aussie aussie aussie

[River]

Everytime i travel over seas and talk to people about beer they always think all aussies drink is fosters ... i dont know how we developed such a reputation (i guess good marketing on behalf of the company) but this is not good
1 fosters tastes like camels piss
2 i don't think we even stock it in our pubs bars or bottle shops and i cant remember seeing anyone ever drink a fosters ...
in conclusion fosters is NOT Australian for beer its Australian for piss water dont drink...
actually for a generous beer drinking nation we don't really have any good commercial beer brewers. some newer brewers in the last half a decade have decided to come on to the scene and start to change that but most Aussies will drink any beer that's cold and bitter and will get you sloshed...

[fretlessman71]

What about Cooper's? I've seen that around these parts for nearly a decade. I hear wonderful things about some of their brews by some rather discerning palates. Check 'em out - give us a report back. Welcome to the board!

[River]

ya they been around for a long time about 1860ish if i remember ...they have a commercial pale ale and a mild stout called old which are fair beers on tap... they were really the first company to bring out extract kits and there what you buy at the supermarket so its kinda cheap stuff but good for starting out. although they have just brought out a new range of kits but i think they just look new and fancy cant say weather they make better beer or not ...
but even coopers on tap down at the local pub is really pretty watery no body plenty of bittering hops POR usually here in Australia and most importantly for Australian drinkers ... cold
its funny we like cold beer so much we even have a beer called cold

[East Coaster]

Yeah I spent some time there and what he says is true, However if youre ready to pay a premium price James squire makes some adequate beeers similar company to what Sam adams would be in the states and Lil creatures pale ale was a bit less flavoursome than I had expected, Did enjoy the range of james squires beers. But yeah the readily available beer was not all that palatable.

[River]

james squire is probally our best comercial brew we have ... they just brought out a pepperberry ale which is fantastic ... their styles are simualar to samual adams sesonal beers....

[morebeer]

Haven't found an aussie beer I've liked as of yet. Fosters? Yuck! Any craft beer recommendations? There is a distributor along my neck of the woods that sells just about everything. How's the James Squire?

[chazwicke]

Welcome to the board River.

[East Coaster]

I thoroughly enjoyed the james squire brews and there was an article about Aussie beers recently in last months issue of......
I was in Oz last winter and they don't really sell Foster's to Aussies as they don't drink it.

[River]

thanks chazwicke im stoked to have found this site as it really is a huge resource that i cant get elsewhere ... although there are a ever increasing home brewing community here in Australia especially in the last 6 months since the government decided that to stop people from binge drinking they would increase the taxes on beer and spirits... of course it didn't work everyone has just gone out and brought home brew kits and alcohol stills ... we are probally drinking more now as a nation as a result ...
anyways im glad to be here and to get to know everyone ... i still new at brewing only brewed about 20 batched or so and i gotta go im in the middle of me first AG mash and got to add some hoppies to the boil ...all is going well ...

[beerking]

I have had 3 of the James Squire beers, and found them all quite good. They have been included in the earlier version of the Michael Jackson Rare Beer Club (before it went to all bombers).

[jonlouisville77]

I like Fosters for nostalgiac reasons. It reminds me of Sterling Beer, (R.I.P.). I believe it's made entirely in the U.S. and not at all in Austrailia: purely a Crocodile Dundee-like marketing angle. On the good side, it is union made, though.

[Arassuil]

Beer & Brewer magazine recently had a good article about why Foster's is such an "Australian" icon. That other piss, VB is what is consumed in mass quantities here in-country.

Seriously, I've been liking the Matilda Bay Alpha Pale Ale, and Mt Tamborine Bitter when I can get it. There's good beer here, you just have to look for them.

[Mikegobrew]

I must say I like the Fosters Bitter. Might just be me, but I've been known to grab a few of the oil cans on occasion.

[Mikegobrew]

On the good side, it is union made, though.

??????????

[Arassuil]

I hear Fosters in the states isn't even "imported" from Canada anymore. I think Miller brews it in Atlanta Georgia and Ft Worth Texas under the 'Oilcan Brewing' name. I think it says 'Union Made' on the side of the can. Can't say I've seen the green 'bitter' version of Fosters here. Must be a USA thing. ;)

Here in Australia, 'Fosters' is the financial group name trading on the stock market. Their stable of beer labels include the aforementioned 'VB', and Carlton, along with import/contract rights to several popular Euro brews.

Unfortunately, Fosters Group and the other big brew-player, Lion-Nathan, seem to "own" via contracting most of the pubs, so you will find the beer line-up quite similar wherever you go. That's why I like to support places like The Taphouse in Sydney and Melbourne, and The Grand Central Platform in Brisbane. They attempt to be different and give the small craft brews a fair go.

[xtalman]

As far as Aussie brews go, I have always had a found place for Coopers.