Editing Foster's Lager

{{Short description|Brand of lager}}
{{About|the lager|the company|Foster's Group}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=October 2021}}
{{Infobox drink
| name = Foster’s Lager
| image = Logo of Foster's Lager.svg
| caption = 
| brewery = Worldwide including:
*Australia [[Asahi Group Holdings]]
*New Zealand [[Lion (Australasian company)|Lion]]
*Latin America, Europe and CIS: [[Heineken International]]
*US and Canada: [[Molson Coors]]
| style = [[Australian lager]]
| year = {{start date and age|1889|2}}<ref name="Deutsher1999">{{cite book|last=Deutsher|first=Keith|title=The Breweries of Australia: A History |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=v99JAAAAYAAJ |year=1999 |publisher=Lothian |isbn=978-0-85091-986-8 |page=144}}</ref>
| abv = 5.0% (US),<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.fostersbeer.com/beer# |title=Beer: Fosters |work=Fostersbeer.com }}</ref> 4% (Europe and Australia), 3.7% (UK) <ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.fosters.co.uk/nutrition |title=Age Gate }}</ref>
}}

[[File:Beer bottle.JPG|thumb|Beer bottle]]
'''Foster's Lager''' is an internationally distributed brand of [[Australian lager]].  It is owned by the [[Japan|Japanese]] brewing group [[Asahi Group Holdings]], and is brewed under licence in a number of countries, including its biggest market, the UK, where the European rights to the brand are owned by [[Heineken International]].

While Foster's is the largest-selling Australian beer brand in the world,<ref>{{cite web | title=Foster's Legacy | website=Fosters | url=https://www.fostersbeer.com/legacy# | access-date=18 December 2020}}</ref> it is not as popular and relatively rare compared with other [[Beer in Australia|beers in Australia]], particularly when compared to current [[Carlton & United Breweries]] beers such as [[Victoria Bitter]] and [[Carlton Draught]].<ref name="Oliver2011">{{cite book|author=Garrett Oliver |title=The Oxford Companion to Beer |url= https://books.google.com/books?id=gYVLHMmplRcC&pg=PA371 |year=2011 |publisher=Oxford University Press |isbn=978-0-19-536713-3 |pages=370–371}}</ref>

==History==
Foster's was created by two [[Americans|American]] brothers, William M. and Ralph R. Foster, who arrived in Melbourne from New York in 1886.<ref name=Oliver2011/> The brothers began brewing Foster's Lager in November 1888. It was made available to the public from February 1889.<ref name="Deutsher1999"/> The product was first exported in 1901, when bottles were sent to Australian combatants in the [[Second Boer War|Boer War]].<ref name="Derdak1988">{{cite book |last=Derdak|first=Thomas |title=International directory of company histories |url= https://books.google.com/books?id=9aDyJeMgE5kC |year=1988 |publisher=St. James Press |isbn=978-0-912289-10-6 |page=228}}</ref>

In 1907, the company merged with five other brewing companies to form [[Carlton & United Breweries]] (CUB). Then only available in bottles, Foster's Lager was considered to be CUB's [[Beer#"Premium"_beers|premium]] brand.<ref name=Oliver2011/>

In 1958, steel cans were introduced.<ref name="auspostalhistory.com">[http://www.auspostalhistory.com/articles/1570.shtml Foster’s Lager Beer, Bitter Ale & Extra Stout, Melbourne], auspostalhistory.com</ref> Foster's Lager was first imported into the UK in 1971, and was launched in the US in 1972.<ref name="Oliver2011" />

Commencing 1981, the brand was brewed under licence in the UK by Watney Mann and Truman Brewers.{{citation needed|date=June 2023}} In 1986, [[Courage Brewery]] obtained the rights to brew and distribute Foster's alongside Watney Mann and Truman Brewers, which Courage took over in 1990.{{citation needed|date=August 2017}}

