Beer
Beer is one of the oldest and the most widely consumed type of alcoholic drink in the world, and the third most popular drink overall after water and tea. It is produced by the brewing and fermentation of starches, mainly derived from ce ...
production in
Australia
Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...
has traditionally been dominated by regional producers. Since the 1980s, there have been a steady stream of takeovers and amalgamations, and now the two major producers (who were once Australian-owned) are
Carlton & United Breweries
Carlton & United Breweries (CUB) is an Australian brewing company based in Melbourne and owned by Japanese conglomerate Asahi Breweries. Its notable brands include Victoria Bitter, Carlton Draught, Foster's Lager, Great Northern, Resch's, Pu ...
(CUB) and
Lion
The lion (''Panthera leo'') is a large Felidae, cat of the genus ''Panthera'' native to Africa and India. It has a muscular, broad-chested body; short, rounded head; round ears; and a hairy tuft at the end of its tail. It is sexually dimorphi ...
.
In December 2011, CUB became a subsidiary of British multinational
SABMiller (the world's then-second-largest international brewing company) and in October 2016 CUB became 100% owned by Anheuser-Busch InBev (
AB InBev
Anheuser-Busch InBev SA/NV, commonly known as AB InBev, is an American-Belgian multinational drink and brewing company based in Leuven, Belgium. AB InBev has a global functional management office in New York City, and regional headquarters ...
) the world's largest brewing company, based in Belgium. AB InBev then sold CUB to Japanese company
Asahi Breweries
is a Japanese global beer, spirits, soft drinks and food business group headquartered in Sumida, Tokyo.
In 2019, the group had revenue of JPY 2.1 trillion. Asahi's business portfolio can be segmented as follows: alcoholic beverage business (4 ...
on 1 June 2020.
Since October 2009, Lion has been a subsidiary of Japanese brewer,
Kirin Holdings Company Limited a brewing company established in 1885. The largest remaining Australian owned brewer is
Coopers Brewery
Coopers Brewery Limited, the largest Australian-owned brewery, is based in the Adelaide suburb of Regency Park. Coopers is known for making a variety of beers, the most famous of which are its Pale Ale and Sparkling Ale. In the twelve month ...
with a market share of about 4% of total beer volume sales in Australia.
The two foreign-owned companies accounted for 89% of beer volume sales in 2011, with CUB's market share at 48% (declining from a 55% market share in 2006) and Lion at 41% (increasing from 37%).
In May 2012 the dominant Australian-produced beers were
XXXX Gold
XXXX Gold is a mid-strength Australian lager manufactured in the state of Queensland, Australia, by Castlemaine Perkins, and it is one of Australia's most popular beers. XXXX Gold is also produced in the Boag's Brewery in Launceston, Tasmania. ...
, which accounted for 12.4% of all beer consumed in Australia,
VB, with 12.3%,
Carlton Draught 9.3%,
Tooheys New
Tooheys is a brewery in the suburb of Lidcombe, in Sydney, Australia. It produces beers and ciders under the ''Tooheys'' and ''Hahn Brewery'' trademarks, and is part of the Lion (Australasian company), Lion beverages group which was acquired by ...
7.1%,
Tooheys Extra Dry
Tooheys Extra Dry, commonly referred to as a TED (Tooheys Extra Dry), is a dry style lager brewed by Lion in the Tooheys Brewery at Lidcombe, New South Wales, Australia. Lion has been owned by Japanese conglomerate Kirin Holdings Company Limi ...
4.4% and
Carlton Mid 3.8%.
Breweries owned by major companies
Microbreweries
A microbrewery, or craft
brewery
A brewery or brewing company is a business that makes and sells beer. The place at which beer is commercially made is either called a brewery or a beerhouse, where distinct sets of brewing equipment are called plant. The commercial brewing of be ...
, is a modern brewery which produces a limited amount of
beer
Beer is one of the oldest and the most widely consumed type of alcoholic drink in the world, and the third most popular drink overall after water and tea. It is produced by the brewing and fermentation of starches, mainly derived from ce ...
, usually with an orientation toward distinctive and flavourful products. In Australia, there is no strict definition for a microbrewery; however, the definition for membership of the Independent Brewers Association provides a fair guide that could be considered appropriate. That is, a brewer sells less than 40 million litres of beer per annum and is not more than 20% owned by a brewer that produces more than 40 million litres of beer per annum anywhere in the world.
The following is a list of notable microbreweries in Australia, listed alphabetically. In July 2017, there was approximately 500 small breweries in Australia.
See also
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Beer and breweries by region
*
Endeavour Group
Endeavour Group Ltd (EG) is an Australian alcoholic drinks retailer, hotel operator, and poker machine operator that was spun off from Woolworths Group in 2021.
History
In 2019, Woolworths restructured its alcoholic drinks business to form En ...
References
Sources
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External links
craftbeerreviewer.com: Comprehensive list of current and former Breweries
{{DEFAULTSORT:Breweries in Australia
*
Australia
Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...
Lists of companies of Australia
Australian cuisine-related lists