Foster’s is ripe for an Australian comeback, with news the beer will be relaunched across the nation by its local owner, Carlton & United Breweries.
Carlton plans to boost production of Foster’s Classic in Australia by 300 per cent in the coming months, up from 500,000 litres a year to just over 2.5 million litres.
In a media statement over the weekend, via Brews News, the company said Australians were looking for a return to “trusted iconic brands”, with Foster’s to be produced in $53 30-can slabs described as “value for money”.
Carlton claims the brand will compete with other locally affordable rivals, the likes of which include XXXX, West End Draught, and Carlton’s own Victoria Bitter, each retailing around the $50 mark.
“The COVID-19 pandemic has led Aussies to embrace nostalgia and yearn for simpler times,’’ Carlon & United Brand’s head of classic brands Hayden Turner said, via Brews News.
“Foster’s is an iconic brand Australians know and trust so it is really no surprise drinkers have told us they want more.
“We’re confident Foster’s can continue to grow again and develop a strong following like Melbourne Bitter and Reschs have done recently.”
The news comes after Foster’s was named the second most popular lager brand in the UK in Morning Advertiser’s annual ‘Drinks List’, above Carlsberg but below Carling.
However, while a hoot with Brits, Foster’s has struggled to find its feet in Australia.
Once Australia’s top-selling beer, Foster’s declined to the point where it could only reportedly be found in 10 bars and pubs across the country.
According to Brews News, it was dubbed by pub owners as a ‘gimmick’ beer.
Introduced in 1964 in the UK, Fosters was popularised in a series of 1980s TV advertisements featuring actor Paul Hogan, including iconic ads that described the beer’s taste as like an “angel crying on your tongue”, and others that have not aged well at all, including one that mentions disgraced entertainer Rolf Harris.