In 2011, CUB and its product lines, including Foster's, were bought by the South African and British conglomerate [[SABMiller]], which in turn was incorporated into the multinational (Belgian, Brazilian, and American) [[Anheuser-Busch InBev]] in 2016.<ref>{{Cite news|date=21 December 2016|title=BRIEF-AB InBev says SABMiller Holdings changes name to Anheuser-Busch North American Holding Corp|language=en|work=Reuters|url=https://www.reuters.com/article/idUSL5N1EG2KU|access-date=4 January 2021}}</ref> In 2019, [[Anheuser-Busch InBev]] agreed to sell CUB including Fosters to [[Asahi Breweries]]. The deal was completed in 2020.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.businessinsider.com.au/japanese-brewer-asahi-has-bought-the-maker-of-vb-and-carlton-draught-for-16-billion-and-the-deal-could-revive-australias-sluggish-beer-market-2019-7 |title=Japanese brewer Asahi has bought the maker of VB and Carlton Draught for $16 billion — and the deal could revive Australia's sluggish beer market |work=Business Insider |date=22 July 2019 |access-date=2 September 2019 |archive-date=19 October 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211019004712/https://www.businessinsider.com.au/japanese-brewer-asahi-has-bought-the-maker-of-vb-and-carlton-draught-for-16-billion-and-the-deal-could-revive-australias-sluggish-beer-market-2019-7 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

==Production==
Advertising from the early 20th century claimed Foster's Lager was [[adjuncts|adjuncted]] with cane sugar.<ref name="auspostalhistory.com"/> A number of breweries advertised a sugar content, (e.g. [[Queensland Brewery Ltd|Bulimba]]), as it implied a lighter less bitter brew than was commonly sold. (Rice malt and very light barley malts replaced sugar, which can be troublesome for brewers.<ref>Fiacco, M. D. (2019, July 1). Exbeeriment | impact flaked rice has on an american lager. Brülosophy. https://brulosophy.com/2019/07/01/the-flaked-rice-effect-exbeeriment-results/</ref>)

The Tim Foster's yeast in use today was brought to Carlton in 1923 from Professor Jorgensen in Denmark.<ref>[http://www.australianbeers.com/beers/fosters/fosters.htm Or is it], www.australianbeers.com</ref>

The lager is hopped with selected oil extracts of [[List of hop varieties#Super Pride|Super Pride of Ringwood]] [[hops]], which like any modern beer, is added after fermentation to minimise losses to the yeast sediment.{{citation needed|date=August 2017}}<ref>Oladokun, Ola & James, Sue & Cowley, Trevor & Smart, Katherine & Hort, Joanne & Cook, David. (2017). [https://www.researchgate.net/publication/321907055_Dry-Hopping_the_Effects_of_Temperature_and_Hop_Variety_on_the_Bittering_Profiles_and_Properties_of_Resultant_Beers Dry-Hopping: the Effects of Temperature and Hop Variety on the Bittering Profiles and Properties of Resultant Beers.] BrewingScience. 70. 187-196. 10.23763/BRSC17-18OLADOKU.</ref> The hop is sourced from the only two farms in Australia that grow it.<ref>[http://cub.com.au/beer/ Beer], Carlton & United Breweries (CUB)</ref>

The product is 4% ABV in Europe, Australia and India, and 5% in the US.{{fact|date=December 2024}}

The Latin American and European rights to the beer are owned by [[Heineken International]], who brews and distributes a 4% ABV Foster's in most [[Europe]]an countries.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://ratebeer.com/beer/fosters-uk/43965/ |title=Fosters (UK) from Berkshire (Heineken) |publisher=ratebeer.com |access-date=29 August 2009}}</ref> In the United States<ref>[http://www.fostersbeer.com/ Foster's in the US], www.fostersbeer.com</ref> and Canada, rights to the brand are owned by [[Molson Coors]]. Heineken also acquired [[Brasil Kirin]] which previously had the right to the beer in Latin America.{{fact|date=December 2024}}

