| Carlton & United Breweries / Carlton & United Beverages |
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| Location | Melbourne, Victoria, Australia | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Owner(s) | Foster's Group | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Active beers | |||||||||||||||||||||||
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Carlton & United Breweries is an Australian brewing company based in Abbotsford, a suburb of Melbourne, Victoria. In 1983 it became a wholly owned subsidiary of Elders IXL and CUB was delisted. In 1990, Elders IXL renamed to the Foster's Group, and in July 2004, CUB changed its name to Carlton and United Beverages.[1][2] In February 2009, Foster's announced the decision to separate the Australian Wine division from the Australian Beer, Cider & Spirits (BCS) division, and rename BCS to Carlton & United Breweries.[3]
CUB produces many of Australia's most successful beverages, including Australia's best selling beer, Victoria Bitter.[4]
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The history of Carlton and United Breweries / Beverages or CUB began when Carlton, Fosters, Victoria, Shamrock, Castlemaine and McCracken breweries formed into a cartel known as the Society of Melbourne Brewers in 1903. Emil Resch played a significant role in enabling the amalgamation. Resch also went on to become the first general manager of CUB.[5][6] The merge allowed CUB to raise prices and remain profitable in what had been an unprofitable market. In 1907 this group merged into a single company known as the Carlton and United Breweries. The company became public in 1913 with the issue of 100,000 shares.
Over time it has bought out many other brewers, such as Abbotsford Co-operative Brewery in 1924 (a company set up by independent hoteliers to combat the anti-competitive nature of the Society of Melbourne Brewers.) Their first interstate acquisition was Northern Australian Breweries and the Cairns Brewery in 1931. Further acquisitions were the Ballarat Brewing Company, Queensland Brewery Ltd, Thos McLauchlin & Co Pty Ltd, Richmond Brewery and Tooth & Co.
In 1983 as an ironic twist of fate, CUB was wholly bought by Elders IXL, a giant Australian diversified conglomerate with Pastoral, Financial, Materials and Food interests. Elders Brewing Group (as it then became known as) continued to acquire brewing companies in the United Kingdom, Canada and the United States. Finally in 1990 Elders Brewing Group changed its name to Foster's Group, to reflect the name of their most internationally recognised product.
In July 2004, Carlton and United Breweries changed its name to Carlton and United Beverages (retaining CUB acronym), citing the company's diversification into pre-mixed drinks, juices, ciders and non-alcoholic drinks.[2]
In February 2009, Foster's announced the outcomes of a review of its global wine business, including the decision to separate the Australian Wine division from the Australian Beer, Cider & Spirits (BCS) division, and rename BCS to Carlton & United Breweries.[3]
| CUB Beers [7] | ||
|---|---|---|
| Beer | ABV | Available |
| Victoria Bitter | 4.6% | Tap, 250ml Bottles, 375ml Bottles, 375ml Cans, 750ml Bottles[8] |
| Carlton Draught | 4.6% | Tap, 375ml Bottles, 375ml Cans, 750ml Bottles |
| Corona (distribution only) | 4.6% | Tap, 330ml Bottles |
| Melbourne Bitter | 4.6% | 375ml Bottles, 375ml Cans, 750ml Bottles |
| Carlton Cold | 4.0% | 375ml Bottles, 375ml Cans |
| Carlton Midstrength | 3.5% | Tap, 375ml Bottles, 375ml Cans |
| Carlton Black | 4.4% | Tap, 375ml Bottles |
| Crown Lager | 4.9% | Tap, 375ml Bottles, 700ml Bottles |
| Carlton Sterling | 2.5% | Tap, 375ml Bottles, 375ml Cans |
| Pure Blonde | 4.6% | Tap, 355ml Bottles, 375ml Cans |
| Sheaf Stout | 5.7% | 375ml Bottles, 750ml Bottles |
| Abbotsford Invalid Stout | 5.2% | 375ml Bottles |
| Crown Pilsner | 5.4% | 355ml Bottles |
| Reschs Pilsener (Sold in NSW only) | 4.4% | 355ml Bottles, 750ml Bottles |
| Rank | Owner | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | VB | Foster's |
| 2 | XXXX Gold | Lion Nathan |
| 3 | Tooheys New | Lion Nathan |
| 4 | Carlton Draught | Foster's |
| 5 | Tooheys Extra Dry | Lion Nathan |
| 6 | Carlton Mid | Foster's |
| 7 | Carlton Cold | Foster's |
| 8 | Crown Lager | Foster's |
| 9 | Corona | Foster's |
| 10 | Pure Blonde | Foster's |
| 11 | Melbourne Bitter | Foster's |
| 12 | Hahn Premium Light | Lion Nathan |
| 13 | Coopers Pale Ale | Coopers |
| 14 | XXXX Bitter | Lion Nathan |
| 15 | Cascade Premium Light | Foster's |