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Foster's Lager is an internationally distributed brand of Australian lager that is currently owned by the Japanese brewing group Asahi Group Holdings. It was founded in Melbourne in 1888 by two American brothers, William and Ralph Foster, who began brewing Foster's Lager in November 1888, and made it available to the public from February 1889. Despite being marketed as quintessentially Australian, Foster's Lager is not as popular in Australia compared to other beers and is actually brewed under licence in several countries, including the UK, its biggest market. The brand has been associated with Australian imagery and has used slogans such as Foster's - get some Australian in you. However, its ownership has changed over the years, with various companies acquiring marketing rights in different regions.
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What You'll Learn
Foster's Lager is not Australian-owned
Fosters Lager is not Australian-owned, despite its Australian heritage and associations. The brand is currently owned by the Japanese beverage giant, Asahi Group Holdings, which acquired it in June 2020. This acquisition included other Australian assets, such as Carlton and United Breweries.
The history of Foster's Lager dates back to 1888 when it was founded in Melbourne, Victoria, by two American brothers, William and Ralph Foster, who arrived from New York and began brewing the lager. It was first made available to the public in February 1889 and has since become an internationally distributed brand, with a strong presence in the UK, its biggest market.
While Foster's Lager is not Australian-owned, its marketing and advertising have often leveraged Australian imagery, stereotypes, and connotations to create an Australian identity for the brand. Slogans such as "Foster's Australian for Beer" and "How to Speak Australian" have been used to associate the lager with Australia, and the product has been endorsed by Australian personalities like Paul Hogan. This overseas advertising strategy has contributed to the perception of Foster's Lager as an Australian beverage, even though it is not as popular in Australia itself.
The ownership of Foster's Lager has changed hands several times over the years, with different companies acquiring the rights to the brand in various regions. Heineken International owns the rights to the beer in Latin America, Europe, and the CIS, while Molson Coors owns the rights in the United States and Canada. The brand has also been subject to acquisitions and mergers involving companies like Scottish & Newcastle plc, SABMiller, and Anheuser-Busch InBev.
In conclusion, while Foster's Lager may evoke a sense of Australian culture and lifestyle, it is not Australian-owned. The brand has been passed between international companies, with its current ownership resting with the Japanese Asahi Group Holdings. Despite this, Foster's Lager remains an iconic and recognisable brand globally, particularly in the UK, where it holds a significant market share.
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It's owned by Asahi Group Holdings, a Japanese company
Foster's Lager is an internationally distributed brand of Australian lager. Despite being marketed as quintessentially Australian, it is not as popular in Australia compared to other beers. In fact, it is relatively rare in the country.
Foster's was founded in Melbourne in 1888 by two American brothers, William and Ralph Foster, who began brewing Foster's Lager in November 1888, making it available to the public from February 1889. The company was sold to British-South African multinational SABMiller in 2011, and in 2016, SABMiller was acquired by Anheuser-Busch InBev, making Foster's Group a direct subsidiary.
In 2020, Anheuser-Busch InBev sold Carlton and United Breweries, which includes the Foster's brand, to Asahi Group Holdings, a large Japanese beverage corporation. This means that Foster's Lager is currently owned by Asahi Group Holdings, a Japanese company.
The overseas advertising of Foster's often focuses on Australian imagery, such as kangaroos, exaggerated Australian accents, and cork hats. This has led to some confusion and even legal action, as some consumers believe that the beer is brewed in Australia. However, it is only brewed under licence in several countries, including the UK, its biggest market. While Foster's is the largest-selling Australian beer brand globally, it is not as popular in Australia itself, where other beers like Victoria Bitter and Carlton Draught are preferred.
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It's not popular in Australia, despite its reputation
Foster's Lager is an internationally distributed brand of Australian lager that is currently owned by the Japanese brewing group Asahi Group Holdings. Despite being the largest-selling Australian beer brand globally, it is not as popular in Australia when compared to other beers, such as Victoria Bitter and Carlton Draught. In fact, it is considered rare in its home country.
This discrepancy can be attributed to several factors. Firstly, Foster's Lager is not brewed in Australia, which contradicts its marketing as an authentically Australian beer. This deceptive advertising has led to legal suits, with a notable case in 2015 where a New York consumer sued the brewer, arguing that slogans like "Foster's Australian for Beer" and "How to Speak Australian" were misleading and allowed the product to be sold at a premium price.
Secondly, Australia has a thriving local craft beer industry, with a preference for locally made beers over mass-produced exported ones. Australians have a wide range of local beers to choose from, and Foster's Lager, being a mass-produced lager, is often considered subpar in comparison.
Additionally, the perception of Foster's Lager as a premium brand has waned over time. While it was once considered a premium beer in Australia until the end of the 1970s, it has since been bypassed by other premium brands within the Foster's Group, such as Carlton Crown Lager and Stella Artois.
The popularity of Foster's Lager outside of Australia can be attributed to its successful marketing campaigns, which often played into Australian stereotypes, such as using imagery of kangaroos, exaggerated accents, and cork hats. These campaigns, particularly those in the 1980s featuring Australian comedian Paul Hogan, solidified the association of Foster's Lager with Australian culture in the minds of international consumers.
