What Is XXXX Beer? Australia's Pride And Joy Explained

Ahh ... a nice, crisp beer at the end of the day. There's nothing like it. You're probably used to your favorite brands: Maybe some Sam Adams, Yuengling, or Guinness. But unless you live in Australia, you might not be quite so familiar with XXXX beer. The beer brand, dubbed the Pride of Queensland, is a company that makes one of the most popular beers in Australia. It all started in 1878 when brothers Nicholas and Edward Fitzgerald had a dream to make "the finest ales known to man." They bought a distillery in Brisbane, Australia, created a brewery in its place, and the rest is history.

Why the XXXX name? According to the company, beer quality used to be measured with an X: The more Xs, the better the beer. For example, preserved 19th-century beer advertisements out of London show similar measures, listing mild ales as X and "best quality" beers as XXXX. The brewery's first beer was actually dubbed XXX Sparkling Ale, but the three Xs weren't enough for the Fitzgerald brothers. By 1893, they earned a fourth X, and thus the XXXX name was born.

It didn't take long for XXXX beer to become popular in Queensland. However, the brand struggled to get its beer to more dry and hot areas of Australia. Enter Alhois 'Bill' Leitner, XXXX's new master brewer. Leitner, who brought with him a working history in Germany and Austria, found a new way to clean the brew vessels. This solved the transport problem that plagued XXXX so that it could reach the rest of the country. Leitner also introduced XXXX Bitter, a brew so popular that the recipe hasn't changed since it was first sold in 1924. This was also the year the brand's mascot, Mr. Fourex, was born. With a wink of an eye and a glass raised in the air, he's a welcome sight to Queenslanders.

XXXX has a history of using its famed beer to raise spirits and do good in the world. After noticing that returning soldiers were pining for a glass of XXXX after WWI, the company sent the beer overseas to troops during WWII and the Vietnam War. They also bought out pubs facing foreclosure and assisted struggling farmers during the Great Depression and even managed to deliver beer during the Queensland Floods of 1974, 2011, and 2013. This reputation that spans the breadth of XXXX beer history is part of the reason it's such a beloved brand in Australia.

If you're looking to pick up a case of XXXX beer at your local grocery store in the States, you'll be out of luck. The company exclusively sells its beer in Australia. Despite its popularity, however, reviews of the beer are less than stellar. One reviewer on Beer Advocate calls XXXX Gold "forgettable neutral" while another calls it "nice to try, once." It has an average rating of 2.48 out of 5. RateBeer gives it an overall rating of 1.88 out of 5 and reviews range from "bready with some spice" to "refreshing, but nothing special."

The company currently makes seven beer varieties: XXXX Gold with an alcohol content of 3.5%, XXXX Bitter with an alcohol content of 4.4%, XXXX Dry with an alcohol content of 4.2%, Summer Bright Lager with an alcohol content of 4%, Summer Bright Lime with an alcohol content of 4%, Summer Bright Mango with an alcohol content of 4%, and XXXX Zero, a non-alcoholic beer.

The brand describes one of its core beers, XXXX Gold, as having "a balanced, smooth flavour and body, complemented by mild bitterness and a trace of sweetness." The Summer Bright Lager, according to the company, has a refreshing taste and a smooth hop character. The non-alcoholic beer has a crisp finish and slight aroma. Next time you take a trip Down Under, XXXX beer is worth a try for its history and exclusivity alone.

XXXX beer has never shied away from its Australian roots. This is plainly evident in the brand's efforts to help Australians during periods of war and economic struggle in the past, and it still stands as a beacon of community spirit to this day. Honoring the Queensland region of Australia that fostered its success, XXXX can be recognized for its longtime relationship with the Queensland-based rugby team known as the Maroons. In fact, the beer company prides itself so much on its Queensland heritage that, in 2022, it forwent placing its own logo on the team's jerseys in favor of printing regional postcodes of the area –- a kindhearted homage to honor the local supporters of the team and brewery alike.

But if you're thinking that XXXX is locked only to one region of Australia, think again. The brand has such a presence in the country and is so dead-set on marketing itself in the fun-loving, laid-back Aussie spirit that it once leased a whole island along the Great Barrier Reef. The reason? To make a prize draw and award people a trip to said island for the sole purpose of partying with their friends in a remote paradise. A clever bit of marketing? Sure. But it's hard to argue that, over the decades since XXXX's inception, it hasn't strived to epitomize the sense of Australian culture that it holds so dear.