Type | Beer |
---|---|
Manufacturer | Carlsberg Unibra (Africa) Ambev (Brazil) |
Country of origin | Scotland |
Introduced | 1959 |
Alcohol by volume | 2.8–5% |
Website | www |
Skol is a lager that was brewed originally by Ind Coope, [1] at Alloa, Scotland, as Graham's Golden Lager. In 1958, the name was changed to Graham's Skol to give a Scandinavian impression (the plant had actually been imported from Sweden). The name was later revised to just Skol.
Allied Breweries (UK), Labatt (Canada), Pripps-Bryggerierna (Sweden), and Unibra (Belgium) formed a new company called Skol International in 1964. Its aim was the creation of a worldwide beer brand, Skol, which could be licensed, manufactured and marketed around the world. In the late 1960s, it was heavily advertised on Dutch pirate Radio Veronica as Skol International, with an advertising jingle sung by Patricia Paay, later a very successful Dutch pop singer and TV presenter. Since then participation in the company has changed significantly. [2]
From 1973 to 1982, beer under the Skol brand was brewed by the Dutch Oranjeboom Brewery, but it was not a success in the Dutch market. [3]
In 1980, Skol was the major sponsor of the Fittipaldi Automotive, after the end of the Copersucar sponsorship at the end of the previous season. The brand also sponsored the Scottish League Cup competition from 1984 to 1992, with a second 'Skol Cup' trophy being awarded to winners alongside the standard league cup during this period. [4]
In 1992, the merger between Allied Breweries and Carlsberg created Carlsberg-Tetley's, who moved the production of Skol from Alloa to their brewery in Leeds until this brewery was closed in 2011. It continues to be distributed in the UK, [5] with an ABV reduced to 2.8%. [6]
Carlsberg holds the license to brew and market the beer worldwide, except for Africa and South America. [7] Unibra holds the license for Africa, [8] and Ambev holds it for Brazil. [9] In Europe, the beer is also produced and marketed in Romania [10] and Turkey. [11] In Asia, it is distributed in Malaysia, China, Hong Kong, and Singapore. [5] In Africa, it is present in Angola, Burundi, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Guinea, Madagascar, and Rwanda. [12] The name is the English language variant of the Scandinavian drink toast "skål". For a time, the Hägar the Horrible cartoon character was used for promotion. [13]
In the Brazilian market Skol has added a new drink to their brand named "Skol Beats" which has a citrus taste and several flavors, including blue, red, and green, in addition to a newer line of Skol Beats gin and tonic beverages all containing approximately 7.9% alcohol. [14]
The brand was awarded a Gold Award at the 2012 World Quality Selections, organized by Monde Selection. This was the second international award that Skol won. [15] The beer was also awarded a gold medal for packaging and a silver medal in the taste category at the 2005 Australian International Beer Awards. [16]
Foster's Lager is an internationally distributed brand of Australian lager. It is owned by the Japanese brewing group Asahi Group Holdings, and is brewed under licence in a number of countries, including its biggest market, the UK, where the European rights to the brand are owned by Heineken International.
Beer in Sweden has a history that can be traced to the late Iron Age.
Carlsberg A/S is a Danish multinational brewer. Founded in 1847 by J. C. Jacobsen, the company's headquarters is in Copenhagen, Denmark. Since Jacobsen's death in 1887, the majority owner of the company has been the Carlsberg Foundation. The company's flagship brand is Carlsberg. The company employs around 41,000 people, primarily in Europe and Asia. Carlsberg is currently the 6th largest brewery in the world based on revenue.
The Oranjeboom Brewery was founded in Rotterdam in 1671. The brewery there closed in 1990, with production shifted to Breda. That brewery was sold to Interbrew in 1995 and was closed in 2004 by InBev, Interbrew's successor. Production of the brand Oranjeboom was moved to the Dommelsch brewery. In October 2013, Oranjeboom was relaunched as a "quirky" new European style lager.
Holsten Brewery is a brewing company founded in 1879 in what is now Hamburg's Altona-Nord quarter. The group now has seven breweries in Germany. Its nationally distributed premium brand is the pale lager Holsten Pilsener. The company was acquired by the Carlsberg Group in 2004.
