When you reach for a beer this Anzac day, give a thought to whom your beer is supporting – is it really Australian or New Zealand owned and brewed, or from somewhere else?

Consider the two major Australian breweries are now foreign owned; Lion Nathan brewer of Little Creatures, James Squires, Tooheys, XXXX, Hahn and James Boags is owned by Japanese Kirin Holdings Company Limited, while the likes of Balter, Mountain Goat, Pirate Life and Matilda Bay are owned by Asahi.

As a result why would you have a beer owned by a foreign entity when there are so many 100% owned and operated micro-breweries throughout Australia? Thankfully with Australia's burgeoning craft beer scene there are ample options for getting Australian brewed beer with over 600 independently owned craft breweries the length and breadth of this country. 

Many of these are part of the Independent Brewers Association (IBA) of Australia which was created to provide a voice for independently owned breweries in Australia and has over 350 breweries as members.

In 2018 the IBA introduced the Independent Seal (below) to make it easier to determine if a brewery is independently owned. In the 2020 Australian Craft Beer Survey 60% of those sampled were aware of the seal and of those aware of the seal 61% said it had a medium/large impact on the beer they purchased.

Awareness of Independent Brewers Association Independent Seal

Impact of an Australian Independent Brewers Seal

You can check out all the Australian independent owned beers that we currently stock here or view our complete list of Australian and New Zealand beers here (includes non independents).

So feed your taste buds this Anzac day and make sure you go in true Australian (or New Zealand) style!

PS. You can also read a great post by The Crafty Pint on Who Owns Your Beer that looks at ownership of different breweries in Australia, including those contract brewed.