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Foster's Lager is an internationally distributed Australian brand of 4.9% abv pale lager.^[1] It is a product of Foster's Group brewed under licence in several countries, including the United States,^[2] and Russia.^[3] The European rights to the beer are owned by Heineken International, who brew and distribute Foster's in most European countries^[4] including: the United Kingdom, Canada, Greece, France, Belgium, Portugal, Poland, Finland, Germany, Spain, Sweden, Ukraine and Ireland. In the United States^[5] and India^[6], rights to the brand are owned by SABMiller.^[7]

The Foster's brand is also used on several other beers.

Foster's United Kingdom web site^[8] claims that "Brits drink over 30 pints of the Amber Nectar every second".^[9] While international marketing of the beer often focuses on its Australian connections, Foster's does not enjoy widespread popularity in Australia.

History

Foster's Lager was imported into the UK from Australia in its distinctly blue, white and gold cans since the early 1970s.

Awareness of the brand was spread in Britain by the satirical political magazine "Private Eye" which ran a cartoon series "The Adventures of Barry McKenzie", featuring a bumbling Foster's swilling Australian "ex-pat", from about 1964 onwards.

In Britain, the Courage brewing group was acquired in 1986 by Australian "corporate raider" John Elliott. Perceiving the increasing popularity of imported Foster's Lager, it was decided to commence local brewing of the product by Courage.

Australian market

While popular in many countries, particularly where it is brewed locally, Foster's Lager does not enjoy widespread success in Australia. As a bottled beer produced by the Foster's Group (formerly the Carlton United Beverages group (CUB)) it is rarely promoted in Australia. Once a "premium" brand, Foster's Lager has been bypassed in favour of the Foster's Group's favoured premium brands of Carlton Crown Lager and Stella Artois.^[10][11]

In Australia until the end of the 1970s, Foster's Lager was a reasonably popular bottled and canned beer with a somewhat premium image. Then in the early 1980s there were major changes in the Australian brewing industry, including the merger of Castlemaine (Brisbane), Swan (Perth) and Toohey's (Sydney) into a national brewing group, as a result of acquisitions by Perth entrepreneur Alan Bond. In Queensland the high-volume Power's brewery was established by local entrepreneur Bernie Power.

Faced with inroads into its non-Victorian markets, Carlton and United Breweries (CUB) reviewed its product range and attempted to re-position some of its brands. So Foster's Draught was introduced, served on tap alongside established draught brands such as Castlemaine XXXX and Toohey's Draught. Despite some initial success, bolstered by heavy advertising, the brand did not prove popular and was eventually withdrawn from sale. Arguably, at the end of this failed exercise Foster's Lager was no longer viewed by consumers as a "premium" brand, and has not been promoted in Australia recently.

The Foster's Group has tended to promote the brands of Carlton Draught (mainstream market) and Victoria Bitter (working class male market).^[12] As an "also-ran", Foster's Lager will no doubt be brewed as a bottled and canned beer in Australia for the foreseeable future, at least for sentimental reasons. These days (2007), it is relatively difficult to find in smaller bottle shops, and is seldom found on tap.

Power's Brewery, south of Brisbane, was taken over by CUB^[13] and is now used to brew Victoria Bitter and other Foster's Group brands in Queensland, (including Foster's Lager).

Global market

In April 2006, Scottish & Newcastle plc announced that it has agreed to acquire the Foster’s brand in Europe (including Turkey), the Russian Federation and other countries in the Commonwealth of Independent States from Foster’s Group Limited for approximately £309 million. In August 2006, SABMiller announced that it had bought the rights to the Foster's brand in India for a reported $120m from private investors.^[14][15]

Variants

Scottish & Newcastle has also launched Foster's Twist,^[16] a beer with a hint of citrus that is marketed as a refreshing alternative to other heavier beers and Premium Packaged Spirits such as Smirnoff Ice. Foster's Twist is 4.5% abv.

There is also Foster's Super Chilled, which is served at a colder temperature and is available in pubs and bars.

In 2008, Foster's was introduced with a widget called a "scuba" placed into the can to ensure good mixing.^[17] This variant is only currently available in the UK.

In the UK, customers are also able to purchase a keg of Foster's for private parties, collecting and returning the keg at a participating store or public house.

Marketing

Foster's Lager uses the slogan "The Amber Nectar" in Australia and the UK, and "Australian for Beer", performed by Bob Ingersole, elsewhere overseas. The overseas advertising of the product often focuses upon the Australian connotations of the beer, e.g. with reference to stereotypical Australian imagery such as kangaroos, exaggerated accents, and cork hats.

The 2009 campaign for Foster's contains two 40-second adverts, "Backpacker" and "Deep Sea"; both end with the slogan, "Foster's - get some Australian in you." ^[18]

The Foster's Lager brand was used as an advertising sponsorship deal with Norwich City Football Club from 1988 until 1993. At its commencement, the sponsorship by Foster's was the most lucrative sponsorship ever given to an English football club.

The brand sponsored F1 events regularly from 1986 to 2006. During this period it was the title sponsor for the Australian GP (1986-1993 and 2002-2006), the Britsh GP (1990-1993 and 2000-2006) and the San Marino GP (2003-2006). It also was the prime sponsor and trackside sponsor of many other Grand Prix during this time. The brand was also used in a sponsorship deal with the A1 Team Australia from 2005 to 2007.

The brand is currently used in a major sponsorship deal with the ASP World Tour.

See also

• List of breweries in Australia

References

Notes

External links

• Interview with Trevor O'Hoy, CEO of Foster's Group in 2006.
• Foster's History, www.australianbeers.com