With a staggering nine out of ten Australians unsure of what ingredients are used to make up beer1, a group of brewers from Lion Nathan have got together to set the record straight and show that when it comes to brewing some of their favourite beers, it’s natural.
Aussies can now be assured that beers that carry the stamp: Natural Beer Promise: Brewed in Compliance, have been naturally brewed using only five natural ingredients (water, malted grains, yeast, cane sugar and hops) and are free from artificial additives and preservatives.
And it’s not just any beer – beers that will carry the Natural Beer Promise are some of the most popular beers in the country and include Tooheys New, Tooheys Old, XXXX GOLD, XXXX BITTER, West End Draught and Swan Draught.
“Australians are more conscious of what they put into their bodies and we’ve found beer is no exception. We believe we have truly raised the bar when it comes to brewing beer naturally in Australia by creating a robust set of brewing criteria to ensure some of the most popular beers in the country meet The Natural Beer Promise,” said Bill Taylor, Chief Brewer, Lion Nathan.
“The taste, quality and appearance of these beers haven’t changed. We’ve simply taken out some additives, improved the way we do things, and gone back to the basics of brewing with only five natural ingredients,” added Taylor.
Following a review of Lion Nathan brewing operations, world renowned brewing expert, Professor Graham Stewart* confirmed the Natural Beer Promise is a true mark of natural brewing.
“When I heard about the Natural Beer Promise I was sceptical as there are a lot of natural claims
currently being used by breweries around the world,” said Professor Stewart.
“I was very happy to see the reality of what these brewers are doing and believe they are keeping their promise to brew naturally,” Professor Stewart said.
“I think most people know that the key ingredient for wine is grapes but we found few people actually knew what went into beer or understood that the process for making it can be quite natural,” said Taylor.
“Brewing beer is a centuries-old process. We may use more efficient, modern equipment but we still brew in much the same way.
“We’ve worked hard to make sure our beers that carry the Promise offer beer lovers something they may have already found in other categories but have been yearning for in their beer: natural ingredients, made naturally and with no artificial additives and preservatives,” Taylor said.
To find out more about the Natural Beer Promise visit www.naturalbeer.com.au.
*Professor Graham Stewart is a member of the Institute of Brewing and Distilling and served as its President in 1999 and 2000. He is also a member of the Masters Brewers’ Association of the Americas and this year he was awarded the highly regarded Horace Brown Medal of the Institute of Brewing and Distilling for ’eminent services to the scientific and technical aspects of the fermentation industries’.
- PureProfile national survey (Sept 2008). Sample size: 1004 respondents aged 18+ years ↩︎
Historical update: By the time of the launch of XXXX Summer Bright Lager in September 2009, the company was no longer promoting the Natural Beer Promise and it has quietly disappeared. When asked in 2009, a Lion Nathan spokesperson said:
“XXXX is no longer promoting the Natural Beer Promise due to the issues with the removal of the tetra hop from XXXX GOLD to meet the standard resulting in bad head retention. Also, low carb beers actually don’t meet the promise as they have an enzyme added to break down the carbs so low carbs beers cannot claim to be naturally brewed.“