In the UK, Foster's is produced by Heineken at the Royal Brewery in [[Manchester]].<ref>[https://www.independent.co.uk/news/business/news/sab-turns-hostile-with-a95bn-bid-for-fosters-investors-2339581.html SAB turns hostile with A$9.5bn bid for Foster's investors], Business News, ''[[The Independent]]''</ref>

Production of the Australian regular brand recommenced in 2014, but it was only briefly promoted. It had been in continuous production from November 1888 to about 2002, making it the longest-lived beer label in Australia.{{citation needed|date=August 2017}} Once a "premium" brand,<ref>{{Citation|last=Christie|first=Jordanne|title=Foster's|url=https://ecampusontario.pressbooks.pub/gned1478/chapter/fosters/|work=Beer Through the Ages|language=en|access-date=29 August 2020}}</ref> Foster's Lager has been bypassed by the Foster's Group's favoured premium brands of [[Crown Lager|Carlton Crown Lager]] and [[Stella Artois]].<ref>Stella Artois is brewed in Australia under licence from Belgian beer conglomerate [[InBev]].</ref><ref>[http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2004/08/18/1092765016049.html?from=storylhs "Cheers! Why every brewer loves a premium beer or two"], ''[[The Sydney Morning Herald]]'', 18 August 2004.</ref>

In Australia until the end of the 1970s, Foster's Lager was a reasonably popular bottled and canned beer with a somewhat premium image.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://ecampusontario.pressbooks.pub/gned1478/chapter/fosters/|title=Foster's|last1=Christie|first1=Jordanne}}</ref> 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 (businessman)|Alan Bond]].<ref>{{cite web|title=Our History|url=https://www.lionco.com/who-we-are/our-history/|access-date=27 December 2024|publisher=Lion|archive-date=27 December 2024|archive-url=https://archive.today/20241227121652/https://www.lionco.com/who-we-are/our-history/}}</ref>

Faced with inroads into its non-Victorian markets, Carlton and United Beverages (CUB) reviewed its product range and attempted to re-position some of its brands. 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 to be popular and was eventually withdrawn from sale.{{citation needed|date=August 2017}}

The Foster's Group has tended to promote the brands of [[Carlton Draught]] (mainstream market) and [[Victoria Bitter]] (working class male market).<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.iht.com/articles/2006/02/14/bloomberg/sxfosters.php.|title=Beer sales underpin earnings at Foster's|publisher=[[Bloomberg News]]|via=[[International Herald Tribune]]|author=Fenner, Robert|language=en|date=14 February 2006|archive-date=1 March 2007|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070301092321/http://www.iht.com/articles/2006/02/14/bloomberg/sxfosters.php}}</ref>{{failed verification|date=February 2020}}

The CUB Yatala Road Brewery south of Brisbane, the site of the former [[Power's Brewery]], brews all CUB mainstream and contract beers that are sold outside of Victoria. The Yatala Brewery is the largest in the Southern Hemisphere.{{citation needed|date=August 2017}} CUB's Abbotsford Brewery (Abbot's Lager) now only supplies Victoria and South Australia.{{citation needed|date=August 2017}}

In late 2014 Foster's enjoyed some renewed success in the Australian market, due to returning to wide-release sale in Australian liquor stores with some renewed nostalgic brand recognition.<ref>{{Cite news |date=2013-05-26 |title=SAB fosters beer brands in Australia |work=Financial Times |url=https://www.ft.com/content/a511b4cc-c5cd-11e2-99d1-00144feab7de |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20221210/https://www.ft.com/content/a511b4cc-c5cd-11e2-99d1-00144feab7de |archive-date=10 December 2022 |url-access=subscription |access-date=2022-06-29}}</ref> Foster's lager was marketed as "Foster's Classic" and sold in 375ml cans with 4.0% ABV.

