Castlemaine Perkins

Lore & Background

The brewery's origins trace to 1877, when brothers Nicholas Fitzgerald and Edward Fitzgerald partnered with a Brisbane commercial firm to buy the site of a failing distillery and establish a brewery, named for the Fitzgeralds' existing Castlemaine Brewery. They began brewing beer there in 1878, and the first beverage was called XXX Sparkling Ale. In 1866, Patrick Perkins started the Perkins Brewery in Toowoomba, later extending operations to Brisbane in 1872 with the purchase of the City Brewery. The company restricted its operations entirely to brewing by 1916. XXXX was introduced with a new advertising campaign in 1924 after the brewery employed German brewer Alhois William Leitner. The advertising included a depiction of a little man wearing a suit with a smile, a wink and a boater hat, known as the 'Fourex Man', which became one of the most recognised symbols in Queensland. In 1928, long after the death of Patrick Perkins in 1901, the Perkins brewing company was bought by the Castlemaine Brewery, forming Castlemaine Perkins Limited. In March 1980, Castlemaine Perkins merged with Tooheys to form Castlemaine Tooheys. Bond Corporation purchased Castlemaine Tooheys in 1985, and it was acquired in 1992 by Lion Nathan.

Reader's Guide

Castlemaine Perkins holds a significant place in Queensland's brewing history and cultural identity. The large brick brewery on Milton Road, opposite the Milton railway station, is a prominent landmark, notably marked by a red neon XXXX sign on top and a neon XXXX man on the side. The brewery building, Milton Railway Station, and trains feature on almost all XXXX packaging directly below the XXXX logo, with bottle labels historically depicting steam, diesel, and electric trains. Tours of the brewery are regularly run for groups. In 2009, as part of the Q150 celebrations, the XXXX Brewery was announced as one of the Q150 Icons of Queensland for its role as a 'structure and engineering feat'. That same year, Castlemaine Perkins was inducted into the Queensland Business Leaders Hall of Fame for its significant contribution to economic development in Queensland. The brewery's signature beer, XXXX Bitter (despite its name a lager), was introduced in 1924, though the XXXX name had been used for a sparkling ale since 1878. Other beverages include XXXX Gold, a mid-strength beer, and XXXX Summer Bright Lager, a 4.2% abv low carb pale lager.

Did You Know?

• The first beverage brewed at Castlemaine was called XXX Sparkling Ale.
• The 'Fourex Man' advertising character wears a suit, a smile, a wink, and a boater hat.
• The brewery building, Milton Railway Station, and trains appear on almost all XXXX packaging.
• XXXX Bitter is technically a lager despite its name.