With a tip from this forum, I ordered a catalog from AussieProducts.com. On the back of their catalog, they were promoting a new site, www.beerfromoz.com.

Now, I know most of you want to know where to get Tim Tams and such, and don't worry about the beer so, but I thought I'd mention it here anyway. For now, it seems they are only offering Tooheys New. But maybe their selection will grow in the future.

My Australian boyfriend likes some of the American beers he's tried, but thought he would miss Coopers Pale Ale which is his "home" beer (Adelaide). We were happy to find it at Bristol Farms here in California, and also at the Wine House. Now, after he moves here, he will be able to have a taste of home.

James Squire is also available at Trader Joe's for a good price. The above are the only Aussie Beers I have been able to find locally here in California, except for the ubiquitous Fosters of course.

Cheers!

Most Aussie beer is undistinguished, near-tasteless lager, Tooheys New being a typical example. Most overseas stuff is no better - don't get me started on Heineken, the yuppie special. I've only seen Fosters outside of Australia and it's certainly no better.

One exception is Victoria Bitter, which is so bad that it manages to be even worse than the average swill, no mean feat. On the positive side are brews like the Coopers and James Squire ranges. They cost the breweries very little more to make, sell for a good deal more, and so return a much bigger profit, which is of course the reason why the breweries set the bar of their mass products so low.

Having said that, I'm happy to pay for James Squire in particular on the grounds that life is too short to drink VB. Or Tooheys New.

For my money, Sam Adams Boston Lager beats all Australian beers except for the JS range and level-pegs with a couple of the Coopers products.

Thanks, crazymina - I'm glad I got that off my chest.

LOL Neil, glad I could be of service.

I've never had Tooheys. Or XXXX. Had VB once, and I agree, I wasn't sure what the hype was. I did like James Squire and Coopers a lot. So I was happy to find those here.

Funny you like Sam Adams. My BF's father said that was the only american beer he found he liked. I prefer Sierra Nevada (as far as a mass distributed beer here) but he had never tried that. There are plenty of good local brews too.

But sometimes you miss the taste you "grew up" with. Therefore we had to find the Coopers.

And btw, my bf was a little miffed to find that James Squire and Coopers were actually cheaper (if you think dollar for dollar) here than Oz!!

Thanks for the tip. Unlike Neil, I enjoy undistinguished, near-tasteless lager, XXXX Gold in particular.

Tim Tams can be purchased in the US online at http://www.about-australia-shop.com. They aren't cheap (3.50 USD plus shipping) but they are good!!

Thanks Neil...it's handy to have another site for Aussie goodies. I didn't know about that one!

Oops, I meant thanks JOHN. I was reading Neil's other post and the name stuck before I could write this post to you!

No worries crazymina, I've been called worse!!

John, as you've just discovered in another post, you live in a tropical climate equivalent to that of Cairns. That would explain your preference for lager-style beers.

I live in Canberra, which your Irish informant has described as having a tiny population, nothing to see and nothing to do. (I hadn't noticed this, but it's good to know.) It's also dry and, in the winter, chilly, and very likely the climatic equivalent to Belfast, or possibly Lapland. This means I have to fill in my days somehow, and what better way than investigating heavy, dark beers?

Neil, here in the tropics, we have to drink our tasteless lager really fast before it has a chance to warm up in the tropical heat. Oh, and we only buy 8 ounce bottles (I think you call them ponys or sevens.) Otherwise we can't drink them fast enough before they get warm. And who likes warm beer? (Apologies to the Europeans.)

You know, my wife and I were interested in coming to Canberra. For a moment, I thought that in a city that has 300,000 inhabitants, is the seat of the national government and home to two major universities, there might be something that would catch my interest. I was pleased to learn that there is no one there, nothing to see and nothing to do. My kind of place!

My wife prefers a little more activity though. Maybe we should take a side trip to Wagga Wagga. Do they have XXXX there?

