Bitter’s Sweet Symphony

Visit a new country and more often than not will you end up sampling some of the local brews, either at a host’s home, during a night out, or even as a free accompaniment to your steak lunch. Being a beer glugger comes in handy since one is able to break the ice more easily with the locals; an exchange of friendly banter usually ensues over a pint of lager. This was true of the two years I spent in Australia for university, where people don’t really need a reason to get tipsy on the froth.

Of all the beer I sampled there, a personal favourite was Victoria Bitter, or ‘VB’. It was a no-brainer really, since it was the mainstay of liquor consumption of all the Australian friends I had in Brisbane. Yes, the misconception of Fosters being the biggest brand there is quite common; one hardly sees even tiny instances of the aggressive marketing campaign they exercised for India.

Although the name suggests a sour taste, Victoria Bitter actually has a more crisp and commercial flavour that obviously appeals to the majority of one of the biggest beer consuming countries in the world. VB has been around since the early 1900s, originally brewed by Thomas C. Moore of Melbourne, Victoria. The brewing process of the beer today is said to involve the most hops and barley of any Australian beer, supplied by the best producers of the country for a long time now.

Moore’s creation has seen some startling statistics of late, including being the only billion-dollar beer enterprise Down Under. ‘Vic’ has been the largest selling ale for over 20 years now: it moves off shelves twice as fast as any other full strength Aussie beer. So much so, that a carton of VB is sold every second! Victoria Bitter was also the first Australian company to sell beer in a can, after research showed that a can could cool far more quickly than a regular bottle. Interestingly, in bottle form, Vic is sold in brown bottles that are more resistant to damage from sunlight.

 Image source: www.seeklogo.com

VB is available in an assortment of packaging, beginning with 250ml short, stocky bottles known as ‘Grenades’ or ‘Throwdowns’. I’ve once watched a classmate chug down at least ten of these continuously at a student party. It was quite a sight indeed, though I won’t discuss the sounds of the experience.  ‘Stubbies’ and ‘tinnies’, the 375ml varieties of bottles and cans respectively, are probably the most commonly drunk size of VB. This renowned beer is also available in 750ml ‘long neck’ or ‘tallies’ versions and half-litre cans called ‘Lunch Greens’. Apparently just enough to quench the thirst of trade workers during their lunch break!

In addition to the full strength version of VB, which has an alcohol percentage of 4.6, the mid-strength VB Gold with an alcohol content of 3.5% has grown in popularity as a competitor to Queensland’s XXXX Gold, the national leader of middle-strength beer sales.

Victoria Bitter also plays a big role in supporting national sport, like the Rugby League and the Australian cricket team for its Tests, One Day International and Twenty-20 games. Between 2001 and 2006, this enterprise was the main sponsor of the Australian Tri-Series cricket tournament, that was renamed the VB Series during that period.

“VB – The Drinking Beer” is one of the marketing slogans that Victoria Bitter employs and by the looks of it, Aussies live and love that phrase. Judging by the 'mind grogging' capacities of pub patrons, the iconic green of the VB label will remain a much loved unonational colour for a good while to come.