Founded by William and Ralph Foster in 1888, Foster's quickly made a name for itself in its home city of Melbourne. Replacing the colonial ales that the poms had brought with them, Aussies loved the crisp taste and ice-cold refreshment that Foster's beer provided. In fact, keeping the beer cold was the top priority for William and Ralph. 1888 was a scorcher of the summer, and the hot temperatures and bush fires were a constant threat to the city of Melbourne – and the locals’ new favourite beer. The solution? The brothers built 6 miles of pipeline to keep their lager chilled with sea water, and even set up their own fire brigade to protect their precious brewery. In 2025, we sold over 131 million pints of FOSTER'S lager.