Coopers To Brew Budweiser

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Timmsy

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SOUTH Australian brewer Coopers will spend $6 million this year upgrading its Regency Park brewery in readiness for the possible Australian production of Budweiser beer.

Managing director Tim Cooper said no concrete deal had been signed with Budweiser brand owner Anheuser-Busch InBev but a key Australian sales threshold would be met mid-year.

"We needed to reach a threshold of more than 500,000 cases ... at the rate we're selling, we could say we would have hit it by mid 2009," Mr Cooper said.

Coopers has distributed Budweiser beer in Australia through its 80 per cent-owned company Premium Beverages since 2002 and in New Zealand since October, 2008.

But Anheuser-Busch's $79 billion takeover by Belgian brewer InBev in November had meant contract brewing talks between both companies had been "like starting all over again".

However, Premium Beverages managing director Bruce Siney already had begun talks with the new owners and Anheuser-Busch InBev representatives were expected to visit South Australia "shortly", Mr Cooper said. "They represent an enormous proportion of worldwide capacity, one in three beers."

Mr Cooper was hopeful talks would be successful because Australian's thirst for premium and imported beers was strong.

"Australia represents 1-2 per cent of worldwide volume but we're of interest because it's recognised that beer in Australia is a good premium market; returns are reasonable."

Anheuser-Busch InBev describes itself as one of the top five global consumer product companies with 200 beer brands in its portfolio including Budweiser, Stella Artois, Beck's Leffe and Hoegaarden as well as Brazil's Skol and Brahma, Argentina's Quilmes, China's Harbin and Korea's Cass.

It also owns half of Mexico's Grupo Modelo, which makes Corona, and 27 per cent of China's Tsingtao brewery.

Should Coopers' contract brewing talks with the global giant be successful, the Regency Park brewer would be the only SA-based contract brewer, joining Australian rivals Lion Nathan and Foster's in making premium global brands for Anheuser-Busch InBev.

Foster's makes Stella Artois in Melbourne and Lion Nathan brews Beck's in Sydney.




`King of beers' goes down well
TASTERS are united behind Coopers' push to brew Budweiser in Adelaide, saying the lighter, fresher beer is a perfect addition to the famed label. The "king of beers" was given a unanimous thumbs up in a blind tasting test at Sellicks Beach's Victory Hotel yesterday.

Paul Torkington, 31, said Coopers Premium Lager was a heavier, "more Australian" tasting beer, but the leading U.S. Budweiser brew was smooth, easy to drink and perfect for hot summer days.

"It's the kind of beer you could buy a carton of and take to a party and have a good night with," he said.

"The Coopers is nice, but it's a bit heavier and stronger tasting and you couldn't have too many in a row."

Elena Carnevale, 28, said that more women would like the smooth, sweeter brew.

"It's a taste that will appeal to girls," she said. "It's light and nice to drink.

"I think it's great that Coopers is going to be making it. It grows the brand and that's good for employment and keeping jobs in South Australia."

"As a girl and not really a beer drinker, I like it," Sarah Burton said. "But I think Coopers does have to be careful about changing too much.

"I think it should stay South Australian."
 
That's just wrong.
 
wrong?

aren't they going to make any money from it?
 
That's just wrong.

Bud is actually very good acetaldehyde tasting practice if you're studying for the BJCP. Other than that, I agree it is fundamentally wrong.
 
just sad given Coopers reputation of being a family owned etc. You would think they would value their reputation.
 
just sad given Coopers reputation of being a family owned etc. You would think they would value their reputation.
But as said in the BUL thread, how many people will really 'know' that Coopers are doing the brewing? I'd imagine most people will just say "yay, Bud" and assume it's from the states. True, it's sad, but also - true, it's business. Both Coopers and AB-InBev know this perfectly well.
 
That's business.


+1. Life is simple, if you don't like the beer, don't drink it. I love the Bud motto - "King of Beers" Proves undisputably my anti monarchy / pro republican / left of centre socialist leanings are well founded.
 
+1. Life is simple, if you don't like the beer, don't drink it. I love the Bud motto - "King of Beers" Proves undisputably my anti monarchy / pro republican / left of centre socialist leanings are well founded.

Agree to an extent - but its also nice to promote/enjoy a good honest beer culture (mainly a pipe dream i know). I saw a slogan somewhere along the lines of: "make beer local again"
 
Some of this article obviously needs translating from marketing speak and business double talk.


