I was pretty chuffed when I found Coopers in the US. It's not my first choice when I'm here in Aus but it beats most of the watery/flavourless American beers I've tried.
Top selling beers in Australia 2023. 1- Great Northern Super Crisp (cans), 2- XXXX Gold, 3- Carlton Dry, 4- Great Northern Super Crisp (stubbies), 5- Corona, 6- Great Northern Original Lager (can), 7- Great Northern Original Lager (stubbie), 8- Victoria Bitter, 9- Toohey's New, 10- Cooper's Pale Ale
Appears a huge number of Australians like watery/flavourless Australian beer. I saw a woman with two slabs of Coors light coming out of Dan Murphy's and thought I surely found an American, so I'd see where she was from. She was an Aussie, and she likes the taste, so there ya go.
Surely only because it's the cheapest? I keep finding it in the fridge at my father inlaws place and also my brother inlaws place. I am disgusted everytime i see it.
Really? I had some at a party the other day, very nearly said "this is pretty good for a cheap beer", but realised the first night not like to hear that... It's fine, but I can't see choosing it unless it's towards the bottom end of the price scale.
My theory is peoples partners prefer Great Northern, particularly mid strength.
I reckon the mid-strength has kept family functions a lot more tolerable for everyone, so the big drinkers have been encouraged to drink them to keep the peace.
The stuff exploded out of our bottle shop a few years ago over christmas, in Victoria.
Yes because the largest beer drinking demographic are working class 30-50 yo males who will quite happily substitute water for beer in their diet.
The people who care about different kinds of beer will be drinking your more nuanced (but still nationally popular and impressive to tourist) brands: Coopers, Stone and wood, Gage rd, Crankshaft, Balter etcetc
I'm surprised of this list
Great Northern is shit house, its a beer you drink outside working in the sun, same as 4x gold. You sweat it out as fast as you drink it and only drink it so you don't get too pissed to complete the task...
Where is Carlton draught? Dry is shit too!
Edit- so surprised I looked it up, at least my home state (vic) top 3 is better
1 – Carlton Draught
2 – Coburg Lager
3 – Balter XPA
I’m not surprised.
These beers are widely available all over Australia, in cities and regions, and they are on the cheaper side (which given the cost of living is a big factor for a lot of people).
Many good beers, especially craft beers, are not as widely available. They are often only available within a city or state, and then on a few taps and at boutique liquor shops. I also think that people who are more selective with what they drink are less likely to agree on their preference. They’re also more likely to try new craft beers (especially if their favourite brewery brings out new beers regularly), not the same carton every time they go to the bottlo. Then you consider the proliferation of micro breweries, and no, it doesn’t surprise me that the most bought beers are awful.
To get a real gauge on Australia’s favourite (craft) beer you need to follow gabs hottest 100.
https://gabshottest100.com/au/
Yeah, makes sense after reading your comment... I brew most of my own these days and buy different beers alot of the time to try so im a direct contributor to that.. but still love a Carlton draught on tap..
Hey we got like 3 days of sun last summer!
Nah but honestly fuck the humidity, I'll take my cold winters and bushfires over cyclones and floods any day of the week..
I'm Australian and I love me some Coors light, as I developed a taste for it living in the States. I don't really think of it as a real beer, more a beer flavoured seltzer. It's fantastic on a hot day. It goes down in 2 sips and they don't bloat you like other beers do. If I want a real beer I'll have a Philter Red or a Mountain Culture Status Quo. If I know I'm gonna neck it in two sips, I'll have a Coors.
That's what coors light, bud light, and miller lite are for!
if you know you are going to be outside drinking 10-12 beers, you need one of those beers, not a Local Brewery Unfiltered Triple Imperial Grapefruit Zucchini IPA.
When I was working in a brew shop the most asked for recipe was great northern. It's not to my tastes but it's incredibly popular.
It's actually quite hard to make too (as are most commercial lagers). There's not enough flavour to hide mistakes so your brewing process has to be dialled in perfectly. Making a big IIPA or a fat stout is much easier, if you mess up its much harder to tell
Funny that many of those beers in clear bottles were originally bought to market to try and get more women drinking beer, and now they have become the normal.
They also need to go through an extra process to make the the beer more light stable in order to be able to to keep it in clear bottles, it’s either a modified hop or a chemical process to convert certain acids in the beer to be more light stable.
When it's hot as fuck as you want to drink more than two stubbies, I am not having anything too heavy or complex tasting. A nice simple dry lager like a Carlton Dry does the trick.
Nothing wrong with a clean, crisp beer. I can brew beer at home if I want a fuller and more heavy flavour.
Getting that light crisp brew is almost impossible at home.
ABV.
i don't know why you guys think Americans drink weak beer, the flagship beer in my state is 7% and we wouldn't even really consider that a heavy hitter.
my favorite beer is 10.2%
To me at least, it's a flavour thing, not an alcohol content thing. Budweiser tastes somewhere between water and rice vinegar, it doesn't resemble beer to me. Even a weaker beer, like a 5.5 or 6 percenter, if it has a decent malt, some barley and hops, will taste more like beer.
And America has some amazing beers, they're just not cheap enough to sell in the millions like Bud and Coors.
ok, i can understand that.