In November 2020, CUB announced that it would "relaunch" the brand in Australia, boosting local production by 300% and price it competitively against rival brands.<ref>{{cite web| url = https://www.brewsnews.com.au/2020/11/30/iconic-fosters-makes-a-comeback/| title = 'Iconic' Foster's makes a comeback}}</ref>

In Australia in 2024 CUB decided not to produce the original Foster's Lager 4.9% version. It has been replaced by Foster's Classic 4.0% version.

==Global market==
In April 2006, [[Scottish & Newcastle plc]] announced that it had agreed to acquire the Foster's brand in Europe (including Turkey), the Russian Federation and other countries in the [[Commonwealth of Independent States]] for approximately £309 million. In August 2006, [[SABMiller]], now owned by [[AB InBev]], announced that it had bought back rights to the Foster's brand in India for a reported $120m from private investors.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20110612022855/http://business.timesonline.co.uk/tol/business/industry_sectors/consumer_goods/article704447.ece S&N turns on Foster's tap in Europe], Times Online</ref><ref>[http://www.scottish-newcastle.com/snplc/media/news/2006/2006-05-17/ Scottish & Newcastle completes the acquisition of the Foster’s brand], Scottish & Newcastle {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070928080724/http://www.scottish-newcastle.com/snplc/media/news/2006/2006-05-17/ |date=28 September 2007 }}</ref>

An unusual case emerged in 2015 when a New York consumer of Foster's Lager sued the brewer after – he claimed – discovering it was not brewed in Australia.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Cowie|first1=Tom |title=New York man sues Foster's for not being brewed in Australia |url=http://www.smh.com.au/business/new-york-man-sues-fosters-for-not-being-brewed-in-australia-20151215-glohm4.html |access-date=15 September 2016 |work=Sydney Morning Herald |date=16 December 2015}}</ref> He proposed a class action on the grounds of deceptive marketing. The suit cited advertising slogans such as 'Foster's Australian for Beer' and 'How to Speak Australian' were intended to trick consumers into believing the beer is made in Australia – which in turn meant the beer could be sold at a higher, premium price.

A number of companies own marketing rights to Foster's including [[Heineken International]] in Latin America, Europe and CIS and [[Molson Coors]] in the U.S. and Canada.

==Variants==
Scottish & Newcastle launched Foster's Twist, a beer with a hint of citrus that was marketed as a refreshing alternative to other heavier beers and [[Premium Packaged Spirits]] such as [[Smirnoff Ice]]. Foster's Twist was 4.5% abv. It has since been withdrawn from the market.<ref>Alcoholic Drinks: Euromonitor from trade sources/national statistics, 2011</ref>

There also exists 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 (beer)|widget]] called a "scuba" placed into the can to ensure good mixing.<ref>{{cite web| url = http://www.talkingretail.com/products/9071/SN-launches-widget-versions-of.ehtml| title = S&N launches ‘widget’ versions of Foster’s and Kronenbourg<!-- Bot generated title -->| date = 14 March 2008}}</ref> 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.{{citation needed|date=February 2020}}

Also, there is Fosters Gold which has a slightly higher alcohol percentage of 4.5% sold only in bottles.{{citation needed|date=August 2017}}

==Sponsorship==
From 1964, the brand was promoted in the UK by comedian [[Barry Humphries]] and his ''[[Private Eye]]'' character [[Barry McKenzie]], a bumbling Foster's swilling Australian expatriate.<ref name=Oliver2011/>

Foster's Lager used the slogan "The Amber Nectar" in Australia and the UK, and "Australian for Beer", elsewhere overseas.<ref>{{Cite book|last=Moutinho|first=Luiz|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=zmjFCwAAQBAJ&q=Foster%27s+Lager+used+the+slogan+%22The+Amber+Nectar%22+in+Australia+and+the+UK%2C+and+%22Australian+for+Beer%22%2C+elsewhere+overseas&pg=PA266|title=Worldwide Casebook In Marketing Management|date=29 February 2016|publisher=World Scientific|isbn=978-981-4689-62-5|language=en}}</ref> The overseas advertising of the product often focuses on the Australian connotations of the beer, e.g. with reference to stereotypical Australian imagery such as [[kangaroo]]s, exaggerated accents, and [[cork hat]]s. This was true of a campaign in the 1980s fronted by the Australian comedian [[Paul Hogan]].<ref>Simon Bowers [https://www.theguardian.com/business/2011/jun/21/fosters-lager-brewed-in-britain "Foster's may be 'the Australian for lager' but it is brewed in Britain"], ''The Guardian'', 21 June 2011</ref>

