Battle brewing for top beer

PETER MICHAEL UPSTART lager Great Northern has put the iconic XXXX brand under the pump in a tilt at Queensland’s most popular brew.

Not since the 1980s has XXXX faced a contender like Great Northern’s “Beer from Up Here”.

Latest figures show one in every four beers drunk in Queensland is still from the XXXX stable.

But Great Northern – trading on the historic Cairns brewery brand and marlin logo – is toasting phenomenal growth rates.

Over the Christmas period, Great Northern sales were up a fizzing 56 per cent, while XXXX sank 6 per cent. And it’s got XXXX on the hop.

“For a very long time, XXXX was the only beer brand Queenslanders drank, and it is still No.1,” said XXXX’s Patrick Donohue, sales director of Lion Beer in Queensland.

“It’s fair to say drinkers now choose from a range of beers. And it’s fair to say Great Northern is growing.’’

Richard Oppy of Carlton United Breweries is toasting Great Northern’s popularity, not only in Queensland but around Australia.

“No doubt, Great Northern has got a lot of momentum,” he said.

“It’s performing really well and showing strong growth year on year – we’re really pleased with way it’s taken off.”

Victoria Bitter and Corona are still hugely popular and annual figures show XXXX Gold (19.1 per cent) is still nearly twice the size of Great Northern Original (10 per cent) in volume share.