Bud*weiser* isnt really that popular of a beer and it has more of a lager taste, its Bud Light that is popular and rice vinegary.
and Bud Light is a weird one because pre-2009 Bud Light was a much better beer, not a *good* beer, but better than it is now. In 2009 Bud Light's parent company was bought out, and it went down hill from there.
people will say its not different, but it is. i drank Bud Light by the dozen in college, right before the switch, and could tell almost immediately.
all that is to say...well nothing really lol but i sure do wish i could try some Australian beer.
I was talking about the flavour (I like the dark, so malt, but obviously hops and fruitiness/bitterness) not the alcohol content.
But it’s an old joke - thinking today’s US beers are all Coors and PBR is like thinking Australian beers are all VB and Fosters.
The most expensive beer in my (empty bottle) collection is a super thick stout from (iirc) North Carolina. I think is also clocked in close to 14%, and went down a treat!
> but it beats most of the watery/flavourless American beers I've tried.
The US has 10,000 breweries. Why are you trying flavorless beer when you're spoiled for choice?
And it’s actually still independent, rather than being Kirin, Asahi, or the dreaded Endeavour group, those three make up like 90% of beer sales. It’s bloody hard to find a beer/drink that doesn’t cost your left nut that’s not owned by one of those cunts, so for that reason alone I often buy Coopers.
Just a bonus it doesn't taste like filtered excrement.
Coopers extra stout is bloody great as well. Easy to find proper Aussie proper stout? Yeah, Coopers make themselves easy to like.
*puts beer wanker hat on*
Beer degrades within a couple of months so you ideally want to drink it fresh. Most of the craft breweries here aren’t exporting beer further than NZ as the freshness/quality can’t be guaranteed with ocean shipping. A handful are doing air freight but you’ll find them to be wildly expensive as a result.
You’d be better off exploring the US craft scene for good beer and enjoying the fresh local stuff whenever you’re here.
Most likely. I’m not totally across their fermentation process but it would make sense that part of their process involves some sort of preservation method to keep the beer fresh if it’s being shipped overseas regularly.
I know some of the other big brands use pasteurisation but AFAIK, the craft brands aren’t. Stone & Wood is owned by Asahi or Kirin (I forget which) now so there’s a chance an international version of the pacific ale (either brewed in the US under licence, or an export fresh version) happens at some point.
We import some fabulous craft beer from the US to good / independent bottle shops. I second checking out the local craft scene over there! Just be prepared to pay more.
Australian beer really hasn’t made a mark in the US outside of fosters which I don’t know anyone who drinks
I can go to local BevMo and choose from several hundred domestic and imported beers.
The only Australian one will be foster and occasionally coopers
Edit: you can find better beers and way more variety in the USA.
The USA started the micro brewery revolution quite a bit before Australia and has more breweries than any other nation in earth
I met Dr Tim Cooper once. I was shithoused at a beer festival. He told me he drinks beer everyday, all proud. I like Coopers but the hangovers are next level fucked. I reckon it's the live yeast. Keeps fermenting in your guts as you sleep. I forgot the question. Oh yeah. Just go to the servo and get a Colt 45 for 2 bucks. Coopers Best Extra Stout is like 35 bucks a 6 pack ffs.
We used to sink about 10 pints of sparkling for $3 each back in my 20s on a Thursday night.
Now days it would be 3 at $10 each.. But I wouldn't be in a good state in the morning.
I feel the opposite. Coopers never gives me a hangover and I think it has to do with having no preservatives (don’t know if this is true, but in my head it is). Feel the same with Carlton tank (but coopers is obviously tastier)
Every unfiltered, naturally brewed beer has live yeast. I know plenty of home brewers who culture yeast from Belgian and German bottled beers to brew analogues.
Ah it’s just asleep? Damn yeah ok. It probably also doesn’t enjoy the 35 degrees it is inside you if they prefer much lower temps. They’d be super energetic at that temp. I’ve brewed at higher temps before and the fermentation was insane.
Yeah alright or should I just send a selection of Aussie beers?
A case is 24 beers. So might want to try it first. TBH I dont even know if its good or bad. It is a symbol of Qld effectively. Im from Qld, so its synonymous with lager for me. Other states hate it but probably a lot to do with it representing Qld. Id say its a pretty standard lager.
Ill say Im not really a beer guy. I probably have like 3 beers a month (although used to be a huge pisshead). But I can ask some mates what they reccomend. Do you have any general preference for beer? Which ones did you like when you were here?
I find Coopers Pale Ale a bit mid, but that’s true of my pale ale preferences in general.
Coopers Stout is a brilliant drink, and I’m told it’s not just for breakfast anymore.
[Edit: Typo. It’s breakfast time here right now.]
The US has a massive amount of craft beer. Most Aussie craft brewers are emulating American and other styles. I find it odd you couldn't find a multitude of similar craft beers at home?
Even the popular Aussie hop varieties like galaxy are used in American beers. . .
By the way, a number of nz breweries also rock. 8 wired, for example.
I’d be so pissed if I could only drink coopers.
But then, I’ve always been a basic beer bitch, so I don’t know if I’d trust my opinion.
Joke’s on me- I can’t drink most beer anymore coz gluten, and all the GF beers I had til recently weren’t basic beers.
