Archive record · Brewery
Carlton & United Breweries
Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
- Founded
- 1907
- Archive ID
- TB-Q724KVD1
- Last checked
- 2026-08-05
Who owns this brewery?
The direct owner is recorded. No company is held above it.
- Carlton & United BreweriesThis brewery
- Asahi Group HoldingsConglomerate
From the record
Summary
Australia's largest brewer, home of Victoria Bitter and Foster's. Sold to Asahi in 2020 for around sixteen billion dollars. Foster's is far more famous abroad than at home.
A summary written during research. The sourced facts are in the sections below.
Tally’s Take
Australia's biggest brewer, and the source of the country's longest-running joke: Foster's is an export product Australians largely do not drink.
Ownership & corporate history
- Acquired by Asahi Group Holdings, Ltd.June 2020
What the sources say
Researched 2026-09-13 (Wikidata parent lead); no held claim preceded it. AUD 16.0bn enterprise value; announced 19 July 2019, ACCC clearance with divestments. Wikidata's 'SABMiller' is the owner of 2011-2016 (via Foster's), then AB InBev 2016-2020.
Ownership history is kept as dated events, so a change of owner never overwrites the one before it.
The Museum
Timeline
- 1907Founded
Carlton & United Breweries begins brewing in Melbourne.
- 2020Sold
Sold to Asahi in 2020 for around sixteen billion dollars.
The People
Behind the beer
Historic Australian brewing titan founded in Melbourne.
The Beer Library
Beers
Victoria Bitter
Year-RoundPale Lager
'A hard-earned thirst needs a big cold beer' — the ad ran, barely changed, for decades. For a long stretch, one in every four beers sold in Australia was a VB.
Drank this? Add it to your passport →Foster's Lager
Year-RoundPale Lager
Two American brothers from New York opened a brewery in Melbourne in 1888 and sold it within a year. The beer they left behind became a marketing juggernaut everywhere except home — it hasn't even been brewed in Australia since 2011, and most Australians barely drink it, but 'Foster's: Australian for Beer' turned it into one of the most internationally famous Australian beers that Australia doesn't really claim.
Drank this? Add it to your passport →Follow the money
How it changed hands
1 recorded move- 1907Founded
- 2020Sold
Sold to Asahi in 2020 for around sixteen billion dollars.
Today the chain tops out at Asahi Group Holdings.
Show your working
Sources
- controlConfirmed
Carlton & United Breweries is controlled by Public company.
Asahi Group Holdings — Stock Information · Asahi Group Holdings · 2025-12
BreweryHigh reliabilitySource accessed 2026-08-05Brewery-statedClaim last checked 2026-08-05
Only the claims above are sourced. Everything else on this page is the archive's own research and has not yet been tied to a document — which is worth knowing rather than hiding.
Straight answers
Common questions about Carlton & United Breweries
- Who owns Carlton & United Breweries?
- Carlton & United Breweries is owned by Asahi Group Holdings. Carlton & United Breweries is based in Melbourne, Australia.
- Is Carlton & United Breweries still independent?
- No. Carlton & United Breweries is owned by Asahi Group Holdings and is no longer independent.
- When was Carlton & United Breweries acquired?
- 2020. Sold to Asahi in 2020 for around sixteen billion dollars.
- When was Carlton & United Breweries founded?
- Carlton & United Breweries was founded in 1907 in Melbourne, Australia.
Drinking Carlton & United Breweries? Stamp it in your passport.
Discover it here — collect it in the Passport. Track every beer, earn stamps, and build your own beer passport.
Every brewery deserves its full story told.
If you're the owner or team behind Carlton & United Breweries, we'll build out your complete profile — history, the people, every beer — and feature you in a Tally's documentary. No cost, just your story.
No payment affects this record — editorial policy