# October is getting close: time to know the truth about foreign beers! **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [September 29, 2002, 6:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/october-is-getting-close-time-to-know-the-truth-about-foreign-beers/130079 "2002-09-29T06:29:21Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 12\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![TheLoadedDog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/35a633/32.png) [@TheLoadedDog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TheLoadedDog)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 2002, 8:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/october-is-getting-close-time-to-know-the-truth-about-foreign-beers/130079/21 "2002-09-29T20:58:02Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by pkbites \* > \*\*The Fosters sold here in the States say “Product of Canada” right on the can/bottle. Can someone explain that? How can they say it’s Austraillian for beer when the stuff they sell here is actually being made under contract in Canada? \*\* The only thing that surprises me about that is that it’s not made right there in the United States! I guess it’s so they can claim it is “imported”. Foster’s brews beer in Australia, Canada, Vietnam, China, Fiji, the UK (I’m reasonably sure), and that’s just the places I know about (their websites seemed to be down or under construction when I googled it). Indeed, my trip along the Mekong River only seemed picturesque until an ugly Foster’s Brewery hove into view. In Asia especially, I noticed that the practice of brewing foreign beers under licence is quite widespread. Many of the local beers in the region will have breweries in several countries (Tiger, San Miguel, etc do this), and locally produced European brands like Heineken and Carlsberg are common. Australia itself seems unusual in that we don’t seem to do this. If you wish to drink a foreign beer here, you must buy the expensive, imported version from the home country. The local breweries appear to produce local brands exclusively. ---
**Author:** ![3waygeek](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/3/e95f7d/32.png) [@3waygeek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/3waygeek)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 2002, 9:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/october-is-getting-close-time-to-know-the-truth-about-foreign-beers/130079/22 "2002-09-29T21:00:16Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Violet \* > \*\*I drank _Budvar_ in the Czech Republic. I don’t think it’s sold in the U.S. which sells _Budweiser_ – not the same thing. _Budvar_ is very good. Smooth. No comparison. Anyone know if _Budvar_ is available in Canada? \*\* Don’t know about Canada, but it’s sold in the US as Czechvar – I’ve had it a few times. ---
**Author:** ![TheLoadedDog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/35a633/32.png) [@TheLoadedDog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TheLoadedDog)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 2002, 9:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/october-is-getting-close-time-to-know-the-truth-about-foreign-beers/130079/23 "2002-09-29T21:03:11Z")
Didn’t Budweiser take (the ironically original) Budvar to court at one stage over use of the name? ---
**Author:** ![Crusoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/49beb7/32.png) [@Crusoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crusoe)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 2002, 9:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/october-is-getting-close-time-to-know-the-truth-about-foreign-beers/130079/24 "2002-09-29T21:13:54Z")
Yep. Around 50 court cases worldwide on the use of the name and various derivations. I believe in the UK both breweries can use the names; in other countries Bud?jovický Budvar has generally prevailed - e.g. winning in Germany in May and South Korea and Taiwan in June. ---
**Author:** ![Monty](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/monty/32/47_2.png) [@Monty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Monty)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 2002, 10:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/october-is-getting-close-time-to-know-the-truth-about-foreign-beers/130079/25 "2002-09-29T22:16:52Z")
Waverly: OB? Old Boot? I recall that Korea did have a fine beer, though: Crown Maekju. ---
**Author:** ![Colophon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f05b48/32.png) [@Colophon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colophon)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 2002, 10:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/october-is-getting-close-time-to-know-the-truth-about-foreign-beers/130079/26 "2002-09-29T22:28:38Z")
> [@](#): > > Foster’s brews beer in Australia, Canada, Vietnam, China, Fiji, the UK (I’m reasonably sure) The Foster’s we get in the UK (at least the stuff in cans) is brewed by Scottish & Newcastle in (I believe) Edinburgh… just about as far from Australia as you can get. The most popular “British” lager here is probably Carling. In London, most pubs have three or four lagers on tap (invariably Stella Artois, usually Carling, maybe Grolsch or Kronenbourg) and one or two bitters – London Pride being a popular one. I’m going to have to stop writing about beer now, as I still have the remnants of a hangover ☹ ---
**Author:** ![TheLoadedDog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/35a633/32.png) [@TheLoadedDog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TheLoadedDog)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 2002, 11:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/october-is-getting-close-time-to-know-the-truth-about-foreign-beers/130079/27 "2002-09-29T23:15:46Z")
Mmmmm… London Pride. Get yer Prides early on BA flights out of Sydney, because they always run out, and you’ll be stuck with Foster’s. ---
