Chris Shanahan: Big beer brands still on top

Roy Morgan research released for last week’s Australia Day celebrations revealed that nine out ten people who drank beer in 2014 drank at least one Australian beer.

The research found drinkers of XXXX Gold, Cascade Premium Light, VB and Crown Lager, “are more likely than drinkers of other Aussie beer brands to believe that ‘Australian beer is the only beer worth drinking’ and that ‘imported beer is a waste of money’”.

Not surprisingly, the ten top beers rated in the survey of 5,968 respondents were large-volume, popular brands, not the craft beers columns like this tend to talk about.

Lagers comprised eight of the 10. But the James Squire brand, embracing ales and lagers, came in at ninth position. And Cooper’s Pale Ale, in fourth place, demonstrated that popular taste could embrace characterful beers as well.