I was a little disappointed when I first tried the beer Coopers brewed to mark their 150th anniversary, remarking at the time that I had been hoping for a few more bells and whistles in the bottle than marked such a momentous birthday.

Unlike some large brewers, Coopers obviously don’t bear a grudge and even sent me some as a Christmas present. Highlighting the fact that how you approach a beer can influence how it rewards you, stripped of the baggage I unfairly made it carry, I have been thoroughly enjoying it… That it’s joining their permanent range is good news from Coopers.

While you won’t see me draping my car in Australian flags or echoing chants of Aussie, Aussie, Aussie this Saturday, if you happen to bump into me, there will be some Celebration Ale in my esky and you’re welcome to join me in enjoying one. [MK]

Media Release

Coopers Makes Australia Day Celebration Ale Decision

Coopers’ Celebration Ale, introduced last year to celebrate the brewer’s 150th anniversary, will be retained as a permanent line.

Coopers’ National Marketing Director, Mr Cam Pearce, said strong sales of more than 100,000 cases since Celebration Ale was launched last May had driven the decision.

“Celebration Ale was initially launched as a special one-off product to celebrate our landmark anniversary,” he said.

“However we said that if it performed well, consideration would be given to keeping it as one of our regular lines. Sales have exceeded our expectations and we have made the decision to make it a permanent part of our portfolio.

“Indeed, Celebration Ale was the number one new product development in packaged beer by value for the quarter ending October 2012, according to Nielsen data.”

Mr Pearce said it was appropriate to make the announcement just before Australia Day.

“Celebration Ale is a great beer to toast a special occasion and as the largest Australian owned brewer, we felt it was appropriate to make the decision at this time,” he said.

Celebration Ale is a hops-driven ale with a dark-red hue that follows the style of an India Pale Ale (IPA), in the tradition of colonial ales of Thomas Cooper’s time.

It incorporates three different hops varieties – Centennial from the USA, Nelson Sauvin from New Zealand and Pride of Ringwood from Australia to produce a beer with strong estery characteristics and a “hoppier” style than Coopers’ mainstream ales.

“It’s also the first beer to be packaged under the Thomas Cooper Selection range of beers, which we expect will become an increasingly important range for us in the future,” Mr Pearce said.

“Celebration Ale is a good example of a premium craft beer and fits well alongside the traditional range of Coopers beers.

“The fact that it has been able to carve out a strong following in an increasingly busy sector of the market in a relatively short period of time is a strong endorsement of our brewers’ abilities.”

Celebration Ale is available in 355 ml bottles and on tap at selected outlets. It retails for around $55 per carton.