**Author:** ![GIGObuster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gigobuster/32/421_2.png) [@GIGObuster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GIGObuster)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2002, 4:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/october-is-getting-close-time-to-know-the-truth-about-foreign-beers/130079/28 "2002-09-30T04:24:20Z")
> [@](#): > > _Originally posted by Krokodil_ > There’s a presumtion in the question that the natives know better about beer than the pasty Americans who buy the watered-down export product. But here in America, domestic beers sell in inverse proportion to how good they are; Sam Adams soesn’t sell in Budweiser numbers. Aren’t foreign beer drinkers as susceptible to marketing as we are? Don’t Mexican and Chinese working stiffs buy whatever’s cheap and ubiquitous? Well, I was trying to say: what the Native beer connoisseurs like. 😉 Aha! **Peanuthead** ’s link link’s page guided me to the Beer Hunter and his list of the 10 best American beers: [http://www.beerhunter.com/documents/19133-001744.html](http://www.beerhunter.com/documents/19133-001744.html) Notice the non-mention of Sam Adams on that list either! As you can see, none of the watered down popular brands was mentioned. Yes, I should have made the point that I wanted more quality rather than quantity (popularity) sorry. I am trying to find lists, like the beer hunter one, from other countries. > [@](#): > > _Originally posted by **r\_k** _ > Guinness certainly is popular in England, but that’s not related to your question about beers being popular in their original countries – Guinness is Irish, and I’d advise you never to refer to it as English in the presence of an Irishmen (which I’m not, so don’t worry!) Officially, this is my most shameful show of ignorance in this board! ☹ Anyway, without this board I would have remained so! > [@](#): > > _Originally posted by **Irishgir** l_: > oooh GIGObuster! c’mere to me while i slap you! > Guinness is IRISH! Thank you Irish girl! I deserve that! May I have another please? 😉 Back for a moment to popular = not so good beers: **TheLoadedDog** I noticed that there is XX (Dos Equis) in Mexico, did somebody in Australia decided to feel superior by releasing XXXX? 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Crusoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/49beb7/32.png) [@Crusoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crusoe)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2002, 7:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/october-is-getting-close-time-to-know-the-truth-about-foreign-beers/130079/29 "2002-09-30T07:29:42Z")
If you think that’s a superiority complex, there’s a British real ale called 6X. ---
**Author:** ![Waverly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/57b2e6/32.png) [@Waverly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Waverly)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2002, 12:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/october-is-getting-close-time-to-know-the-truth-about-foreign-beers/130079/30 "2002-09-30T12:02:50Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Monty \* > \*\*Waverly: > > OB? Old Boot? I recall that Korea did have a fine beer, though: Crown Maekju. \*\* They probably do, but I honestly have not come across it. Even the fine restaurants I’ve been to generally served Cass. Let me tell you, that is the last thing you need when seated cross-legged for two hours. ---
**Author:** ![Motog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/85e7bf/32.png) [@Motog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Motog)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2002, 1:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/october-is-getting-close-time-to-know-the-truth-about-foreign-beers/130079/31 "2002-10-01T01:53:14Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by TheLoadedDog \* > \*\*Most Popular Beers in Australia: > > **Mainstream Beers:** > Victoria Bitter > Tooheys New > XXXX (pronounced “four-ex”) > > **Premium Beers:** > Cascade > Hahn > Crown > > All the above are lagers. \*\* TLD, you’re list shows a bit of an east coast bias. You left out a few other: **Mainstream Beers:** Southwark Swan (is that still made) **Premium Beers:** Coopers (one of my favourites). Boag’s For a reasonably complete list of Australian Breweries see [here](http://www.australianwineandbeer.com/beer/breweries.htm). For a description of the range of Australian Beers see [here](http://www.australianbeers.com). I can’t find a list of market share of the various Australian beers but the biggest is definitely VB. The type of beer consumed tends to be very dependent on what State you are in (with the exception of VB) which is consumed all around the country. Hardly anyone drinks Fosters. ---
**Author:** ![toadspittle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c0e974/32.png) [@toadspittle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/toadspittle)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2002, 5:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/october-is-getting-close-time-to-know-the-truth-about-foreign-beers/130079/32 "2002-10-01T17:07:28Z")
My German friend, at home, in her neighborhood pub, always drinks German beers we Yanks have never heard of. But she says that, at the clubs, you can always find Heineken, Corona (Mexican is very chic over there, it seems … lots of Mexican restaurants opening up, etc.), and, lately, the liquor-company brews (Smirnoff Ice, etc.). Of course, the funny thing was her pointing at a very old Budweiser sign at a bar here in the U.S. and saying, “That’s a really good beer…,” not realizing it wasn’t the same as what’s called Budweiser over there. A friend from Australia once said the proper slogan is: “Foster’s–it’s Australian for Bud.” [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/october-is-getting-close-time-to-know-the-truth-about-foreign-beers/130079.md?page=1)