What sounds like an April Fool's joke has become reality: Victoria Bitter, one of the bestselling beers in Australia, is now also available as a tea. The limited-edition packets of Victoria Bitter Tea contain no alcohol. They are composed of a mix of Ceylon black tea leaves and VB Super Pride Hops which are blended in Australia.
“It’s a nice mix between hops and tea leaves, and it has a nice aroma,” says Chris Maxwell, Director - Classic & Domestic Premium Brands at Carlton & United Breweries. “I hope (people like it). People like to try new things, and this is a limited-edition product.”
The product is sold online on the brand’s website for AUD 10 (USD 6.9) for a 24 pyramid tea bag. Due to the limited supply, the product was immediately sold out on the first day but a VB spokeswoman assured that they are being restocked.
In an advertisement VB encouraged their fans to “ditch English breakfast and drink VB Tea”. According to Maxwell, the VB Tea was launched to help Aussie cricket fans who had to stay up late at night to sit through the Ashes and get up early in the morning. “We know Aussies love nothing more than watching the cricket with a VB in hand,” he said. “So, when the boys are in England, they’ll be watching into the wee hours of the morning and need a cuppa.”
Victoria Bitter is the leading beer brand of Carlton & United Breweries which was sold two weeks ago for AUD 16.0 billion (USD 11.3 bn) from AB InBev to Asahi (inside.beer, 19.7.2019). Despite its name, Victoria Bitter is a standard commercial lager rather than a bitter. Since late 2012, Victoria Bitter has been sold at a strength of 4.9% ABV after an interim period of producing the same product at an ABV of 4.6% (equal to virtually every other major Australian lager).
