During our friend's visit from Bali, he fell in love with the micro-beers of Perth. So when we were approached by Steve about different breweries around Australia, we knew this post was just for our Bali friend, Keith.
When it comes to beer, there are few countries that take both its production and consumption as seriously as the Land Down Under. Australian breweries are known for their long lineage, highly refined production methods and large quantity of ale they produce every year both on a national and international level.
You can learn much about the tradition and advanced techniques used for creating the best Australian beer through facility tours, many being organized by breweries on a regular basis for both small and large groups.
About the Australian Beer Production Industry
Soon after the first ale ever tasted on Australian soil in the mid-1700s, during the time of the British colonization, Australian breweries began to emerge throughout the country, and some of them are still in operation today.
After 200 years, the production of refined brew is still a major tradition in Australia, the country being known for a remarkable rate of 110 litres per capita in terms of beer consumption. A number of 8 large breweries and virtually dozens of microbreweries currently operate around the country, the volume and sheer quantity of ale produced throughout the five Australian states reaching numbers of millions of gallons per year.
Three of the Best Breweries in the Trade
Although responsible for Australia’s large scale beer production are two large foreign corporations – Lion Nathan from Japan and SABMiller, a British owned brewing company – the country’s lengthy tradition in producing remarkable quality brew has been passed down throughout the decades, resulting in several large Australian breweries achieving an outstanding level of success in today’s industry:
- Opened in Milton, Brisbane in the year 1878, Castlemaine Perkins remains one of the best and most renowned breweries still operating in Australia today. Its signature beer, the well-known XXXX Bitter is the ale most associated with Queensland, and has been in successful production for more than 90 years – since 1924. The brewery itself is a significant landmark, and its bottle labels have been depicted for years on diesel, steam and electric trains.
- Cascade Brewery is currently considered the oldest operating brewery in the Land Down Under. Continually being in business since 1824, it is currently owned by Foster’s Group – an Australian group that specializes in beer and soft drinks – and is known for brewing an assortment of different beers, apple cider and various non-alcoholic drinks, such as black currant syrup, apple juice and carbohydrate beverages. The most unique aspect about Cascade’s operation is that it is the only brewery in Australia and one of the few in the entire world that produces its own malt for the beer it delivers.
- Finally, Cooper’s Brewers Ltd. is the largest and most successful producer of ale in the entire country. Specializing in a considerable variety of beers, its most renowned are Sparkling Ale and Pale Ale. This brewery also has a long lineage spanning over about 150 years, having been developed by Thomas Cooper in 1862. It went through numerous changes in the following years and decades, and by the year of 2013, its success reached a peak of a staggering number of almost 70 million litres of ale produced and sold.
Considered the best and brightest in the Australian ale brewing industry, the people behind these giants are responsible for most of the beers produced in the country in recent years.
If you want to know exactly how the highest quality beer from the Land Down Under is produced, all you have to do is book a tour at one of these facilities and be amazed at the competitive advancements that have brought Australia to rank 4th no less than 10 years ago among the countries that brewed and sold the largest amount of exceptional quality ale.
Steve Grant is an Australian who loves to drink. Beer, wine, spirits he’s happy. After a wild youth as a bar tender he knew his destiny and set out to own a brewery, visiting multiple ones across Australia. He loves visiting countries just to try their micro-beers and hopes one day to conquer Octoberfest in Germany.
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