The Carling Brewery was founded in 1840 by Thomas Carling in London, Canada. Carling lager was first sold in the United Kingdom in 1952, and in the early 1980s became the UK's most popular beer brand by volume sold. The company was acquired by Canadian Breweries, renamed Carling O'Keefe, and merged with the Molson Brewery, which then merged with Coors to form Molson Coors.
McEwan's is a brand of beer owned by Carlsberg Marston's Brewing Company. It was originally brewed by William McEwan's Fountain Brewery in Edinburgh, Scotland. The McEwan's brand passed to Heineken in 2008 after their purchase of Scottish & Newcastle's British operations. Heineken sold the brand to Wells & Young's in 2011, who sold their brewing operation, including the McEwan brand to Marston's in 2017. Cans and bottles are now brewed in Bedford, England.
Brazil is the world's third largest beer market with total volume at 139 million hectoliters, and per capita consumption 61 liters in 2016.
Beer in Africa, especially lager, is produced commercially in most African countries, and indigenous people also make varieties of beer. Beer is served in various locales, from neighbourhood shebeens to upscale bars. Many countries have standardized beer bottle sizes, which are cleaned and re-used, so when buying beer at a store, people often must pay a deposit on the bottle and the price of the beer. An alternative to glass-bottle beers is local beer sold in tetra-pak style paper cartons.
Beer in Poland has been brewed for well over a thousand years and has a significant history of tradition and commercial beer production. Poland is Europe's third largest beer producer, producing 36.9 million hectolitres, coming after the United Kingdom with 49.5 million hl and neighboring Germany with 103 million hl.
Beer in Thailand was first brewed in 1933 when a licence was granted to the Boon Rawd Brewery, which still produces Thailand's best-known lager, Singha, sold in standard, light, and draught versions.
Several brands of beer are produced and served in Romania, including beer from local breweries and craft beers. The history of this beverage includes the territory of the Romanian lands, since at least the times of the Romanian Old Kingdom to contemporary times.
The beer market in Denmark is dominated by the brands Carlsberg and Tuborg. Since Tuborg was acquired by Carlsberg in 1970, Carlsberg has held a near-monopoly. A number of regional breweries, however, managed to survive, and most of them merged into Royal Unibrew in 2005. As of 2020, Ratebeer lists over 300 active breweries in Denmark, most of which are microbreweries.
Beer is a popular alcoholic beverage in Turkey, mostly lager type beers.
East African Breweries Limited, commonly referred to as EABL, is a Kenyan-based holding company that manufactures branded beer, spirits, and non-alcoholic beverages.
R. W. Randall's Brewery is a brewery based in St Peter Port, Guernsey, founded in 1868 by Robert Henry Randall. The company was continued by his son, Robert William Randall, who gave the brewery its name.
Beer in Asia began when beer was produced in Sumer, Mesopotamia circa 6000 years ago. It was introduced by Europeans in the 19th century, with modern breweries established in British India, the Dutch East Indies, China, and Japan. Asia's first modern brewery was established in 1830 in India entirely using European brewing technology.
Heineken N.V. is a Dutch brewer which owns a worldwide portfolio of over 170 beer brands, mainly pale lager, though some other beer styles are produced. The two largest brands are Heineken and Tecate; though the portfolio includes Amstel, Fosters, Sagres, Cruzcampo, Skopsko, Affligem, Żywiec, Starobrno, Zagorka, Zlatý Bažant, Laško and Birra Moretti.
Carlsberg Polska is the Polish subsidiary of the Danish multinational brewing company Carlsberg. Carlsberg has 1/3 control of the Okocim Group, which included the Okocim Brewery, in 2004.
Lion Brewery or Lion Brewery (Ceylon) PLC is a predominantly Sri Lankan owned and operated brewery. The company is listed on the Colombo Stock Exchange and its stock is part of the S&P Sri Lanka 20 Index. Lion Brewery produces the highest selling beer, Lion Lager, in both Sri Lanka and the Maldives.