Aussies have rated Coopers as the top pick in Canstar Blue’s latest Aussie beer ratings, with five-star reviews for taste, packaging convenience, variety & range, as well as overall satisfaction.
Our review compares Aussie beers on customer satisfaction, so you can find out what other Aussies think about the compared brands before you go ahead with a purchase. Think of it as like asking hundreds of your closest mates which Aussie beer they think is best!
Canstar Blue surveyed 725 Australians for their feedback on Australian beer(s) they have purchased and consumed in the last 12 months.
The winning brand is the one that receives the highest Overall satisfaction rating once all the scores from the Overall satisfaction criteria are combined and averaged.
Find more detailed information on our Most Satisfied Customer methodology.
Not sure which beer to buy? Check out our buying guide below.
Coopers was rated five stars across multiple ratings categories, including taste, packaging convenience, variety & range and overall satisfaction, with four stars for value for money.
Founded in 1862 by Thomas Cooper, the Coopers Brewery is based in Adelaide and offers a wide variety of beers, including ales, stouts, lagers and low alcohol options. Coopers’ full range of beers includes Sparkling Ale, Original Pale Ale, XPA, Pacific Pale Ale, Mild Ale, Dark Ale, Extra Stout, Coopers Dry, Premium Light, and seasonal options. Coopers is currently owned by the Cooper Family, which also distributes a number of overseas beers throughout Australia.
XXXX was rated five stars for value for money and received four stars in all other categories including taste, packaging convenience, variety & range, and overall satisfaction.
One of arguably the more popular beers in the Sunshine State, XXXX was launched in 1924 by Castlemaine Brewers, named after the town of Castlemaine in Victoria, where the company was first founded in 1857. Offering four beers – XXXX Gold, XXXX Dry, XXXX Bitter and Summer Bright – in addition to the XXXX Zero non-alcoholic beverage, XXXX is brewed in Brisbane, Queensland, and is currently owned by Lion.
Great Northern achieved five stars for taste and four stars for value for money, packaging convenience, variety & range, and overall satisfaction.
With the tagline ‘The Beer From Up Here’, along with the name of the beer itself, you can guess where this beer is from. Originally founded in 1924 as the Cairns Brewery Company, the Northern Australian Breweries took over a few years later, before it was acquired by Carlton & United Breweries in 1931. Great Northern’s range of beer includes the Original (distinguishable by the white Marlin fish), Super Crisp (featuring a black Marlin fish) and Zero (featuring a blue Marlin fish), and is currently brewed in Yatala, Queensland.
Victoria Bitter received five stars for taste, four stars for packaging convenience, variety & range, and overall satisfaction, with three stars in value for money.
First brewed in 1854, Victoria Bitter – simply known as VB – has the tagline ‘For a Hard Earned Thirst’, and sticks with what it knows, currently only offering one beer in its line-up. A full-strength beer, VB is made from Ringwood Hops and is still brewed in Victoria. Currently, VB is owned by Carlton & United Beverages, which in turn operates under Asahi Breweries.
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Tooheys received five star ratings for both packaging and convenience and variety & range, also receiving four star ratings for taste and overall satisfaction, and a three star rating for value for money.
A beer from New South Wales, Tooheys was founded in Sydney in the 1860s, where brothers John and James Toohey created the brand. Still produced in Sydney, Tooheys offers three beers – Tooheys Old Dark Ale (based on the first original batch of Tooheys that was created 150 years ago), Tooheys New, a lager that was first produced in 1931, as well as Tooheys Extra Dry. Tooheys was acquired by Kirin in 2009 and operates under the Lion beverage group.
Carlton Draught achieved four stars across variety & range, packaging convenience, value for money and overall satisfaction and a three star rating for taste.
Beginning in 1864, Carlton Draught was founded in Carlton, Victoria, and most likely known as the brand behind the ‘It’s a Big Ad’ marketing campaign from a few years ago. It’s also been labelled the official beer of the AFL, and is still manufactured in Victoria. Offering Carlton Draught and Carlton Mid, the brand currently operates within the Carlton & United Breweries.
