Posts under ‘Australia’

Here at Hoppsy we love our beer (if you hadn’t noticed) but we always remind people to drink responsibly and how much more responsible can we get to tell you to not drink at all. Life Education’s Ocsober campaign encourages participants to give up alcohol during the month of October to raise awareness of the issues relating to alcohol abuse and raise funds for health education for children. In its 2nd year Ocsober supports Life Education’s drug and health education programs that support and strengthen primary and secondary schools drug and health initiatives. The money raised will go directly to Life Education to teach more children the skills and the knowledge to say “no” to drugs and alcohol. For more info about Ocsober hit up the link below. Read the rest of this entry »

You might remember a few weeks ago we ran a story about Blue Toungue Beer, well Tess at Blue Tounge’s advertising company was kind enough to send us a few interesting facts which we thought our readers might be interested in. – thanks Tess

The West Requests the Best; Bluetongue Supplies

Bluetongue Premium Beer expands into the Western Australian market following consumer demand

27th July 2009: Bluetongue Premium Beer is expanding into Western Australia (WA), a move driven by local beer drinkers’ thirst for distinctive premium beers. Bluetongue is seeking to capitalise on beer trends in WA which are being driven by consumers open to trying new beers and who want more premium beer brands to become available.

York Spencer, Bluetongue Marketing Manager, says, “Western Australians have a pretty adventurous appetite for new and interesting beers and are now embracing more premium beer brands in their market. Bluetongue is perfect for occasions that reflect a more sophisticated but laid back lifestyle, like the quintessential Aussie backyard barbie.

“We know that Western Australians are astute drinkers who appreciate a distinctive Aussie beer with real brewing credentials which compliments the Australian palate, food and lifestyle. Bluetongue is the perfect fit for WA’s warm, outdoor climate.”

Bluetongue Premium Lager is the fastest growing traditional lager brand in the Australian premium beer market, with off premise sales figures outstripping those of their key competitors including James Boag’s Lager and the Coopers range. Bluetongue Premium Beer’s brand growth is up by a staggering 127.6% Year on Year , according to figures from AC Nielsen, within a market in which some big name brands are in decline.

Spencer says, “Our drinkers are modern and appreciate premium quality but are still unpretentious, it’s about what’s inside that counts. Bluetongue is being really well received around the country because it is genuinely a great tasting, premium Aussie beer that doesn’t take itself too seriously; it’s an engaging brand with a sense of humour that translates across all states. No doubt Bluetongue will be warmly received in WA as well.”

We got this great tip from Melanie at Bitter and Twisted.

How will you escape into Maitland Gaol over the first full weekend in November? Some people are going to seriously twisted measures to attend the best damn beer festival! Bitter and Twisted International Boutique Beer Festival will be held inside the walls of the ex-maximum security prison. Weekend detention will include over 50 craft beers, a nationally recognised entertainment line-up and the best prison food you’ll find! People everywhere are doing anything they can to get into the Gaol…what’s your escape plan!

Tickets available from www.bitterandtwisted.com.au or by calling (02) 4931 2888

We got this recomendation from Mark about Skinny Blonde.  After a bit of research  we found that there seems to be a bit of controversy around launching this new beer, with quiet a few people up in arms over the label and the name of the beer, claiming it is degrading to women.  We think the 50’s style Daisy is quiet all right, but thats when she is wearing her red bikini. Word is she might be a bit bold for some when the beer level drops a bit in the bottle- might be one for the stubby holder.   The beer is brewed by Brothers Inc andwhich includes as their master brewer Hamish Rosser who is drummer of the Vines.  The beer comes from the Hunter Valley in New South Wales, in Australia and has been on the market since about December last year. Be on the look out for Skinny Blonde Beer depending on what happens in the market place it might become a bit of a collectors edition. We would love to hear your thoughts on the packaging and marking campain of Skinny Blonde- drop us a line and let us know what you think. mail us