However, Premium Beverages managing director Bruce Siney already had begun talks with the new owners and Anheuser-Busch InBev representatives were expected to visit South Australia "shortly", Mr Cooper said. "They represent an enormous proportion of worldwide capacity, one in three beers."
As Australia's leading independent, family owned brewery with a long history of producing a unique product without regard for short lived drinking fads, it is obviously in our best interest to get into bed with a giant multinational group who could buy us out with their spare change... Ooops, oh fu... :eek:

Mr Cooper was hopeful talks would be successful because Australian's thirst for premium and imported beers was strong.
"Australia represents 1-2 per cent of worldwide volume but we're of interest because it's recognised that beer in Australia is a good premium market; returns are reasonable."
translation: "You can sell basic crap for a high price, and people here will fall for it because it's imported. We already get top dollar out of these suckers for stuff like Corona and Heinekin - wait till you see how much they'll fork over for something even more tasteless and bland."

Anheuser-Busch InBev describes itself as one of the top five global consumer product companies with 200 beer brands in its portfolio including Budweiser, Stella Artois, Beck's Leffe and Hoegaarden as well as Brazil's Skol and Brahma, Argentina's Quilmes, China's Harbin and Korea's Cass.
We are great because we have over 200 different stickers to put on our beer. No idea how many different types of actual beer we make. In the marketing department's ideal world, we'd just have one standard type of beer, which we could label with any of 200 different labels.

Foster's makes Stella Artois in Melbourne and Lion Nathan brews Beck's in Sydney.
Foster's puts a Stella Artois label on something they brew in Melbourne. Lion Nathan puts a Beck's label on something they brew in Sydney. They then charge 50% more for them than other things brewed in the same factory.

`King of beers' goes down well

Just like Tayla Rain...

The "king of beers" was given a unanimous thumbs up in a blind tasting test at Sellicks Beach's Victory Hotel yesterday.
A bunch of blind drunks at the pub were happy to be given a free beer, even if it was Bud...

Paul Torkington, 31, said ... "It's the kind of beer you could buy a carton of and take to a party and have a good night with,"
I like to down a whole carton of beer quickly and get totally off my face. To me, that's a good night. Anything that facilitates skulling it down faster is a good thing to me.

Elena Carnevale, 28, said that more women would like the smooth, sweeter brew. "It's a taste that will appeal to girls," she said. "It's light and nice to drink.
I don't actually like beer, so a beer that doesn't taste like beer appeals to me. If I want to get totally drunk at a party, and there's only beer to drink, I'd rather it didn't actually taste like beer. Of course, I'd rather have a Vodka Cruiser any day.

"As a girl and not really a beer drinker, I like it," Sarah Burton said. "But I think Coopers does have to be careful about changing too much.
Like the last girl, I'll conform to the marketing stereotype of girls not really liking or drinking beer, but if we do, we prefer it to be as bland and tasteless as possible. Timmerman's Lambic Kreik? What's that? Duvel? Never heard of it?

"I think it should stay South Australian."
And of course, finish on a patriotic note just in case readers get worried...

:rolleyes:
 
Haha they're going to have a torrid time removing that SA pooey watery character if the beer is going to taste like "nothing" like the real Bud.

Other than that it's another iron in Cooper's fire and ensures their long-term survival I guess.

Warren -
 
you guys are being incredibly pessimistic, after all, it could turn out like Czech Budweiser :lol:
 
Haha they're going to have a torrid time removing that SA pooey watery character if the beer is going to taste like "nothing" like the real Bud.

Other than that it's another iron in Cooper's fire and ensures their long-term survival I guess.

Warren -

$6mil gets you a lot of RO filtration. Special bags of St. Louis river mud for the HLT are on their way already.
 
Bud is actually very good acetaldehyde tasting practice if you're studying for the BJCP. Other than that, I agree it is fundamentally wrong.

And I think Jamil said it was useful for lifting the yeast from the primary before repitching (cause its fizzy and pretty sterile) :p
 
It seems a bit wierd, but I can't see any problem with it. As previously mentioned higher profits will be good for survival, bring jobs and money to SA (rather than the States), and praps help prevent Coopers falling victim to another hostile take over bid by Lion Nathan.

But what if I dont like bud?

Drink Coopers Pale!
 
It seems a bit wierd, but I can't see any problem with it. As previously mentioned higher profits will be good for survival, bring jobs and money to SA (rather than the States), and praps help prevent Coopers falling victim to another hostile take over bid by Lion Nathan.

But what if I dont like bud?

Drink Coopers Pale!

Sparkling Ale
 
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