The Brewery

The Brewery

This book is a dream for all Australian history-loving beer drinkers. It is about Australian beer-the making of it, the history of it, and the drinking of it.

'A Carlton, please!' is a phrase that's still shouted across every bar in every hotel in Australia. The Carlton was one of six breweries that united to form the company we know today as CUB (Foster's), yet we still call it Carlton.

This book is about the Carlton Brewery and the breweries in Melbourne that became part of it. It focuses on the people who struggled to develop a quintessential Australian beer. It is a snapshot of Australian culture and the grandeur of Victorian architecture.

Brimming with amazing never-before-seen photographs of this glorious era, The Brewery also explores the important impact of the brewery on society. The story traces the evolution of beer branding, and howCarlton advertised and marketed their product.

Andrew T.T. Bailey is an engraver, who for some years was involved in producing early colonial-style beers and marketing them from his Fitzroy hotel.

Designer Michael Bannenberg is an advertising art director/designer. With over 29 years experience on the CUB business working for advertising agency George Patterson, Michael has a passion for beer and beverage communication.

The Brewery
Wilkinson Publishing
Author: Andrew T.T. Bailey
Price: $95.00

Interview with Andrew T.T. Bailey

Question What inspired you to begin collating old images and newspaper clippings for The Brewery?

Andrew T.T. Bailey: My interest in brewing began as a kid on a trip to Queensland in the sixties. My old man liked a beer and we must have called on a few pubs on the way as I remember the advertising and the numerous different labels on the bottles. This started a lifelong obsession, which led me to graphic design and eventually fine engraving. I began collecting labels and bottles at the age of 13. That developed into an interest in all forms brewery related paraphernalia, which is now termed 'breweriana'. Collating became necessary once I started gathering information on the various firms that produced the items in my collection. This was made easier once I met Michael Bannenberg [the co-producer of the book] who helped me with the computerised imagery side of things. At one stage I spent nearly 2 years in the Library going through newspapers on microfilm and photocopying anything in relation to brewing, which I'd come home and file manually. This has been made so much easier by the introduction of scanning to a computer files and online searches. Bless our libraries-support them


Question What is the oldest image, or clipping in the book and how old is it?

Andrew T.T. Bailey: The oldest image in the book is the photo of Murphy's Brewery taken in 1858. The earliest, and possibly the oldest remaining piece of ephemera from the Carlton Brewery itself, is an invoice I owned from when the place was still known as the Phoenix Brewery, which dates from 1864. I'm still hoping to unearth anything earlier - especially a label or invoice from Rosenberg's Union Brewery.


Question How did you go about researching for The Brewery?

Andrew T.T. Bailey: Research for the book began about 30 years ago when I visited the State library of Victoria in my efforts to untangle the mystery surrounding the age of the old bits and pieces I had collected. I was pointed in the direction of the old directories (early versions of the phone book I suppose) in which I noticed a couple of discrepancies. This led to much deeper research in rate-books, land dealings, newspapers and court cases. Thirty years on I have a database containing information on over 400 breweries from Victoria alone; all catalogued and searchable. This is the basis for an encyclopedia that is slowly taking shape and will one day be published.


Question What is your favourite way to drink beer?

Andrew T.T. Bailey: With a few select friends at a snug and friendly pub - coupled on the odd occasion with some good 'live' music.


Buy it now at Angus & Robertson