Australian Beer Stubby

I think it is about time we payed our respects to the little appreciated but well deserving beer vessel, for without it Beer would prove tricky to drink, and store in the fridge for those hot summer days.

Originally (middle ages) most beer was stored in barrels, similar to wine, and were tapped and gravity poured. With the rise in technology and industrialisation Bottles were made widely available, often they were the same bottles used for wine and had corks. So when Australia was colonised and settled, the first beer brewed was stored in Barrels or Bottles and those bottles were generally around 750ml (approx 23oz). And deposits were paid on the purchase of Beer bottles and refunded on the return of the bottle for re-using. This sometimes inconvenient methods of selling mass amounts of beer gave rise to two new technology developments in 1930’s;

The Beer Can and the Beer Stubby.

Both of these fantastic inventions allowed one to purchase a small amount of beer, take it home and store it before being drunk when ready and with no need to worry about returning the packaging. Which was widely applauded as a great acheivement. The reason that we ended up with two different methods instead of one or the other is that Beer tastes different in cans then it does in bottles.

Australian Beer Sizes

After plenty of experimentation a few standards begun to emerge, The 750ml ‘Long neck’ stayed the beer size of choice for many people as it is cheaper and still is for some, however the popularity of the 375ml Stubby eventually surpassed the Long neck. Now however there is a trend toward the 330ml, 345ml & 355ml stubbies, especially in the premium beer range, however while this may not favour the buget drinker, for the brewer it is fantastic as they are selling a smaller volume for a greater price. While the smaller bottles are becoming trendy and fashionable they alienate some drinkers who are serious about drinking from a stubby with a stubby holder!

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