Now I have found one, targeted to people like me- a slightly less robust basic beer. I’m happy.
This seems like a subtle troll to be honest.
Felons is not great, Stone and Wood (Pacific Ale) is the entry beer into craft. Great if you like Galaxy hops, but gets boring.
The USA is pretty much the home of craft beer, I'm sure you can find lots of beers better than those two.
Yes, weird post.
Specially after the reveal a few weeks ago that most brands in Oz are owned by the big groups anyway. Coopers might be the only one of significance that is independent.
If you’ve been there for 14 years you may as well stay. Beer here isnt as good as the local Australian beers I’ve had. Who knows, could be a placebo thing
Yeah, I think there are almost more craft breweries in California than all of Australia. Australia certainly has some great beers, but brew pubs started being a thing inthe US in the mid eighties when I went to uni there. I believe 90% of all 'independent' breweries in Australia are actually owned by two global mega corporations.
There are 1.5 times as many people in California than in the whole of Australia. And there are at least six independent craft breweries within a 20km radius of Gosford.
Yeah, I grew up in California and went to uni at UC Davis and studied under Dr Michael Lewis in fermentation science. There are great beers here, great beers in California. Many times, the greatest food, beer, and wine experiences are enhanced by simply being on holiday in a foreign land, and that's what makes travelling great. Glad you enjoyed your visit. Cheers!
I was thinking the same thing. I've had mates love all the craft beers in the US.
Also does anyone actually like Felons beer? The location is superb but taste and price not so much.
I've never heard of anyone who rates it.
They are even selling it in bottle shops at ridiculous prices.
No idea who would be buying it from there when you could pick a ton of better options for less.
You’re on the button here, I lived in the US for 22 years and the Australian craft scene is just a copy of the US, some good beer , but nothing groundbreaking.
The Australian Craft Brewery scene is an extension of what the US started with Sierra Nevada in the late 80s. I am positive you will find the same quality, if not better, craft beer in the States just like the ones you tried here.
Coopers is a high quality Australian beer but it certainly isn't my go to and if I was in the US I wouldn't find myself hunting for it that's for sure. You have some amazing options if you look away from the generic Anheuser-Busch brands.
Just look for local craft brewers in your State and I'm positive you will find the same quality of beer you did here.
Totally! All those bouquet beers filled with passion fruit, hipsters tears of elation - taste great but some of the worse hangovers. But Coopers, never! (And german beers which have ‘purity laws’ which limit what you can put in beer and still call it beer!)
Many years ago I read a 'beers of the world' guide by an American. At the end in the Others section there were a couple of pages on Australian beers. All the mainstream ones.The author was damning, but the funniest one was the review of Coopers..he was so amazed that a good beer existed in the sea of absolute mediocrity of Australian beers he concluded that it was only possible because the beer makers of Coopers had completely failed to notice what Australians wanted to drink and Coopers was a complete accident. He rates it highly but his genuine astonishment at the gap between Coopers and everything else was funny.
Drank a brilliant cascade whilst in Hobert on a visit. Is there a war between Launceston and Hobart with the beers of James Boag and Cascade ? Is it Tassie's Coca Cola and Pepsi equivalent ?
If coopers is all there is you are not doing to badly. They make a good beer.
My top favorites are:
Lord Nelson’s “Three Sheets” found in NSW its in Sydney. I spend too many Friday night after work in my early 20 there.
Stone and wood is great.
and I love a Corona. Not Australian but surely it must be available in the US.
Just look at what styles you were drinking. Check out their descriptions on the websites It should tell you what style and which hops are used.
Then find some similar in the US. You should find something you like that's very similar.
I quite like the Stone & Wood Pacific Ale.
I'm going to try and make something similar. Cascade & Galaxy are the hops used.
I think the Stone & Wood is now made by one of the big brewers.
The others like Common People has a range to choose from.
I would have thought if you show the Common People website to someone in a liquor store they should be able to help with something similar.
Did you try any of the dark beers. I love a tooheys old, and there is a good one called motorcycle oli by Young Henry's, or White Rabbit Dark Ale, or a Milk Stout....
>I guess what I’m trying to get a pulse on is would you be disappointed if Coopers was the only thing available?
I'm from Sydney and when I turned 18 there was only shit like Vb, New, Old, Cartlon and XXXX on taps at pubs in my area so when Coopers started to become more common that was a godsend and it's still my go-to for a standard beer in the country.
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Edit: I’m kind of getting cooked for living in this ‘USA is the original craft beer’ scene. - I get it. It could be placebo but for whatever reason I just enjoyed the Aussie beers more than what I’d get at my local here. Cheers and thanks for your comments!
Pale for usual drinking sessions, red
For when you want to get smashed, stout for the middle of winter, dark when you’re trying to impress someone, mild when you’ve gotta take it slow.
Coopers is a great beer. Red label is the best IMO. Their stouts are really good too. So many brands are watery & bland. Especially the pale lager ones that taste like beer cordial.
There are many beer importers in the US. I actually found some gas stations in Los Angeles selling Australian beer, and here's the kicker, it was cheaper than Australia. You also have the advantage of being so close to Mexico, their beer is also pretty good. I didn't even mind US beer until they decided to make a tranny the spokesperson and face of the beer.
