Australia: Lion starts brewing Guinness under licence in South Australia

The first Guinness brewed under licence in South Australia in 40 years poured off the bottling lines at West End's Thebarton brewery on October, 31, Herald Sun reported.

Brewery owner Lion expects to produce about 10 million litres a year of Guinness stout and Kilkenny ale after winning the licence to brew the Irish labels in Australia from rival Foster's.

Foster's, owned by SABMiller, finished its licence deal with the owner of Guinness, Diageo, on October 31.

The iconic Guinness brand was brewed at West End under licence in the 1960s and 1970s.

Guinness has given the Australian-brewed stout its stamp of approval, saying it was on par with the brew made at the St James's Gate brewery in Dublin.

Lion regional sales director Jake Parkinson said the brewer would produce kegs and bottles of Guinness and Kilkenny but cans would continue to be imported.

Lion will invest A$70 million upgrading the Thebarton brewery from next year.

The new agreement extends the partnership Diageo has with Lion's parent Kirin which already brews and distributes Guinness and Kilkenny in New Zealand.

02 November, 2012