Tooheys Brewery
 | |
| Founded | 1869 |
|---|---|
| Headquarters | Sydney, New South Wales, Australia |
Production output | 300 million litres[1] |
| Owner | Mitsubishi keiretsu (through Kirin Holdings) |
Tooheys is a brewery in the suburb of Lidcombe, in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. It produces beers and ciders under the Tooheys and Hahn trademarks, and is part of the Lion Nathan beverages group.
History
Toohey's dates from 1869, when John Thomas Toohey (an Irish immigrant to Melbourne) obtained his brewing license. John Thomas Toohey and his brother James Matthew ran pubs in Melbourne (The Limerick Arms and The Great Britain) before moving to Sydney in the 1860s. They commenced brewing Tooheys Black Old Ale in a brewery in the area of present day Darling Harbour. By 1875, demand for their beer had soared and they established The Standard Brewery in inner-city Surry Hills. In 1902, the company went public as Tooheys Limited, and commenced brewing lager (the present day Tooheys New) in 1930. In 1955, the brewery moved west to Lidcombe, where it is currently sited.[2] In 1967, Tooheys bought competitor Miller's Brewers located in Tavener's Hill, closing the brewery in 1975.[3]
In 1980, NSW-based Tooheys merged with Queensland's Castlemaine Perkins to form Castlemaine Tooheys.[4] Bond Corporation purchased Castlemaine Tooheys in 1985.[4] Lion Nathan acquired 50% stake in Bond's Natbrew Holdings in 1990, and took total ownership in 1992.[4] As of 2007, Tooheys Pty. Ltd. is a wholly owned subsidiary of Lion Nathan.
Production of Hahn-branded beers was moved from the Camperdown Hahn Brewery to Tooheys, some time between 1993 (Lion Nathan's acquisition of Hahn) and 1999[5] (when Hahn Brewery was renamed Malt Shovel Brewery).
Products sold under the Tooheys trademark are brewed at Tooheys brewery and home-brew kits, distributed by Lion Nathan and produced at Canterbury Brewery. Tooheys is the major sponsor of Rugby Union in New South Wales and Queensland, and in 2002 and 2003 was the sponsor of the Melbourne Cup in Victoria.
Beers
- Tooheys New is a pale lager and the most popular of the Tooheys' beers. It can be found on tap at almost any bar in New South Wales, although it is growing in some other states South Australia and Western Australia. It was first brewed in 1930. It was available in cans and bottles as Tooheys Draught, although this name was changed to Tooheys New for consistency in 1998.
- Tooheys New White Stag is a low-carb beer launched in Oct-08 using the slogan Carb-Relief. Beer is brewed as a mainstream beer using Munich malt.
- Tooheys Old is a Dark ale, and is supposedly similar to the Tooheys brothers original brew. It is fairly common on tap throughout New South Wales.
- Tooheys Extra Dry is a crisp-tasting dry style lager. It is sold throughout Australia, though only available in bottles and occasionally cans, until late 2005 when it began to be sold on tap. It is popular with young people, which may be why Tooheys Extra Dry (TED) sponsors the music festival The Big Day Out and many surfing events around Australia. In May 2006, Tooheys Extra Dry Platinum, a beer with increased alcohol content of 6.5%, was launched, with the first shipment selling out in days. It is also sold in 8-packs as opposed to the traditional 6-packs most bottled beers are packaged in.
- Tooheys Pils is a pale lager. It was launched in 1998 as part of the effort to enhance the image of Tooheys.
- Tooheys Maxim is a reduced-calorie, low-carb beer introduced in 2000. Production discontinued in the fourth quarter of 2008 with the release of White Stag.
- Red Bitter [6] formerly known as Tooheys Red, 4.0 to 4.2% ABV
- Gold Bitter [7] formerly Tooheys Gold, mid-strength, 3.0% ABV
- Blue Bitter [8] formerly Tooheys Blue, a low-alcohol "lite" version, 2.3% ABV
- Tooheys Blue Ice
- Tooheys Amber Bitter
- Tooheys 2.2 Lite
- MeZ
Ciders
- Tooheys 5 Seeds Cider
- Tooheys 5 Seeds Cloudy Apple Cider
- Tooheys 5 Seeds Sour Apple Cider
- Tooheys 5 Seeds Crisp Apple Cider
Hahn
- Hahn Premium was launched in 1988. It is a German- style lager, with a slightly bitter taste.
- Hahn Premium Light, launched 1998, is the largest selling low alcohol or 'light' beer in Australia.
- Hahn Super Dry was launched in October 2006. It is a clean and dry tasting beer with a slightly sweet finish. It has no additives or preservatives and is also low in carbohydrates. It is available on tap at selected outlets.
See also
References
Notes
- ↑ "Cognex Vision Systems Inspect Tooheys Bottle crown and cap inspection :Vision Systems". www.smartsensors.com.au. Retrieved 2009-08-25.
- ↑ Tooheys New :: For the Love of Beer
- ↑ Keith Deutsher The Breweries of Australia: A History. Lothian Books 1999.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 Lion Nathan History
- ↑ 1998, according to A Quiet Beer with Chuck Hahn; 1999 according to Lion Nathan History
- ↑ Red Bitter
- ↑ Gold Bitter
- ↑ Blue Bitter
Bibliography
- Deutsher, Keith M. (2012). The Breweries of Australia (2nd ed.). Glebe, NSW: Beer & Brewer Media. ISBN 9780987395214.
Other references
- Lion Nathan, 2006. Our History webpage, http://www.lion-nathan.com/Great-Company/About-Us/History.aspx Retrieved 2007-10-13.
- Australianbeers.com, ?2002. A Quiet Beer with Chuck Hahn. http://www.australianbeers.com/beers/interview/hahn/hahn.htm et seq. Retrieved 2007-10-14.
- Tooheys New website, History section. http://www.tooheysnew.com.au/history.html Retrieved 2007-10-13.