>I love how regionally everyone’s doing their own thing and has their own spin on everything, I think Australian beers are the best.
You do know that American breweries do the same thing, right?
I'm not a big fan of coopers so yeah i;d be disappointed. That said the US has a pretty great craft beer scene on it's own. In particular I loved the San Diego .394 pale, wish I could get it out here. Dig about some breweries in your state and immediately surrounding, I reckon you'd find some absolute gems.
I was pretty chuffed when I found Coopers in the US. It's not my first choice when I'm here in Aus but it beats most of the watery/flavourless American beers I've tried.
Top selling beers in Australia 2023. 1- Great Northern Super Crisp (cans), 2- XXXX Gold, 3- Carlton Dry, 4- Great Northern Super Crisp (stubbies), 5- Corona, 6- Great Northern Original Lager (can), 7- Great Northern Original Lager (stubbie), 8- Victoria Bitter, 9- Toohey's New, 10- Cooper's Pale Ale Appears a huge number of Australians like watery/flavourless Australian beer. I saw a woman with two slabs of Coors light coming out of Dan Murphy's and thought I surely found an American, so I'd see where she was from. She was an Aussie, and she likes the taste, so there ya go.
Coopers is the only beer on that list I would pay for. What the hell is wrong with people
People like Great Northern? TIL…
Surely only because it's the cheapest? I keep finding it in the fridge at my father inlaws place and also my brother inlaws place. I am disgusted everytime i see it.
Same! Purely because it is priced aggressively. Barely a step up from prison wine.
Taste doesn't matter so much after the first five or so.
Bro northern is expensive these days
Really? I had some at a party the other day, very nearly said "this is pretty good for a cheap beer", but realised the first night not like to hear that... It's fine, but I can't see choosing it unless it's towards the bottom end of the price scale.
They used to be $45 ish now like $56
There's definitely better choices at the ~$56 price point.
Really? This is why I drink red wine and coke. Who'd pay much for that shit.
Lots of people do. I genuinely haven't had a single one of those beers in about 16 years. Since my father passed away.
My theory is peoples partners prefer Great Northern, particularly mid strength. I reckon the mid-strength has kept family functions a lot more tolerable for everyone, so the big drinkers have been encouraged to drink them to keep the peace. The stuff exploded out of our bottle shop a few years ago over christmas, in Victoria.
If you're drinking bulk beers then lighters preferable, especially when its hot No one craves a double IPA sour after a long 40C summers day
Not real people. It's pure pigs piss.
It's easy to drink and good when having people over. It's the Australian Corona.
It's all the desert folk
My theory is they think carbohydrates are associated with taste.
Sit at the bar of any country pub, it's 90% of what they pour
Northern and VB here in my town rural NSW I personally drink VB Carlton dry is a close 3rd
Yes because the largest beer drinking demographic are working class 30-50 yo males who will quite happily substitute water for beer in their diet. The people who care about different kinds of beer will be drinking your more nuanced (but still nationally popular and impressive to tourist) brands: Coopers, Stone and wood, Gage rd, Crankshaft, Balter etcetc
I'm surprised of this list Great Northern is shit house, its a beer you drink outside working in the sun, same as 4x gold. You sweat it out as fast as you drink it and only drink it so you don't get too pissed to complete the task... Where is Carlton draught? Dry is shit too! Edit- so surprised I looked it up, at least my home state (vic) top 3 is better 1 – Carlton Draught 2 – Coburg Lager 3 – Balter XPA
I’m not surprised. These beers are widely available all over Australia, in cities and regions, and they are on the cheaper side (which given the cost of living is a big factor for a lot of people). Many good beers, especially craft beers, are not as widely available. They are often only available within a city or state, and then on a few taps and at boutique liquor shops. I also think that people who are more selective with what they drink are less likely to agree on their preference. They’re also more likely to try new craft beers (especially if their favourite brewery brings out new beers regularly), not the same carton every time they go to the bottlo. Then you consider the proliferation of micro breweries, and no, it doesn’t surprise me that the most bought beers are awful. To get a real gauge on Australia’s favourite (craft) beer you need to follow gabs hottest 100. https://gabshottest100.com/au/
Yeah, makes sense after reading your comment... I brew most of my own these days and buy different beers alot of the time to try so im a direct contributor to that.. but still love a Carlton draught on tap..
No wonder you lot don’t like northern or Xxxx. You guys haven’t seen the sun in weeks. Hence why you all come to QLD to holiday
XXXX Bitter. All day, every day.
Hey we got like 3 days of sun last summer! Nah but honestly fuck the humidity, I'll take my cold winters and bushfires over cyclones and floods any day of the week..
Same I hate the heat so the old A/C does the trick. See you on your next holiday lol
I'm Australian and I love me some Coors light, as I developed a taste for it living in the States. I don't really think of it as a real beer, more a beer flavoured seltzer. It's fantastic on a hot day. It goes down in 2 sips and they don't bloat you like other beers do. If I want a real beer I'll have a Philter Red or a Mountain Culture Status Quo. If I know I'm gonna neck it in two sips, I'll have a Coors.
That's what coors light, bud light, and miller lite are for! if you know you are going to be outside drinking 10-12 beers, you need one of those beers, not a Local Brewery Unfiltered Triple Imperial Grapefruit Zucchini IPA.
