Swan Brewery
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Swan Brewery ( ) was founded in the centre of Perth, Australia in 1837.
The brewery produces local brands such as Swan and Emu, as well as national brands Tooheys and Hahn.
In the 1980s, the company was part of the empire of the failed tycoon Alan Bond. It has since been acquired by Lion Nathan, a multinational Australian brewing concern that accounts for many different beers in the Asia-Pacific area. Current products that were historically Swan brands include Emu Bitter and Emu Export.
Contents |
[edit] The Old Swan Brewery
The 1879 brewery building on the Swan River foreshore beneath Mount Eliza is iconic and a well-known landmark to all locals. At various stages in its earlier history it was a part of a complex of buildings in the area, with the remaining structures having been renovated and in parts totally re-built. The car-park building across the road is a totally new structure, but is on the site of the former stables.[1]
It gained notoriety in the 1990s after developers applied to turn the area into a commercial precinct. Some local Noongars claimed the site to have ancient and sacred Indigenous Australian significance, and established a protest camp on the site. Another group of Noongars disputed this claim, asserting that only the south side of the river was sacred. Developers argued that the brewery had been built on land reclaimed from the Swan River, and therefore the areas of Noongar heritage importance were further inland, close to the Mount Eliza escarpment. Ultimately the protest was unsuccessful and the development of the property went ahead.
Nowadays the building contains a cafe/restaurant and function area which is often hired out for Perth weddings. It also contains a microbrewery which produces malt ales and lagers[1].
The Swan Brewery is now in Canning Vale and one of the sister companies of the bigger corporate body, Lion Nathan. The brewery makes 2 bottles every second.
[edit] External links
[edit] References
- ^ Edmonds, Jack (editor) (1976) Swan River colony : life in Western Australia since the early colonial settlement, illustrated by pictures from an exhibition mounted by West Australian Newspapers Ltd. as a contribution to celebrations for the state's 150th year Perth : West Australian Newspapers, 1979.ISBN 0909699208 -for photos of the site see p.2-3, 24, 68 (at top), and a view from at 84
[edit] Further reading
Roy Jones (1997) Sacred sites or profane buildings? Reflections on the Old Swan Brewery conflict in Perth, Western Australia In - Contested urban heritage : voices from the periphery / edited by Brian J. Shaw, Roy Jones. Aldershot, Hants, England; Brookfield, Vt., USA: Ashgate, ISBN 1859725546
 |
This beer- or brewery-related article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. |
