Beer arrived in Australia at the beginning of British colonisation. In 2004 Australia was ranked fourth internationally in per capita beer consumption, at around 110 litres per year;[1] although, the nation ranked considerably lower in a World Health Organization report of alcohol consumption per capita of 12.2 litres.[2] Lager is by far the most popular type of beer consumed in Australia.[3]
The oldest brewery still in operation is the Cascade Brewery, established in Tasmania in 1824. The largest Australian-owned brewery is the family-owned Coopers Brewery; the other two major breweries, Carlton & United Breweries and Lion Nathan, are owned by Japan's Asahi and Kirin Brewing Company respectively.
Non-alcohol beer accounts for more than 1% of beer sales at the retail level in Australia; industry observers expect that figure to rise to 2% by 2025.[4]
- ^ Per Capita Beer Consumption by Country (2004) Archived 23 June 2008 at the Wayback Machine, Table 3, Kirin Research Institute of Drinking and Lifestyle – Report Vol. 29–15 December 2005, Kirin Holdings Company.
- ^ "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original on 12 December 2017. Retrieved 12 December 2017.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link) CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link) - ^ "Australian Beer". Beer & Wine Guide. 4 January 2018. Retrieved 28 December 2018.
- ^ Adams, David (8 July 2022). "It's not just Dry July: Non-alcoholic beer sales are exploding, Australian brewers and retailers say". SmartCompany. Retrieved 6 June 2023.