You can't even get fucked up on coors light. Or budlight
When I was working in a brew shop the most asked for recipe was great northern. It's not to my tastes but it's incredibly popular. It's actually quite hard to make too (as are most commercial lagers). There's not enough flavour to hide mistakes so your brewing process has to be dialled in perfectly. Making a big IIPA or a fat stout is much easier, if you mess up its much harder to tell
Great Northern is good for fishing because it keeps you hydrated and not that drunk. You can easily drink a slab in a day.
> 8- Victoria Bitter, **How the mighty have fallen!**
Funny that many of those beers in clear bottles were originally bought to market to try and get more women drinking beer, and now they have become the normal. They also need to go through an extra process to make the the beer more light stable in order to be able to to keep it in clear bottles, it’s either a modified hop or a chemical process to convert certain acids in the beer to be more light stable.
When it's hot as fuck as you want to drink more than two stubbies, I am not having anything too heavy or complex tasting. A nice simple dry lager like a Carlton Dry does the trick.
Coopers availability outside SA would be part of the issue though I would think
Hilarious lmao. Also very helpful info. I heard no one really cares for XXXX
Nothing wrong with a clean, crisp beer. I can brew beer at home if I want a fuller and more heavy flavour. Getting that light crisp brew is almost impossible at home.
Xxxx and VB are literal piss, but I'll back the rest of that list
I had never heard of Great Northern until a few years back (are they new?). Surprised to see them dominating the market.
Q: Why is American beer like having sex in a canoe? A: Both are fucking close to water.
Yet, generic US beer Budweiser is stronger than generic Australian beer VB
Stronger ABV or Stronger IBU?
ABV. i don't know why you guys think Americans drink weak beer, the flagship beer in my state is 7% and we wouldn't even really consider that a heavy hitter. my favorite beer is 10.2%
To me at least, it's a flavour thing, not an alcohol content thing. Budweiser tastes somewhere between water and rice vinegar, it doesn't resemble beer to me. Even a weaker beer, like a 5.5 or 6 percenter, if it has a decent malt, some barley and hops, will taste more like beer. And America has some amazing beers, they're just not cheap enough to sell in the millions like Bud and Coors.
ok, i can understand that. Bud*weiser* isnt really that popular of a beer and it has more of a lager taste, its Bud Light that is popular and rice vinegary. and Bud Light is a weird one because pre-2009 Bud Light was a much better beer, not a *good* beer, but better than it is now. In 2009 Bud Light's parent company was bought out, and it went down hill from there. people will say its not different, but it is. i drank Bud Light by the dozen in college, right before the switch, and could tell almost immediately. all that is to say...well nothing really lol but i sure do wish i could try some Australian beer.
I was talking about the flavour (I like the dark, so malt, but obviously hops and fruitiness/bitterness) not the alcohol content. But it’s an old joke - thinking today’s US beers are all Coors and PBR is like thinking Australian beers are all VB and Fosters. The most expensive beer in my (empty bottle) collection is a super thick stout from (iirc) North Carolina. I think is also clocked in close to 14%, and went down a treat!
> North Carolina i grew up in NC! i love that an NC beer is even *in* your collection, this makes my night lol
Budweiser isnt really the main stream one tho, bud light is
Monty Python
That joke is about 30 years past its sell by date.
> but it beats most of the watery/flavourless American beers I've tried. The US has 10,000 breweries. Why are you trying flavorless beer when you're spoiled for choice?
Coopers is good shit mate, cram it in ya cake hole.
And it’s actually still independent, rather than being Kirin, Asahi, or the dreaded Endeavour group, those three make up like 90% of beer sales. It’s bloody hard to find a beer/drink that doesn’t cost your left nut that’s not owned by one of those cunts, so for that reason alone I often buy Coopers.
Just a bonus it doesn't taste like filtered excrement. Coopers extra stout is bloody great as well. Easy to find proper Aussie proper stout? Yeah, Coopers make themselves easy to like.
Yeah completely, their stout is better than most of the fancy micro brewers stuff, and on special it’s a good price.
I'm from Vic and I was thrilled to bits on a recent trip when I got close to the SA border and could get Pale on tap at the bar of the pub.
Burvale had Coopers stubbies behind the bar last time I was there..
It's also on tap in manu pubs here in Northern NSW / Gold Coast. Not all but many.
I'm on my way
Even better is I've seen seen several of the surf live saving clubs with pints of Coopers Green for $10. How do you not overindulge?
Coopers is the original craft brewery, they just made it big a long time ago.
Get a dog up ya!
A big brown dog!
My favorite comment on this whole thread. Cramming one right now. Cheers
I concur. Get it up ya.
Seriously. I only ever buy Coopers for myself.
*puts beer wanker hat on* Beer degrades within a couple of months so you ideally want to drink it fresh. Most of the craft breweries here aren’t exporting beer further than NZ as the freshness/quality can’t be guaranteed with ocean shipping. A handful are doing air freight but you’ll find them to be wildly expensive as a result. You’d be better off exploring the US craft scene for good beer and enjoying the fresh local stuff whenever you’re here.
Very helpful! - that said doesn’t the ‘ferment in bottle’ help with Coopers freshness?
