About Australian Beer
Australian beer drinkers enjoy lager, making it the most popular beer type consumed in the country.
Australia’s beer history started with the arrival of Captain James Cook in 1770. Cook and his crew used brewing beer as a means to preserving drinking water to protect themselves from scurvy.
John Boston is known as Australia’s first official brewer, he brewed beer from Indian corn and love-apple stalks. Australian brewers generally made Ales, but the Cohn Brothers’ Victoria Brewery would be the first to introduce Lagers, which is Australia’s modern go-to beer.
In 1901 the federal government introduced the Beer and Excise Act, which regulated beer brewing and sales. The provisions in the act made making and selling of home-brewed beer illegal and it resulted in many breweries closing down. The remaining breweries consolidated which affected the country’s beer industry.
Most of Australia’s beer production is produced by Asahi and Kirin (they own most of Australia’s brands). Coopers Brewery which was founded in 1862 remains true to Australia. While the macro-breweries are owned by Japanese beer companies, there are more than 500 microbreweries in Australia.
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