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Stephenj

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I'm lucky to be heading off to visit friends in Perth for a few weeks this weekend. Been looking around on their Aldi, Coles, Woolworths sites at the pale ales and the likes but wondering if anyone had any experience of nice Aussie beers to try out when over there? There's a couple of bottle shops in the area I'm staying which have a few more specialised beers apparently.
 
Ok Crocodile. Look at this muther:
Foster's lager, as we know it in Britain's pubs and supermarkets, is an Australian brand; it is not an Australian beer. "Australian for lager" it may claim to be, but 1.2bn pints of the amber nectar a year are brewed in Manchester, not Melbourne. ... There is no Foster's in Australia.
 
Ok Crocodile. Look at this muther:
Foster's lager, as we know it in Britain's pubs and supermarkets, is an Australian brand; it is not an Australian beer. "Australian for lager" it may claim to be, but 1.2bn pints of the amber nectar a year are brewed in Manchester, not Melbourne. ... There is no Foster's in Australia.
Yes I know that, I was taking the Mickey!

When I was doing my accountancy training, we had an Australian secondee and he had never heard of Fosters.
 
When I went travelling around oz 15 years back there was a boozer in Sydney with Fosters (and Newcastle Brown ale) on tap, also a place in St Kildas selling it in Melbourne, but think it was for the travellers to make them feel at home. Other than fosters and little creatures, any other ideas?
 
Coopers as a standard Aussie drink, starting from Perth down to Albany there are a few craft breweries you could try. Just be aware when they say its just down the road means a return trip can be done in a day.
 
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I agree Little Creatures is worth a visit - great deck by the fishing harbour. Also in Freo, go to the Sail & Anchor by the market. It no longer brews on site, but has a good range of beer.

In central Perth try the Brass Monkey in Northbridge and the Generous Squire in the CBD.

Just outside Perth in the Swan Valley are several brew pubs - Feral is superb. Also Mash and Ironbark in the same area. You need an Uber for these. Alternatively look for a brewery tour.

There are plenty of craft brewers in the area - and also around Margaret River which is better known for wine and surfing.
 
I lived in Melbourne back in 04/05. Carlton was the big brewery there. They had several beers but their flagship one was Carlton Crown. Not bad at all. Toohey Extra Dry is another one. From memory is was pretty much just lager that you ever really seen in pubs. Might be totally different now. Perhaps Magic Rock have / are about to take over?
 
I don't actually mind VB but when you go into an offy in Australia and see all the other things on offer, it's not something you would actually pick up. Lots of great wine out there too.
 
VB, Tooheys, etc. are great value compared to the craft ales, but you get what you pay for.
Look for Coopers Vintage ale. It is a limited edition release each year at 7.5%.
 
When I was out there, Cooper's was seen as a fancy beer because it was a bit more expensive. Granted, it was a little nicer than the bog standard VB, Melbourne Bitter or Carlton Cold but it was nothing to write home about. I actually tried a Cooper's Sparkling a few years ago, out of nostalgia, and thought it was ****. Just a really average beer, at best.
 

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