Foster’s is attempting a comeback in Australia as this weekend Carlton announced big plans for the former alcoholic giant.
If you, like me, come from the U.K., chances are that before moving to Australia you believed this country to be a nation of Foster’s drinkers: a land where every beach legally had to have a stand serving the beer, as ubiquitous as Budweiser in the U.S. or Heineken in the Netherlands.
This was the result of a stellar and omnipresent advertising campaign that sent up the overseas image of Aussie blokes (two lads answered desperate pleas from Brits asking for advice on things like keeping the in-laws happy and getting a boyfriend to listen).
It had earlier been popularised in the U.K. through a series of 1980’s TV advertisements featuring none other than Paul Hogan. The beer’s taste was described delicately as being like an “angel crying on your tongue.”
The truth was a little different though. Once Australia’s top-selling beer, when I arrived here I couldn’t find Foster’s in a sea of VB and Carlton Draught. It reportedly could only be found in 10 bars and pubs across the whole country. Crikey.
Maybe now’s the time for Foster’s to make a comeback, when Aussies are looking to the past to escape the dismal present. That’s what Carlton believe anyway: they plan to boost production of Foster’s Classic here by 330% in the coming months, going up from 500,000 litres a year to just over 2.5 million litres.
As per Brews News, the company said Australians were looking for a return to “trusted iconic brands”, with Foster’s set to be produced in $53 30-can slabs described as “value for money.”
You’ve got to hand it to them, that’s one risky move. If the nation doesn’t take to it, that’s a hell of a lot of leftover beer. I’m sure happy volunteers could be found in that eventuality though.
“The COVID-19 pandemic has led Aussies to embrace nostalgia and yearn for simpler times,’’ Carlton & United Brand’s head of classic brands Hayden Turner said.
“Foster’s is an iconic brand Australians know and trust so it is really no surprise drinkers have told us they want more.
“We’re confident Foster’s can continue to grow again and develop a strong following like Melbourne Bitter and Reschs have done recently.”
It comes after Foster’s was named the second most popular lager brand in the U.K. in Morning Advertiser’s annual ‘Drinks List’, above Carlsberg and just below Carling (very faint praise if you’ve ever had the misfortune to taste those other two beers).
