact, I got it now”, have for years formed the backbone of CUB’s successful advertising campaigns.
VB was first produced in the 1890s. The product is now sold in nearly every imaginable format – cans, stubbies (375ml bottles), throw downs or hand grenades in NSW (250ml bottles), long necks (750ml bottles) and even plastic cups at sporting events and university functions. It is also sold in the United Kingdom as “Victoria Beer “. The name change from Victoria Bitter was necessary as the beer is a lager and not a true bitter in the technical sense (there is little distinction between a bitter and a lager in Australia and the names are often used interchangeably). It is interesting to note that the beer is little known outside of Australia where beers such as Fosters and XXXX carry the Australian flag.
It is also of interest to note that VB is often a popular choice for Australian females who enjoy a beer. Although no beer advertising in Australia directly targets the growing female beer market, CUB admits that VB appeals to women because of its not too bitter, easy to drink, lager style.
Fosters - It's Australian for beer, mate! Or is it?
n
one fine day in 1887, two yanks of Irish extraction William M. Foster and his brother Ralph R. Foster stepped off a boat in Melbourne. They had sailed from New York, USA with the dream of starting a successful brewery on the other side of the world. They set up the Fosters Brewing Company on Rokeby Street in Collingwood. The first Fosters was brewed in 1888.
The Fosters brought something relatively new to Australia - a local lager. No trace of what the Fosters brothers subsequently did in the USA has been found. No doubt these Americans did not realise that one day their name would be promoted as “Australian for Beer”.
At turn of the century, Foster’s was still a relatively small operation but it was already starting to take the first steps in its future direction. It was sending beer to all Australian states and exporting to Samoa and South Africa. In 1908, not long after its amalgamation into CUB, the Foster’s brewery at Rokeby Street was closed and the Foster’s name was almost lost. CUB only continued to brew Foster’s because of orders from Queensland and Western Australia.
The Foster’s yeast in use today was brought to Carlton in 1923 from Professor Jorgensen in Denmark.
In 1971 Foster’s was introduced to England through Barry Humphries’ highly successful ocker film called The Adventures of Barry McKenzie. Bazza almost spent the entire film with a Foster’s in his hand. The eyes of the English were opened to this wonderful antipodean brew. Foster’s came to the USA in 1972. It success there is linked with its with sponsorship of sporting events. Foster’s sponsored the 1972 America’s Cup challenge and tennis champions such as the great John Newcombe. John once said that he drunk five 26 oz. cans after each tennis match! The novelty value of the large 26 oz. cans, known as Oil Cans, also greatly contributed to Foster’s initial popularity.
It was not until 1977 that Foster’s Lager became Australia’s leading brand.
In 1981 some Foster’s yeast was flown to England and Foster’s Draught began to be brewed over there. Foster’s Draught was a modified version of Foster’s Lager, modified to make it more appealing to the English palate. Sales grew exponentially. Locally canned Foster’s Lager was first sold in England in 1984.
Foster’s phenomenal growth had been aided by the fair dinkum Paul Hogan (who later went on to make it big as Crocodile Dundee). By the time of his first appearance for Foster’s he had already moved on from his job as a rigger on the famous Sydney Harbour Bridge and was already a popular comedian. His first Foster’s commercial went like this:
“G’Day. They’ve asked me over from Oz to introduce youse all to Foster’s Draught, here it is. Cripes! I’d better start with the basics. It’s a light, golden liquid, like, except for the white bit on top, the head, and it’s brewed from malt, yeast and hops. Technical term is Lager. That’s L-A-G-E-R. But everyone calls it Foster’s. Ahhhh, ripper! Tastes like an angel cryin’ on yer tongue. Foster’s.”
And so the paths of two Aussie legends crossed.
Foster’s connection with sport also continued. It was the official Olympic beer for Australia at the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics. More importantly, on 1 April 1985 it was announced that the Melbourne Cup would henceforth be known as the Foster’s Melbourne Cup. The running of the race is celebrated all around Australia. The Cup is “the race that stops a nation” and is a public holiday in Victoria. Mark Twain was amazed at its almost religious significance. Foster’s was the official beer of the Adelaide Grand Prix, now the Melbourne Grand Prix, and the Aussie Rules grand final. It was also emblazoned on Kookaburra III’s spinnaker after its unsuccessful 1987 defence of the America’s Cup. In addition Foster’s sponsors cycling, tennis and golf.
In 1986 CUB began brewing Foster’s in Canada in partnership with Carling O’Keefe Ltd. Paul Hogan was flown in to promote it and again was hugely successful.
Today Foster’s is brewed in 8 countries, namely, Australia, Canada, China, England, Germany, Ireland, Spain and Sweden. It is sold in over 135 countries.
Foster’s is the leading foreign beer in many markets. It’s one of a handful of truly global beer brands. A real true blue Australian that’s made it good!
BEER QUOTES
mmmmmmmm....beeeeeeeeer Homer J Simpson
He was a wise man who invented beer. Plato
I would kill everyone in this room for a drop of sweet beer. Homer J Simpson
I will make it a felony to drink small beer .William Shakespeare
When i read about the evils of drinking ...i gave up reading Henry Youngman
Alright brain... i don't like you and you don't like me...so lets just do this and ill get back to killing you with beer Homer J Simpson
Reality is an illusion that occurs due to lack of alcohol