Australia's most over rated beer

My father in law knows I like good beer, but he doesn't know much about beer himself. Unfortunately for both of us he bought a case of Crown Lager. Like 99% of beer consumers in Australia he equates Crown Lager as a quality product. The reality is that its over rated shit. Basically you are paying $60 for a carton of VB. The Australian beer market is interesting. Quality is expensive and bullshit marketing talks and somehow makes shit products walk. Take the marketing spiel below;
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"Without a doubt, Crown Lager is one of Australia’s most iconic brands. It is the country’s original premium beer and continues to outsell any other premium beer on the market. Crown Lager had an auspicious start. It was launched to the Australian consumer in 1954 to celebrate the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II. Prior to that it was available only to an exclusive group of individuals made up of diplomats and visiting dignitaries. It’s the special care taken to select only the choicest Australian barley and the best Pride of Ringwood hops, along with the attention to detail in the brewing process, like the extended lagering, that creates this premium beer. This helps produce the creamy fruitiness, rich malty mid-palate and crisp clean hop finish to deliver Crown Lager’s distinctive, full flavoured premium lager taste. The brand’s understated elegance has seen it emerge as an icon - a classic in its own right."
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Hmmm, what a bunch of lies. The only thing premium about this beer is the inflated price. Hops fell by the wayside years ago and synthetic hop extracts are now the norm. Rich malt flavours, hop finish, full flavour and creamy fruitiness?? Where, not in this beer. This is like shit sprayed with perfume. It looks and smells good from a distance, but up close its still shit.
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The most disappointing aspect of the whole affair is that with all the great beers available in Australia, this is the beer that most Dad's and tradespeople buy themselves as a treat over Christmas. While it is a rubbish beer, I do rate it higher than other mass marketed swill like Toohey's Extra dry. But only just.

Adnams Explorer

I am slowly starting to get back on top of my posts! Last Saturday I met up with a long lost friend of mine Chris whom lives out in Bethnal Green for a quick crawl around the Victoria Park/Mile End Park area. As the Royal (Hackney side of Victoria Park) was closed for a private function we headed across the park to the newly renovated Crown. This pub has seen a bit of change recently. Originally (ie circa 2005) it was an organic pub, this closed down and was replaced by Tapas bar! That venture failed and the pub has been restored into a modern day gastropub with trendy bookshelves and uber cool cow hide lampshades. The ale selection was a little lacking and we decided to settle for the Adnams Explorer (4.3% abv). Explorer is a British interpretation of a summer ale and has been brewed with American hops (Columbus, Amarillo and Chinook possibly??) The beer is light and similar to the East Green, but makes use of hops sourced in the USA rather than locally. I guess its in a similar vein to James Squire Golden Ale, with elements of an APA, but compromises on the bitterness to effectively make it a pleasing lawnmower beer. Overall I was quite impressed by the beer, but the pub decor leaves a lot to be desired! Oh and the website is here.

Crown Lager

Crown Lager (abv 4.9%) is often described as Australia's original premium beer. However, the only thing premium about the product is the packaging and its price tag! The beer is basically Fosters lager repackaged into a fancy bottle. For a long time it was the beer of choice for corrupt policemen and everyday business men as they made their way to the Chinese restaurant for lunch. It was the Australian Chinese restaurants equivalent to Cobra and Kingfisher in the UK curry house. Crown Lager (known colloquially as a "crownie") was originally brewed in 1919 as "Fosters Crown Lager" and was initially only available to visiting dignitaries that visited Australia. During the first royal visit of Queen Elizabeth II to Australia in 1954 Fosters marked the occasion releasing Crown Lager to the general Australian public . Crown lager is highly recognisable by its uniquely shaped bottle and by its 1954-trademarked logo that has only changed four times in the history of the beer and despite that its utter crap, remains one of Australia's most popular premium lagers. You can find more infor at the Fosters website here: http://fosters.com.au/enjoy/beer/crown_lager.htm