Find out what all the fuss is about here – http://www.skinnyblonde.com.au/site/ (warning adult content)

We came across this unique label from a beer that was brewed in the late 196o’s and early 70’s Australia’s Carlton and United breweries. The Carlton Pilsener was brewed at the CUB in Melbourne Australia and was marketed as a lighter style of beer “Light in Colour and Light In taste, A bubbling aide to light conversation”. The beer was sold in steel cans and a 26lf bottle, as trends changed and newer recipes came onto the market the Pilseber was pulled from market during the mid 1970’s who knows- it might pop it’s head back one day as one of the breweries special runs. Over the past few years they have brought back a few of the favorite old names for a short while like Abbots and Richmond Lager a few months back.

YouTube Direct 

Since 2008 Fosters has been releasing a special limited edition version of their Crown Lager. Known as Crown Lager Ambassador Reserve, the pricey beer comes in a special box with each hand crafted bottle numbered in a similar way to some of the more collectible wines are sold. 5000 bottles were made in 2008 and 6000 of the 2009 vintage beer have been released today. The very first bottle of the 2008 vintage was given to the Queen as a present on the anniversary of her coronation, so if you don’t want to pony up the coin for a bottle you may need to pop past her place and ask nicely for a taste. The 2008 Vintage sold for around 60 bux a bottle, it may seam a bit rich for a 750ml bottle of beer but we have noticed a bottle of the 2008 stuff on eBay already up to 100 dollars, so it may be a good investment. Check out the Crown Lager site below for the full story on how this beer is put together.

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We firstly have to apologise for the photo, we couldn’t find any blue tongue lizards, our stuffed dinosaur was the closest thing. Well the tongue brand of beers are just new onto the Australian market and are being distributed by the Coca-cola company. They have a great range of beers, including a beautiful Ginger Beer, we will feature more over the next few months. Today we are talking about the Premium Light, Light or low alcohol beer is a growing market in Australia and this one has caught the imagination of the beer drinkers, with a crisp and clean taste. The beer is about half alcohol volume compared with normal beers at 2.7% but misses none of hte great taste. The beers are brewed in the beautiful Hunter Valley of New South Wales and look destine to become on of the major players on the Australian market over the next few years.

A few days ago our story was on a beer found at the discount supermarket chain Aldi, well we have another one. This one is called Storm Light, it is a premium larger but low in alcohol and a great alternative to the big brand name light beers on the market and at a fraction of the cost.  This beer like many of the beers on sale in Aldi stores in Australia is brewed in New Zealand. The beer has full flavor and a slight hoppy taste- quiet a good beer and great value. Look out for it in your local Aldi.

Discount supermarket chain Aldi has a great range of beers at very affordable prices and a new one that has hit their Australian store shelves is Shipstone’s Crew Fine Amber Ale.  It’s quiet a tasty drop, with a sweet and smooth taste.  The beer has a 4.0% alcohol volume and is sold in 330 ml brown bottles. The Australian version of this beer is made in New Zealand, we are not sure if it is avaible from in the American and European stores or where these beers are brewed- if you know drop us a line and we will tell our readers.

Charlotte’s Hefeweizen is brewed in New South Wales in  Australia and is named after Charlotte Adams who was the first woman to climb Australia’s highest peak Mount Kosciuszko back in 1881. The beer is relatively new onto the Australian market and is a very tasty German Style beer using Pale, Wheat Munich and Crystal malts to give the beer a full bodied fruity beer. The beer also contains both Cascade and Willamette hops which gives the beer a very refreshing mild bitterness.  The beer has a 4.7% alcohol volume and is one of the range of brands being produced by the Snowy Mountains Brewery which has been operating only since 2004.  Others to look out for are a beautiful pale ale called Crackenback, a pilsner called Bullocks and the Razorback Red Ale which is a fine beer for the Australian winter, which we are half way through.

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