Coopers is Australia's largest brewery and is 100% owned by Australians. Under the leadership of the fifth-generation descendants of Thomas Cooper, the family-owned company produces 12 beers and a range of home brews, and it maintains a 5% share of Australia's beer market.
Mercifully you can buy Coopers here in the US - I've seen it at
Whole Foods but also at
The Australian pub in New York. And when I'm back home, I am definitely a loyal customer (though I admittedly can't decide which of their beers I prefer).
If your exposure to Coopers has only ever been from the consumption side, you might be interested to know that you can tour the brewery and see what makes this South Australian icon tick. Even if you think you don't like beer, give tour guide Frank one hour of your time and he'll take you though the impressive fermentation facilities, bottling and distribution, and quality control centre at Coopers. You'll work up a thirst, but your tour ends with a tasting of 10 delicious beers - and Frank is a generous pour.
Tours cost about $30 and
can be booked online here. All proceeds go to the
Coopers Brewery Foundation, to support a range of philanthropic projects across Australia.
I did a tour of the brewery on my recent visit back home - check out my photo album below:
