Robbie's Beer Page

Welcome to my Beer Page

This page describes some of the best Australian beers as well as various others, both great and not-so-great. I've included specs (package size and alcohol content) for my favourites. A few foreign brews are included too. Any proffered opinions about beer will always draw debate, especially as most countries have generally-preferred beer styles. (For example, some foreign reviewers insist that most Aussie beers are bland and served too cold. This kind of misses the point about the way we enjoy our beer in Australia!)

Great Beers

XXXX Bitter. Well, being a Queenslander I had to start with this one! In the early days of beer brewing, brand was not of so much importance as beer was mostly made in small local breweries. Rating of these beers was denoted by Xs, the more the better from one to four. So four-X is of the best quality by definition. Castlemaine-Perkins has turned this into a brand in its own right - XXXX is well-known as a Queensland beer, found less commonly in NSW and not much at all in other states. A very drinkable beer, best served ice-cold. (An old joke: Why do Queenslanders drink "XXXX"? Because we can't spell "beer".) [XXXX Bitter: 4.8% alc/vol, 375mL bottle.]
Coopers Best Extra Stout. Coopers is an outstanding brewer from South Australia, and anything that comes out of this brewery is guaranteed to be top quality. Their stout is no exception, with great rich flavours. Another Coopers product is Sparkling Ale, another excellent beer which has the unusual feature of some sediment (yeast lees) in the bottle. This occurs because some fermentation is allowed to take place after bottling. Some people advocate rolling the bottle before consumption to distribute the sediment but I prefer not to disturb the brew's natural state. [Sparkling Ale: 5.8% alc/vol, 375mL bottle; Stout: 6.3% alc/vol, 375mL bottle.]
XXX. No, this is not a misprint. Three-X is a commemorative brew from Castlemaine-Perkins and is actually slightly more potent than XXXX - at the time of writing it is not known whether supplies will continue as demand does not seem to have been great. However it is quite a drinkable beer, with traditional ale style and an aftertaste a little like Tooheys Old. All up, a very enjoyable brew. [XXX Ale: 5.2% alc/vol, 375mL bottle.]
VB (Victoria Bitter). VB is one of Australia's most popular beers. Originating from Victoria, it is brewed by CUB (Carlton & United Breweries) and can be found in most places throughout Australia. Overall style is similar to XXXX with perhaps a slightly stronger flavour. [VB: 4.9% alc/vol, 375mL bottle.]
Eumundi Lager. This beer is locally made (Eumundi is on the Sunshine Coast in Queensland) and is vastly underrated. In my opinion this beer is superior to any offerings from James Boag (see next category) or even Cascade, and yet is not even stocked by some major bottleshops. This is a beautiful, crisp, flavoursome high-quality beer. [Eumundi Lager: 4.8% alc/vol, 375mL bottle.]
James Squire. There are several varieties of James Squire beer, three of which are most commonly available and highly recommended (Amber Ale, Pilsener and Porter). However this brand is not well known especially out of NSW, so I reckon it qualifies as another underrated beer. All are tasty, premium Australian brews. [Amber Ale: 5.0% alc/vol, 345mL bottle; Pilsener: 5.0% alc/vol, 345mL bottle; Porter: 5.0% alc/vol, 345mL bottle.]
XXXX Draught. Pleasant, refreshing, subtle flavour. Fairly readily identifiable as being from the XXXX family, lacking the mildly "bitter" taste of the best-known one. Once again a little underrated and not as popular as it might deserve to be, compared to its better-known relatives. [XXXX Draught: 4.8% alc/vol, 375mL bottle.]

Runners-Up

Hahn Premium. Good quality brew, quite pleasant with a slight aftertaste. Tries to introduce flavour characteristics normally expected from many European beers. Not quite as drinkable as some of the other mainstream beers, but still good value.

Crown Lager. An acceptable beer which loses points because of its questionable marketing as a premium product. Reasonably drinkable but does not have the most enjoyable of flavours. Carries a reputation as a premium Australian brew, but not really worth the extra dollars - much better to look for one of the underrated beers if you want good value.

Overrated Beers

Boags (James Boag). Comes from Tasmania, not a bad beer but definitely overrated. Not quite among the most drinkable of brews and really a little ordinary considering it is promoted as a "boutique" product. (There is more than one variety of Boags, but the same comments apply to pretty much all of them.)

Corona (overseas). Hey, there is something suspicious about any beer which has encouraged a culture of adding a citrus wedge to the neck of the bottle! Once again - not a bad beer as such, but definitely not regarded as top-quality in its country of origin. So in Australia it seems to be sought after for its novelty value rather than taste. Better to look for a good-quality and better-value local beer than to pay top dollar for an imported one like this.

The rest

Tooheys New/Tooheys Draught. Hmmm... popular in NSW, but for no obvious reason. For many years "New" was the version available from bottleshops while "Draught" was the tap variety in hotels. The two were the same product though, and more recently the "Tooheys New" name has been adopted for both packaged and draught beers. Anyway, this is actually a rather unsubtle and odd-tasting beer with a distinctly unpleasant aftertaste. Drinkable to a point I suppose, if you can overlook the taste, but has no real redeeming qualities. (No wonder VB has made such solid inroads into the NSW market!)

Aussie Beer Myths

Fosters Lager. Australians don't drink Fosters from over-sized novelty containers. In fact, we don't really drink any beers directly from giant containers (except for NT stubbies - that's another story). And, if the truth be known, we don't really drink Fosters much at all. Fosters Lager might be the beer by which much of the rest of the world knows us, but it is more of an export beer rather than a popular local brand these days. Probably Fosters Lager in other world markets is not identical to the original Aussie brew in any case - for example, the US version proudly proclaims "imported" but is actually sourced from Canada. Fine print at work again. If you want to drink a Fosters for the sake of saying you have had an "Australian" beer then go right ahead. If you want to taste a truly great Aussie beer, choose one from my "Great Beers" list for your next brew.

Other Thoughts on Beer

Beer's Shelf Life. It is not well-known that packaged beer generally has a limited shelf life. Possibly this is because most beer is usually consumed soon after purchase, and is not intentionally left to "mature" in the way that many wines are. Many Australian brews seem to carry a "best-by" date now, which is generally about nine months from the time it is available for sale.
Personally I would recommend consumption within six months to ensure the best quality and enjoyment. Beer which is past its optimum lifespan will usually have a distinctly unpleasant taste and smell, although it won't kill you (probably).
Keep in mind, though, that some specialty or "vintage" beers have extended shelf lives as they are meant to improve with age. Obviously these brews are not subject to the same recommendations that I have made in regard to general packaged beer, so check the particular manufacturer's guidelines for any beer of a "vintage" type.

Bottled vs. Canned Beer. This is a very contentious subject and prone to various debate and speculation. In theory, aluminium cans have an internal coating which prevents the metal from imparting any flavour to the beer. However if you prefer to drink directly from the can or bottle, aluminium cans are poor insulators and seem to allow the beer to become warm and flat much more rapidly than glass.

So there you have it: beer is great! Opinions will always vary, but Australia does have some of the world's best beers.

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