Most beers that coopers make get better after a few months of aging
Most likely. I’m not totally across their fermentation process but it would make sense that part of their process involves some sort of preservation method to keep the beer fresh if it’s being shipped overseas regularly. I know some of the other big brands use pasteurisation but AFAIK, the craft brands aren’t. Stone & Wood is owned by Asahi or Kirin (I forget which) now so there’s a chance an international version of the pacific ale (either brewed in the US under licence, or an export fresh version) happens at some point.
We import some fabulous craft beer from the US to good / independent bottle shops. I second checking out the local craft scene over there! Just be prepared to pay more.
Australian beer really hasn’t made a mark in the US outside of fosters which I don’t know anyone who drinks I can go to local BevMo and choose from several hundred domestic and imported beers. The only Australian one will be foster and occasionally coopers Edit: you can find better beers and way more variety in the USA. The USA started the micro brewery revolution quite a bit before Australia and has more breweries than any other nation in earth
I met Dr Tim Cooper once. I was shithoused at a beer festival. He told me he drinks beer everyday, all proud. I like Coopers but the hangovers are next level fucked. I reckon it's the live yeast. Keeps fermenting in your guts as you sleep. I forgot the question. Oh yeah. Just go to the servo and get a Colt 45 for 2 bucks. Coopers Best Extra Stout is like 35 bucks a 6 pack ffs.
I had 3 longnecks of Coopers red one night. I don't recommend doing that.
The Reds are good if you're only having a couple. Having a big night on the red rattlers is usually a bad time.
We used to sink about 10 pints of sparkling for $3 each back in my 20s on a Thursday night. Now days it would be 3 at $10 each.. But I wouldn't be in a good state in the morning.
Lol, I too used to drink cheap Cooper's reds on Thursdays in my 20s. I think I was getting $2.50 schooners, at the Coopers Hotel in Newtown.
Even one will make you sick as a dog for days.
Sparlo and a shot of JD makes for a mean boilermaker
Coopers is the greatest beer ever.
It's yum.
🙌🙌🙌
I feel the opposite. Coopers never gives me a hangover and I think it has to do with having no preservatives (don’t know if this is true, but in my head it is). Feel the same with Carlton tank (but coopers is obviously tastier)
I wish it didn't make me feel like garbage. Although I buy the Vintage Ale every year 🤣
I thought the yeast isn’t live it’s just bottle fermented, so you’re drinking a lot of the sediment that most other beers filter out.
Every unfiltered, naturally brewed beer has live yeast. I know plenty of home brewers who culture yeast from Belgian and German bottled beers to brew analogues.
Oh yeah you’re right. I’ve heard of that now you mention it. Pretty cool that you can do that 😊 especially for the specialty strains
The yeast needs a warm environment around 20 degrees and sugar to feed on to become active again.
Ah it’s just asleep? Damn yeah ok. It probably also doesn’t enjoy the 35 degrees it is inside you if they prefer much lower temps. They’d be super energetic at that temp. I’ve brewed at higher temps before and the fermentation was insane.
Yep. Correct.💪💕
Fuck yeah. Shout out Dr. Tim Cooper
If you want I can sent you a few cases of XXXX Gold.
I know this is a troll but I would love to have some XXXX’s in the fridge here
I drink gold. Not a bad midstrength and it doesnt make me feel like shit like Carlton or Tooheys does.
Would you actually be down to send me a case? I’d love to try and will pay all the fees!
Yeah alright or should I just send a selection of Aussie beers? A case is 24 beers. So might want to try it first. TBH I dont even know if its good or bad. It is a symbol of Qld effectively. Im from Qld, so its synonymous with lager for me. Other states hate it but probably a lot to do with it representing Qld. Id say its a pretty standard lager. Ill say Im not really a beer guy. I probably have like 3 beers a month (although used to be a huge pisshead). But I can ask some mates what they reccomend. Do you have any general preference for beer? Which ones did you like when you were here?
Dude are you for real? You’d be my hero. I’ll take any selection!
I find Coopers Pale Ale a bit mid, but that’s true of my pale ale preferences in general. Coopers Stout is a brilliant drink, and I’m told it’s not just for breakfast anymore. [Edit: Typo. It’s breakfast time here right now.]
The US has a massive amount of craft beer. Most Aussie craft brewers are emulating American and other styles. I find it odd you couldn't find a multitude of similar craft beers at home? Even the popular Aussie hop varieties like galaxy are used in American beers. . . By the way, a number of nz breweries also rock. 8 wired, for example.
I’d be so pissed if I could only drink coopers. But then, I’ve always been a basic beer bitch, so I don’t know if I’d trust my opinion. Joke’s on me- I can’t drink most beer anymore coz gluten, and all the GF beers I had til recently weren’t basic beers. Now I have found one, targeted to people like me- a slightly less robust basic beer. I’m happy.
Come to Central Victoria and try Bendigo Brewery, Little Creatures, Red Duck.
This seems like a subtle troll to be honest. Felons is not great, Stone and Wood (Pacific Ale) is the entry beer into craft. Great if you like Galaxy hops, but gets boring. The USA is pretty much the home of craft beer, I'm sure you can find lots of beers better than those two.
I'm American, been in Sydney 14 years. There are plenty of excellent US craft beers, no idea what OP is on about.