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."<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.talkingretail.com/products/product-news/12721-fosters-returns-to-its-advertising-roots.html |title=Foster's returns to its advertising roots |publisher=www.talkingretail.com |access-date=29 August 2009 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090817140834/http://www.talkingretail.com/products/product-news/12721-fosters-returns-to-its-advertising-roots.html |archive-date=17 August 2009 }}</ref>

The Foster's Lager brand was used as an advertising [[Sponsor (commercial)|sponsorship]] deal with [[Norwich City F.C.]] from 1986 to 1989 (a period which included two top five finishes and a run to the FA Cup semi-finals).{{cn|date=March 2025}}

The brand sponsored [[Formula One]] events regularly from 1986 to 2006. During this period it was the title sponsor for the Australian GP (1986–1993 and 2002–2006), the British 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 Grands Prix during this time. The brand was also used in a sponsorship deal with the [[A1 Team Australia]] from 2005 to 2007.{{citation needed|date=August 2017}}

The UK division of the Foster's brand has focused on cultivating comedy-centric advertising and sponsorship arrangements and on 9 November 2011 they launched a trailer for their sponsored, online-only version of the hit 90s' television show ''[[The Fast Show]]''.<ref>{{cite web| url = https://www.youtube.com/fosters| title = Foster's - YouTube<!-- Bot generated title -->| website = [[YouTube]]}}</ref> The six weekly episodes started on 10 November and featured the original cast (with the exception of Mark Williams) and many of the characters from the previous series.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://fosters.co.uk/tagged/The_Fast_Show |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111105230039/http://fosters.co.uk/tagged/The_Fast_Show |archive-date=2011-11-05 | title = Foster's - The Fast Show<!-- Bot generated title -->}}</ref>

From 2010 to 2015 Foster's adverts featured "Good call", in which numerous Britons phone up Australians Brad and Dan for general advice.<ref>[http://fosters.co.uk/good-call Foster's » Good Call Ads<!-- Bot generated title -->] [http://arquivo.pt/wayback/20140907071212/http%3A//www%2Efosters%2Eco%2Euk/good%2Dcall Archived copy] at the [[Portuguese Web Archive]] (7 September 2014).</ref> The campaign was revived in 2019.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.marketingweek.com/2019/04/08/fosters-bring-back-good-call-ad-campaign/|title = Foster's on why it's bringing back 'Good call' after a four-year absence|date = 8 April 2019}}</ref>

==See also==
{{Portal|Beer|Australia}}
* [[Lager]]
* [[List of breweries in Australia]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
* [http://www.fosters.co.uk/ Official UK Website], www.fosters.co.uk
* [http://www.fostersbeer.com/ Official US Website], www.fostersbeer.com
* [http://www.fostersfunny.co.uk/ Official UK Fosters Funny Campaign Website], www.fostersfunny.co.uk
* [http://www.australianbeers.com/beers/interview/ohoy/ohoy.htm Interview with Trevor O'Hoy], CEO of Foster's Group in 2006.
* [http://www.australianbeers.com/beers/fosters/fosters.htm Foster's History], www.australianbeers.com

{{SABMiller}}
{{Heineken International}}
[[Category:Asahi brands]]
[[Category:Heineken brands]]
[[Category:Foster's Group]]
[[Category:Carlton & United Breweries]]
[[Category:Australian beer brands]]
[[Category:Beer brands of the United Kingdom]]
[[Category:Products introduced in 1889]]
[[Category:1889 establishments in Australia]]