How rip-off beer is forcing Australians to make their own ales - and Coopers is offering to sell one lucky drinker's homebrew around the country
- Sales of Coopers' DIY home brewing kits were up 35 per cent last year
- Surge driven by sky-high beer prices and increasing popularity of craft beer
- Competition will find the best home brewer in Australia and mass produce it
Sky-high prices for pints, schooners, and pots in pubs and craft beers in bottle shops are prompting thousands of Australians to give up and brew their own.
A cold glass of cheap lager costs upwards of $10 in many parts of the country and cartons are near-impossible to get for less than $40.
Drinkers sick of their wallets being empty after a night out are instead turning to DIY brewing kits, particularly lovers of craft beer.
Princely prices for pints in pubs and packaged beer is prompting thousands of Australians to give up and brew their own
South Australian brewer Coopers, the world's bigger seller of the gear needed to make your own beer, said DIY kit sales rocketed by 35 per cent last year.
'This reflects the growth and interest in craft beer – and the ultimate craft beer is one you make yourself,' divisional manager Scott Harris said.
To capitalise on this trend, the 150-year-old company is holding a competition to find the best self-made beer in Australia.
Share this article
The lucky winner will have their recipe brewed and canned by Coopers and sold in Dan Murphy's bottle shops around the country.
'Brewing can be as simple as "mix, brew, bottle, enjoy", or you can get adventurous with your own additions and creative flair,' Mr Harris said.
'While we know this will excite our current users, it is also the perfect opportunity for eager beginners.'
Drinkers sick of their wallets being empty after a night out are instead turning to DIY brewing kits, particularly lovers of craft beer
South Australian brewer Coopers, the world's bigger seller of the gear needed to make your own beer, said DIY kit sales rocketed up 35 per cent last year
Coopers was early on the DIY brewing scene, starting to sell kits in the 1970s when home brewing was made legal.
Mr Harris hoped that legacy would stir up nostalgia in early adopters, including established craft brewers who got their start with Coopers kits.
The competition kicks off on Friday to coincide with craft beer festival Good Beer Week and runs through until the end of July.
State-level judging begins in September with the national winner announced in February 2020 and available in-store from May 2020.