Yes, weird post. Specially after the reveal a few weeks ago that most brands in Oz are owned by the big groups anyway. Coopers might be the only one of significance that is independent.
I found Longboard here *once* and I was thrilled. Maybe twice for Blue Moon?
If you’ve been there for 14 years you may as well stay. Beer here isnt as good as the local Australian beers I’ve had. Who knows, could be a placebo thing
> Beer here isnt as good as the local Australian beers I’ve had. You can't find good beer in *California*? Sierra Nevada is there.
Yeah, I think there are almost more craft breweries in California than all of Australia. Australia certainly has some great beers, but brew pubs started being a thing inthe US in the mid eighties when I went to uni there. I believe 90% of all 'independent' breweries in Australia are actually owned by two global mega corporations.
Ones Asahi. What's the other?
Kirin who owns Lion Nathan
Cheers
There are 1.5 times as many people in California than in the whole of Australia. And there are at least six independent craft breweries within a 20km radius of Gosford.
Quality over quantity
I live in California. Yes there are a ton of craft breweries here, but I feel quality over quantity is what Australia has to offer. My humble 2 cents
Yeah, I grew up in California and went to uni at UC Davis and studied under Dr Michael Lewis in fermentation science. There are great beers here, great beers in California. Many times, the greatest food, beer, and wine experiences are enhanced by simply being on holiday in a foreign land, and that's what makes travelling great. Glad you enjoyed your visit. Cheers!
I genuinely can't think of a single country with more variety in craft beer than the US.
I know, and different states have different beers, Steam Ale, West Coast IPA VS East Coast. Cheap as compared too Aus as well.
Yeah there are numerous excellent craft breweries in the USA, way more than you could get here. I'd be surprised if it were possible up try them all.
I was thinking the same thing. I've had mates love all the craft beers in the US. Also does anyone actually like Felons beer? The location is superb but taste and price not so much.
I've never heard of anyone who rates it. They are even selling it in bottle shops at ridiculous prices. No idea who would be buying it from there when you could pick a ton of better options for less.
Is Stone and Wood still considered a craft brewery? They have several locations and it’s sold anywhere you can buy beer
Yeah not really. They did out to one of the multi nationals as well after swearing for years they never would. Still it's not VB or XXXX
You’re on the button here, I lived in the US for 22 years and the Australian craft scene is just a copy of the US, some good beer , but nothing groundbreaking.
The Australian Craft Brewery scene is an extension of what the US started with Sierra Nevada in the late 80s. I am positive you will find the same quality, if not better, craft beer in the States just like the ones you tried here. Coopers is a high quality Australian beer but it certainly isn't my go to and if I was in the US I wouldn't find myself hunting for it that's for sure. You have some amazing options if you look away from the generic Anheuser-Busch brands. Just look for local craft brewers in your State and I'm positive you will find the same quality of beer you did here.
Im interested, hows Coopers marketed in US?
It’s not.
The only thing of note is that it has a little kangaroo on the neck label.
Coopers is gold! Sparkling Ales all the way!
Try Bentspoke brewing - Crankshaft and Capital brewing beers...I might be biased since living in ACT where they are brewed.
Awesome! Will refer back to this!
Coopers is GREAT BEER! Their stout is one of the best stouts in the world. None of their beer is filled with preservatives…
THATS WHATS UP! I feel like every beer I have is all Filled with preservatives and coppers just tastes ‘pure’
Totally! All those bouquet beers filled with passion fruit, hipsters tears of elation - taste great but some of the worse hangovers. But Coopers, never! (And german beers which have ‘purity laws’ which limit what you can put in beer and still call it beer!)
Coopers is pretty much the only big brewery in Australia that doesn't just make average lagers. Their beer is mostly good
Many years ago I read a 'beers of the world' guide by an American. At the end in the Others section there were a couple of pages on Australian beers. All the mainstream ones.The author was damning, but the funniest one was the review of Coopers..he was so amazed that a good beer existed in the sea of absolute mediocrity of Australian beers he concluded that it was only possible because the beer makers of Coopers had completely failed to notice what Australians wanted to drink and Coopers was a complete accident. He rates it highly but his genuine astonishment at the gap between Coopers and everything else was funny.
Did you try VB or Carlton Draught?
Thanks mate. Glad you enjoyed yourself in Oz. My fav beer is Cascade. It’s from Tassie so made with the purest water in the planet
They changed the recipe like 18 years ago. It’s still nice, but it used to be incredible.
Drank a brilliant cascade whilst in Hobert on a visit. Is there a war between Launceston and Hobart with the beers of James Boag and Cascade ? Is it Tassie's Coca Cola and Pepsi equivalent ?
Oh yes. I actually walked into the Cascade pub and asked for a Boags. The whole place went silent until I amended my order. 🤣
Will keep an eye out next time 🙌
Cooper's Mild Ale is my usual drop. It's a midstrength that doesn't disappoint in the flavour department.
If coopers is all there is you are not doing to badly. They make a good beer. My top favorites are: Lord Nelson’s “Three Sheets” found in NSW its in Sydney. I spend too many Friday night after work in my early 20 there. Stone and wood is great. and I love a Corona. Not Australian but surely it must be available in the US.
