Foster’s Lager

Foster's Lager was created by two American brothers, William and Ralph Foster, who arrived in Melbourne from New York in 1886 and launched their lager in November 1888 — delivering it to bars across Melbourne with a free supply of ice in the height of summer. Within a year they had sold the brewery and returned to America, but the beer lived on, eventually absorbed into Carlton & United Breweries by 1907. Exported to Australian troops in the Boer War in 1901, it launched in the UK in 1971 and the US in 1972, becoming one of the world's most recognised beer brands. Heineken acquired the European and Latin American brewing and distribution rights, producing Foster's at the Royal Brewery in Manchester for the UK market at 4% ABV. The brand itself is ultimately owned by Asahi Group Holdings.