Brits stumped after uncovering myth about Aussies drinking habit

News.com.au

24-04-2025

A British man and has wife have realised a slogan about a popular product they have been told all their lives may not be as true as they thought.
Chris Hutchinson and his wife Tamira are currently in Western Australia, but are originally from the UK. The couple were stumped when they went to a bottle shop and discovered Fosters in the imported section.
Fosters is brewed in Australia by Carlton and United Breweries. CUB has been owned by Japanese brand Asahi since 2020.
'We thought that Australians drink Fosters, because in the UK, that is what it is marketed as — the Australian beer,' Mr Hutchinson said in a TikTok video.
'But it seems to be in the imported section, and I've just asked someone and apparently Australians don't really drink Fosters. It's really weird.'
Mrs Hutchinson chimed in and said they had been 'living a lie'. Instead, Mr Hutchinson walked away with cans of Great Northern, Carlton Mid and VB.
Last year, Carlton Dry 3.5 per cent that was named Australia's best selling new beer, according to Drinks Trade.
Many people flocked to the Hutchinsons comment section to confirm that Australians and Fosters wasn't the stereotype it was made out to be.
'Fosters is the biggest and longest joke we have played on the world,' one person commented.
Another said: 'No one in Australia drinks Fosters.'
'I'm a 31yo Aussie and I don't think I've ever actually even seen a fosters in person my whole life,' one added.
One person said: 'When I went to Sydney years ago I asked for a pint of Fosters and the barman said they don't drink it, just import it, their drink is VB which was lovely.'
'I don't drink beer but I can honestly say I have never ever seen anyone drink Fosters in Australia,' one said.
The idea that Fosters is a common beer drunk in Australia is not a new one, with a BBC article from 2013 stating that the beer was marketed to them as the 'Australian lager'.
'The reality is that if you walked into a bar in Australia and ordered a Foster's, you might well receive some quizzical looks — it's a long way down the popularity list and almost unheard of in some parts of the country, making a mockery of slogans such as 'Think Australian, Drink Australian',' the article said.
'It's brewed under licence in Britain, its biggest international market, where it ranks as the country's second most popular lager.'
Two years ago, an American took to Reddit and asked if they would cop flack if they drunk Fosters while in Australia — and if there were any American beers that were popular Down Under.
'Yeah. Australians take the p**s out of Foster's. Australia has an excellent, huge local brewing craft beer industry, so mass produced exported beer is often considered subpar,' one said.
Another said: 'VB and XXXX are still popular, but only tradies drink them really. Otherwise, similar to coffee actually, many just go for locally made sh*t and avoid American stuff at all costs.'
'You'll struggle to find Fosters in Australia. It's really an export beer; absolutely nobody drinks it here. Things like Bud can be found, but they aren't popular at all,' another added.