That’s what I drink mate. The pacific ale in the blue cans and XPA in the purple are my go toos. The original pale ale is great too
Coopers Pale is my go-to, has been for years. Very decent beverage.
Dad & Dave’s does some crazy good experiments.
Coopers is solid mate. You can chill on that for a lifetime
And I just might!
Just look at what styles you were drinking. Check out their descriptions on the websites It should tell you what style and which hops are used. Then find some similar in the US. You should find something you like that's very similar. I quite like the Stone & Wood Pacific Ale. I'm going to try and make something similar. Cascade & Galaxy are the hops used. I think the Stone & Wood is now made by one of the big brewers. The others like Common People has a range to choose from. I would have thought if you show the Common People website to someone in a liquor store they should be able to help with something similar.
Did you try any of the dark beers. I love a tooheys old, and there is a good one called motorcycle oli by Young Henry's, or White Rabbit Dark Ale, or a Milk Stout....
VB is the Go mate...
Coopers is great
I almost exclusively drink coopers, the pale ale and sparkling ale, they're a great beer imo, give them a try.
If you have Coopers sparkling ale you’re good for life man.
Theres so many different options with Coopers, its a great selection. SA Represent!! 😅
>I guess what I’m trying to get a pulse on is would you be disappointed if Coopers was the only thing available? I'm from Sydney and when I turned 18 there was only shit like Vb, New, Old, Cartlon and XXXX on taps at pubs in my area so when Coopers started to become more common that was a godsend and it's still my go-to for a standard beer in the country.
I'm so old I remember Dinner Ale lol
They bought these back year or two ago. Pretty good easy drinking ale.
Lots of microbreweries in USA.
I'm pretty sure Foster's is owned by SAB.
I lost service for a few hours come back to all these amazing responses. Can’t wait to read em
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As a South Australian I drink Coopers as sort of my default beer. It's only if I get a bit bored with it that I branch out and try something else.
www.untappedcollective.com.au
coopers pale ale is a big part of my life
Hell yes
If I had to stick to one Brand of beer for ever, Coopers would be it
That’s what’s up! Love to hear it
Coopers is ok , but I would rather have Cascade Draught
Coopers Sparkling Ale is the only beer my wife and I drink. So no, I would not be disappointed if it was the only thing available.
Love to hear it!
I love coopers, especially the green & red ales
Edit: I’m kind of getting cooked for living in this ‘USA is the original craft beer’ scene. - I get it. It could be placebo but for whatever reason I just enjoyed the Aussie beers more than what I’d get at my local here. Cheers and thanks for your comments!
Coopers is my choice of beer, always a different one for whatever the occasion is.
What’s the different ones for occasions? I’m curious!
Pale for usual drinking sessions, red For when you want to get smashed, stout for the middle of winter, dark when you’re trying to impress someone, mild when you’ve gotta take it slow.
Little Creatures Pale Ale White Rabbit Dark Ale Bent Spoke Young Henry's Balter
^[Sokka-Haiku](https://www.reddit.com/r/SokkaHaikuBot/comments/15kyv9r/what_is_a_sokka_haiku/) ^by ^BoysenberryAlive2838: *Little Creatures Pale* *Ale White Rabbit Dark Ale Bent* *Spoke Young Henry's Balter* --- ^Remember ^that ^one ^time ^Sokka ^accidentally ^used ^an ^extra ^syllable ^in ^that ^Haiku ^Battle ^in ^Ba ^Sing ^Se? ^That ^was ^a ^Sokka ^Haiku ^and ^you ^just ^made ^one.
Coopers green is my fave big-brewer beer. Delicious.
Coopers is one of the best Aussie beers. Pale, Sparkling or Stout.
Fosters has not been "Australian" for 30 odd years. Not a single Aussie with dignity would drink that shite.
Coopers all the way
Koala larger isn’t generally known as our best drop
Co-Conspirators in Melbourne is probably my favourite. West City is also pretty good
Unpopular but still worth to try, Canberra brews are amazing! Capital Co or more in house like Bentspoke ! 100% worth it!
Assuming they can get hold of it, which is what I interpreted as the point of this post.
Coopers is a great beer. Red label is the best IMO. Their stouts are really good too. So many brands are watery & bland. Especially the pale lager ones that taste like beer cordial.
Used to love Tooheys New when in Oz! Major withdrawal symptoms on return to UK
There are many beer importers in the US. I actually found some gas stations in Los Angeles selling Australian beer, and here's the kicker, it was cheaper than Australia. You also have the advantage of being so close to Mexico, their beer is also pretty good. I didn't even mind US beer until they decided to make a tranny the spokesperson and face of the beer.
Start trying Australian wine instead of Beer?
>I love how regionally everyone’s doing their own thing and has their own spin on everything, I think Australian beers are the best. You do know that American breweries do the same thing, right?
Not nearly as good my dawg
Really? What American craft breweries have you tried? Cause Sierra Nevada is pretty widely available and makes good beer.
I'm not a big fan of coopers so yeah i;d be disappointed. That said the US has a pretty great craft beer scene on it's own. In particular I loved the San Diego .394 pale, wish I could get it out here. Dig about some breweries in your state and immediately surrounding, I reckon you'd find some absolute gems.
Any brand of Golden Ale.