Hahn saw both four and three star ratings across the categories, with four stars for overall satisfaction and variety & range, and three stars in taste, value for money and packaging convenience.
Another beer from Sydney, Hahn was founded by Dr. Charles Hahn in 1988, experimenting with names such as Sydney Bitter, before sticking with the Hahn namesake. Currently offering Hahn Ultra Crisp, Hahn SuperDry, Hahn SuperDry 3.5 and Hahn Premium Light, all Hahn beers are still produced in Auburn, NSW. Hahn is now owned by Lion, after being acquired by the Japanese company in 1993.
Furphy was rated four stars for packaging convenience and three stars in all other categories including taste, value for money, variety & range and overall satisfaction.
With a name linked to telling a tall tale, Furphy has a rich history in storage tanks, in both fermenting tanks to brew beer, along with the Furphy Water Carts used throughout World War I. Established by John Furphy in the 1880s, the Furphy beer is still manufactured in the Geelong brewery, offering the Original and Crisp Lager in stores. Furphy beer is currently owned by Little Creatures Brewery, which is owned by Lion.
While there are a number of beers that are still brewed, bottled and manufactured in Australia, not all are actually Australian-owned. Of the major brewing companies in Australia, Coopers – which also now brews and distributes Carlsberg and Sapporo in Australia – is arguably the biggest Aussie-owned player in the market, although there are a number of independent breweries also owned and operated in Australia.
While Australia is arguably a beer-loving country, we’re a bit divided in terms of what size beer can come in when you go down to the pub. To give you a brief rundown of the glass sizes around Australia, check out the sizes below, and what each is called around Australia to save you some potential embarrassment when it’s your shout.
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| NSW | VIC | QLD | SA | WA | NT | TAS | ACT | |
| 115ml | – | Foursie | – | – | Shetland | – | Small Beer | – |
| 140ml | Pony | Pony | Pony | Pony | Pony | – | – | – |
| 170ml | – | – | – | – | Bobbie/Six | – | Six | – |
| 200ml | Seven | Glass | Seven/Beer | Butcher | Glass | Seven | Seven | – |
| 285ml | Middy | Pot | Pot | Schooner | Middy/Half-Pint | Handle | Ten | Middy/Half-Pint |
| 350ml | Schmiddy | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| 425ml | Schooner | Schooner | Schooner | Pint | Schooner | Schooner | Schooner | Schooner |
| 570ml | Pint | Pint | Pint | Imperial Pint | Pint | Pint | Pint | Pint |
| 1140ml | Jug | Jug | Jug | Jug | Jug | Jug | Jug | Jug |
It’s a debate that’s raged across many a pub, dining room table, kick-ons and parties, but which Aussie beer raises the bar amongst its peers ultimately comes down to your personal preferences. While some of us prefer a nice, crisp lager, others will prefer a pale ale, with some even opting for a zero-alcohol alternative as their beer of choice. As a result, whichever beer brand and type you reach for when you open the fridge comes down to a number of factors, including price, taste, if you prefer cans to stubbies and, while you should always enjoy responsibly, how much alcohol content is in each serving.
For more information on consuming alcohol responsibly, refer to the government guidelines.
This report was written by Canstar Blue’s Home & Lifestyle Content Producer Kate King. Kate holds a Bachelor of Creative Industries from QUT majoring in Journalism and Media and Communications, and has written for a number of publications over the past five years.
Samantha Howse is Canstar Blue’s Consumer Research Specialist, coordinating the consumer research program behind our customer satisfaction awards across Canstar and Canstar Blue in Australia and New Zealand. Sam has earned a Bachelor of Business (Marketing) from Griffith University and, with seven years in market research and 2 years in marketing, she is experienced in survey design, implementation and analysis, coupled with an understanding of marketing principles and best practice.
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