Japan & Australia: Asahi acquires Queensland craft brewer Green Beacon Brewing

Japanese brewing giant Asahi is active at both the small and big end of Australia's A$14 billion beer market, swooping on Queensland craft brewer Green Beacon Brewing, The Australian Financial Review reported on August 21.

The acquisition of the Brisbane group comes just a month after Asahi made a A$16 billion buyout offer for Australia's biggest beer company, Carlton & United Breweries.

CUB owns Victoria Bitter and Carlton Draught, and had also been stepping up its own presence in craft beers well before the Asahi buyout offer, acquiring Sydney's 4Pines and the Adelaide-based Pirate Life.

It is understood that CUB had itself made overtures to Green Beacon months earlier prior to itself being bought out by Asahi, and had been trying to convince the owners to sell. They will now be under the same umbrella.

Asahi executive chairman Peter Margin said Green Beacon was ''a great brand and a great business''. A sale price wasn't disclosed.

Green Beacon was established in early 2013 in the Brisbane suburb of Teneriffe. It was founded by friends Marc Chrismas and Adrian Slaughter, who were later joined by brewer Johann van der Walt.

Green Beacon invested A$3 million in a brewery in the northern industrial suburb of Geebung in Brisbane in 2017. The brand had its reputation enhanced when it was selected by Singapore Airlines as one of the premium beers supplied to business class passengers.

Asahi bought Melbourne-based craft brewery Mountain Goat in 2015 as part of its expansion strategy and also owns the Cricketers Arms brand.