It must have something to do with heat. I once had a guy tell me he liked Coors lite because it was "farm beer." He was a farmer, and said that the light beer was thirst quenching and didn't get you drunk too fast...important for working farm machinery. The most ironic part about what he was telling me (with a straight face, I might add) is that he only had three fingers on one hand.

Guess you CAN drink too much farm beer!!!!

>My wife prefers a little more activity though. Maybe we should take a side trip to Wagga Wagga. Do they have XXXX there?

XXXX is my beer. It has a stronger flavour than most Australian Lagers so we can chill it more, knock it back faster and still get to taste it.

Southerners don't have such an appreciation for XXXX and thus it is difficult to buy. The only place in Melbourne i've been able to buy XXXX is Safeway. You may have trouble getting XXXX in Wagga.

Spoken like a true Queenslander, Brisbanite! We loved XXXX Gold but didn't care too much for the Bitter.

We took a tour of the XXXX brewery and found it quite interesting. The tour tells a lot about the history of Brisbane & Australia. Of course we had to sample the product at the end of the tour. After downing 3 beers in 40 minutes, we thought it best to stay and have lunch before getting back in the car...

I used to do a lot of business trips to melb. Sometimes or several weeks at a time. I got into the habit of taking with me a carton of the good stuff and a couple of bottles of Qld water. Nothin beats the taste of good ole Qld Chlorinated - swimming pool tasting - water =)

John, I'm not sure if I'd recommend a visit to Wagga Wagga, the Sin City of the South, without undergoing a medical checkup first to ensure that your hearts can take the excitement.

As for Canberra, I've just been hosting some visiting relatives, and was able to take them in to a city centre crammed with people patronising the 100-odd ethnic food stalls and street entertainment laid on as part of Canberra's annual multicultural festival. On another night we attended an excellent performance of Ramirez's "Misa Criolla". My niece, who's just enrolled in the Canberra School of Music, is currently preparing for a performance of Verdi's 'Requiem'. I have no idea where all these people are coming from - Wagga Wagga, perhaps?

Yo! When I was living in the US I got all my aussie goods from http://www.ozemartdirect.com"]Ozemart Direct[/URL]. Those guy's kept me sain. I neeed my Vegemite.

D'ya know why it's called XXXX ?
It's cos Aussies can't spell BEER

"I neeed my Vegemite."

It's funny how people who hardly ever eat the stuff at home develop a craving for Vegemite when they go overseas.

Americans don't "get" Vegemite, I think because they tend to slather it on the toast thickly like peanut butter or Nutella.

When my daughters lived in China their Chinese flatmate developed a craving for Vegemite. When they caught her eating it out of the jar with a spoon they stashed their supplies behind the washing machine.

Hay, vbca, get it right! It's because QUEENSLANDERS can't spell "beer".

Incidentally, since this thread started we've visited the US again, this time for a 5-week drive around the Pacific Northwest, western Canada and some western states - catching up with some very kind and generous Fodorites in the process (Melodie and LoveItaly in the Bay Area, AndrewDavid in Victoria BC and Judy in Calgary).

It was a cooler-in-the-trunk/ Super8/Safeway sort of trip, which gave me the chance to sample many local American (and Canadian) beers, and I can report that the US has a wealth of local breweries producing excellent "craft" or "artisan" beers, often not unlike the James Squire range, and at a sixpack price to make Australians weep with envy. Oregon is particulaly blessed in this regard, with more than 40 local breweries. I remember with fondness such brews as McMenamin's "Terminator" Stout and Custer's Last Ale, discovered in Oregon and Montana respectively.

My conclusion: contrary to the cherished belief of most Australians, who associated US beer with Bud and Miller's, American beer drinkers have it far, far better than we do.

Hi Neil. I did sort of know that, but Hey, why just offend a few of our Ozzie cuzzies when with no more effort you can offend all of them??
Heading there next week, so I hope the lynch mobs don't meet me at the airport.

Very sound logic, vbca, I don't have a problem with that at all. I don't think you'll have to worry about lynch mobs - we get worse than that from the Poms.