XXXX Gold

Lore & Background

XXXX Gold is a mid-strength lager brewed by Castlemaine Perkins in Queensland, Australia, and also at the Boag's Brewery in Launceston, Tasmania. It is part of the broader XXXX beer brand and has become one of Australia's most popular beers. In terms of market share, Victoria Bitter held the highest share of all beer sold in Australia for more than two decades, but in 2012 this mantle passed to Lion Nathan's Queensland XXXX Gold. The following year, Lion Nathan passed the mantle back to Victoria Bitter.

In March 2012, XXXX Gold obtained a three-year lease on the 15-acre Pumpkin Island on the Southern Great Barrier Reef, which they turned into XXXX Island for use in advertising and promotional events. The brand also sponsored the XXXX Gold Beach Cricket Tri-Nations series, which involved famous cricket players from Australia, England and the West Indies, including Allan Border, Graham Gooch, Courtney Walsh and Sir Viv Richards.

XXXX Gold has sponsored the Queensland Bulls and the Queensland, South Australian, Australian Capital Territory and Northern Territory Cricket Associations. It previously sponsored the Australian V8 Supercars Championship Series from 2008 to 2011, as well as the Professional Bull Riders' Australian branch. Since 2017, XXXX Gold has sponsored the Brisbane Lions (as shorts sponsor from 2017 to 2018), and it remains one of the few active XXXX sponsorships.

Reader's Guide

XXXX Gold is notable as a mid-strength lager that has achieved significant popularity in Australia, becoming one of the country's most consumed beers. Its rise to the highest market share in 2012, overtaking Victoria Bitter after more than two decades of that brand's dominance, marked a notable shift in the Australian beer market, though the mantle returned to Victoria Bitter the following year. The brand's marketing has included creative initiatives such as the transformation of Pumpkin Island into XXXX Island for promotional events, as well as sponsorship of the XXXX Gold Beach Cricket Tri-Nations series featuring prominent cricketers from Australia, England, and the West Indies. XXXX Gold's sponsorship portfolio has spanned cricket, motorsport, and bull riding, including long-term associations with Queensland and other state cricket associations, the Australian V8 Supercars Championship Series from 2008 to 2011, and the Professional Bull Riders' Australian branch. Its ongoing sponsorship of the Brisbane Lions since 2017, initially as shorts sponsor, represents one of the few remaining active sponsorships under the XXXX brand. The beer is produced both in Queensland by Castlemaine Perkins and at the Boag's Brewery in Tasmania, reflecting its broad distribution and manufacturing footprint.

Did You Know?

• XXXX Gold is a mid-strength lager manufactured by Castlemaine Perkins in Queensland, Australia.
• In 2012, XXXX Gold held the highest market share of all beer sold in Australia, passing Victoria Bitter.
• XXXX Gold obtained a three-year lease on Pumpkin Island in March 2012 and turned it into XXXX Island for advertising and promotional events.