You may have had an argument with a mate or two in the pub over what the best beer available is. One might call you weak for enjoying Pure Blonde, another might consider VB the absolute bottom of the barrel. Now we have sales data to prove what are actually the most popular beers in the nation. Mind you, popular doesn’t always mean best, but if any of your favourites show up, you can at least use that information to throw some shade on your friend’s obviously wrong opinion.
The sales data comes from two sources: hospitality innovator me&u and business analytics company IRI Australia.
What may or may not shock anyone with taste buds, is that Great Northern is the overall best-selling beer in the country. It took the top spot in the ACT and Northern Territory, second in Queensland, and third in South Australia. But if that upsets you, don’t worry because Balter XPA did very well too coming second in both NSW and Tasmania, and third in Victoria and the ACT.
The overall rankings from IRI Australia are as follows:
- Great Northern
- Carlton Dry
- XXXX Gold
- Coopers
- Victoria Bitter
- Corona
- Tooheys
- Hahn
- Pure Blonde
- Asahi
All things considered, this is a fairly standard list including all the largest brewers in the country. It’s when we get to the state-by-state rankings from me&u that you start to see something interesting.
State-by-State Rankings according to me&u:
- ACT
- Great Northern Super Crisp
- Carlton Draught
- Balter XPA
- New South Wales
- Corona
- Balter XPA
- 4 Pines Pale Ale
- Northern Territory
- Great Northern Super Crisp
- Coopers Pale Ale
- Carlton Dry
- Queensland
- Felons Crisp Lager
- Great Northern Super Crisp
- XXXX Gold
- South Australia
- Hahn Super Dry
- Coopers Pale Ale
- Great Northern Super Crisp
- Tasmania
- Cascade Lager
- Balter XPA
- Great Northern Super Crisp
- Victoria
- Carlton Draught
- Coburg Lager
- Balter XPA
- Western Australia
- Swan Draught
- Carlton Dry
- James Squire 150 Lashes Pale Ale
There is a fairly large discrepancy between the sources of data. Balter XPA shows up in most state top threes, and yet it doesn’t make a single appearance in the top 10. XXXX Gold is somehow the third most popular beer in Australia, yet it only appears in Queensland’s top three (naturally). The one thing that can be agreed upon is that Great Northern is certainly a favourite, but by that notion, so is Balter XPA, both appearing in a state’s top three four times.
Do you agree with this list?
