Chris Shanahan: CCA–Casella beer venture headed for top five

Packaged beer drives volume growth

The Australian Beer Company, a joint venture between Coca Cola Amatil and Casella Wines, launched its Yenda draft beer range in October last year and bottled versions in March 2015.

The company began its push into beer under former Group Managing Director, Terry Davis. Releasing the company’s half-year results on 21 August, Davis’s successor, Alison Watkins, said Yenda, “is now on target to become a top-five craft beer brand”.

She said beer and cider volumes almost doubled in a year, “primarily driven by the successful launch of Yenda in packaged format in March”.

At the March launch, CCA explained its optimism for the crafter beer segment. It pointed to a 25-per-cent growth rate in consumption of craft beer and its comparatively small share of total beer sales – 3.9 per cent, compared with over ten per cent in the UK and US.

Beer reviews

Anchor Brewing Co Liberty Ale 355ml $4.50
First brewed in 1975 to commemorate Paul Revere’s historic ride 200 years earlier, San Francisco’s Liberty Ale impresses from the start with its brimming freshness and rich, creamy head. The delicate, fruity, malty palate, complete with intense but delicate and lingering hops flavour and bitterness complete a perfect ale.

Southern Bay Australian Lager 330ml $4.50
The bottle, bearing a best-before date of May 2016 and purchased in a Canberra retail outlet, had clearly seen better days. The head faded and died quickly, the aroma and flavour failed to show the freshness and briskness of lager and indeed tasted flabby and tired. Still drinkable if unexciting, the beer perhaps suffered from a packaging failure.