However, Australians themselves view these stereotypes with amusement and recognise the disconnect between the portrayal of Foster's Lager in advertising and the reality of their diverse beer preferences. As a result, while Foster's Lager may be the first beer that comes to mind for many when thinking of Australia, it is not reflective of the country's actual beer culture and consumption patterns.
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It was founded in Melbourne in 1888 by two American brothers
Foster's Lager is an internationally distributed Australian lager brand. It was founded in Melbourne in 1888 by two American brothers, William M. and Ralph R. Foster, who arrived in Melbourne from New York in 1886. The brothers began brewing Foster's Lager in November 1888, and it was made available to the public from February 1889.
The product was first exported in 1901, when bottles were sent to Australian combatants in the Boer War. The brand was then sold in 1889, and it changed hands several times over the next century. In 2011, Foster's Group was acquired by SABMiller, a British-South African multinational company. In 2016, SABMiller was acquired by Anheuser-Busch InBev, and Foster's Group became a direct subsidiary. Finally, in 2020, Asahi Group Holdings, a Japanese beverage corporation, purchased Anheuser-Busch InBev's Australian assets, including Foster's beer.
Despite being marketed as quintessentially Australian, Foster's Lager is not widely consumed in Australia. In fact, it is considered a premium brand, and other beers such as Victoria Bitter and Carlton Draught are more popular. Foster's Lager is, however, the largest-selling Australian beer brand in the world.
The overseas advertising of the product often focuses on Australian connotations, with references to stereotypical Australian imagery such as kangaroos, exaggerated accents, and cork hats. This was particularly true of a campaign in the 1980s fronted by Australian comedian Paul Hogan. The campaign included slogans such as "Think Australian, Drink Australian" and "Foster's Australian for Beer", which contributed to the perception of Foster's as an Australian beverage.
In reality, Foster's Lager is not even brewed in Australia, and Australians have noted that it is not a big seller in the country. This has led to some feeling duped, as the exotic heritage of the beer is proclaimed at elephantine volume in its advertising.
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It's marketed as Australian internationally
Foster's Lager is an internationally distributed brand of Australian lager that is currently owned by the Japanese brewing group Asahi Group Holdings. It was founded in Melbourne in 1888 by two American brothers, William and Ralph Foster, who began brewing Foster's Lager in November 1888, and made it available to the public from February 1889.
Despite being Australian-owned, Foster's Lager is not as popular in Australia compared to other beers, and is instead the largest-selling Australian beer brand in the world. It has been marketed as quintessentially Australian, with slogans such as "Think Australian, Drink Australian", "Foster's Australian for Beer", and "How to Speak Australian". The overseas advertising of the product often focuses on Australian connotations, with references to stereotypical Australian imagery such as kangaroos, exaggerated accents, and cork hats.
This marketing strategy has been effective in promoting Foster's Lager as an iconic Australian brand, both internationally and within Australia itself. In 2020, Carlton & United Breweries announced that it was relaunching Foster's beer in Australia, with a plan to increase production by 300% over the summer. Hayden Turner, the CUB Head of Classic brands, attributed this decision to the COVID-19 pandemic, stating that "Foster's is an iconic brand Australians know and trust so it is really no surprise drinkers have told us they want more".
However, the perception of Foster's Lager as an Australian beverage has led to some controversy. In 2015, a New York consumer of Foster's Lager sued the brewer after discovering that it was not brewed in Australia. The suit cited the aforementioned slogans as intentionally deceptive marketing, which allowed the beer to be sold at a higher, premium price. Additionally, some Australians have expressed that Foster's Lager is not representative of their beer culture, which has evolved and expanded beyond basic bitter brews.
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Frequently asked questions
No, Foster's is not Australian-owned. It was founded in Melbourne in 1888 by two American brothers, William and Ralph Foster, who sold the brewery a year later. The company was renamed prior to its sale to British-South African multinational SABMiller in 2011. In 2016, SABMiller was acquired by Anheuser-Busch InBev, and in 2020, it was sold again to the Japanese beverage giant, Asahi Group Holdings.
Foster's Lager is often marketed as a quintessential Australian beer, with advertising slogans such as "Foster's Australian for Beer" and "How to Speak Australian". The overseas advertising of the product often focuses on Australian connotations, with references to stereotypical Australian imagery such as kangaroos, exaggerated accents, and cork hats.
Foster's Lager is not very popular in Australia. In fact, it is quite rare compared to other beers in the country, such as Victoria Bitter and Carlton Draught. If you walk into a bar in Australia and order a Foster's, you might receive some quizzical looks.
Foster's Lager is the largest-selling Australian beer brand in the world and is particularly successful in the UK, where it is the second most popular lager. It is also available in other European countries, Latin America, Russia, India, and the Commonwealth of Independent States.
A number of companies own the marketing rights to Foster's in different regions. Heineken International owns the rights in Latin America, Europe, and the CIS, while Molson Coors owns the rights in the U.S. and Canada.
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