In a 1967 film clip on YouTube, beer drinkers in Melbourne, Australia sampled brands of beer blind, their city’s and Sydney’s. The test was to know if a beer, irrespctive of brand, came from their city or Sydney.
It was a mark or former beer cultures that a region, even a city, had a distinctive beer taste, from water or other factors of terroir or production. The sentiment lived on into the late 1960s in Australia.
Some tasters discerned that their drink was Victoria Bitter, Melbourne Bitter, Foster’s, or another brand of Melbourne’s storied Carlton & United. Others: not so successful.
The best part is the last interview in the piece, where the patron gets the better of the interviewer despite not realizing his sample was Millers beer, from Sydney. It is clear the interview is over after his retort “fair enough?”.
Numerous video uploads to YouTube, from the 1960s and 70s, feature interviews with pub patrons in different Australian cities. All present different facets of beer and pub life in the period.
I found this of interest given the score or so posts I have written on Australian beer history, although most predate 1967, when the clip linked was filmed.
In that same year, Millers of Sydney, actually just outside in Petersham, was sold to the powerful Toohey’s in Sydney.
R.W. Miller was a firm dating from the 1920s that owned a colliery and shipped coal to coastal ports in the country.
It acquired a brewery in Petersham in 1942 according to this link. The labels I’ve seen all rendered its brands as Millers.
I don’t know when Millers was finally closed, I think the 1980s. In its heyday the firm was known for High-Lo Lager, Special Pilsener, and Taverners Ale, the last named for its hillside location in Petersham.
This antiques price guide shows a selection of Millers brands.
The Melbourne image that follows was taken some 10 years before the film linked, sourced from the website of the Herald Sun:
Note: source of image above is linked in the text. All intellectual property therein belongs solely to the lawful owner, as applicable. Used for educational and research purposes. All feedback welcomed.