Beer is the national drink of upwardly mobile Top End anglers, and the fastest growing beer brand in the Northern Territory is Great Northern Super Crisp Lager. The beer is now so popular that Carlton & United Breweries have had to package the brew in 30 can packs, sometimes called “bricks”. Who knows when that extra half dozen tinnies might come in handy? The extra cans reduce the chances of being caught short in camp, or when thirsty visitors arrive on your doorstep, uninvited.
Most of us who spend a day on the water, soaking up the sun and humidity while flicking lures, manage to work up a thirst. You might be in stifling humidity on a small, enclosed, mangrove-lined creek casting lures for barra or jacks; or maybe you are offshore, casting poppers for GTs or trolling. It doesn’t matter how an angler chooses to fish; the thirst comes as a by-product: it’s a natural consequence that flows from the heat, effort and action. The desire for a thirst-quenching drop of beer is natural: not one of your soppy, sweet, imported brews, but a true-blue, Aussie brew. Preferably a lager. Increasing numbers of Top End anglers prefer the super-crisp taste of a Great Northern when it comes to quenching their thirst. This isn’t to suggest Top End anglers should drink and fish. We would never do that. However, only puritans suggest there is something wrong with moderate, sensible drinking after a hot day on the water. After all, beer is a traditional form of celebration: as true blue as meat pies and kangaroos. Carlton & United Breweries recognised this when it released its Great Northern beer for the palates of Queenslanders, a few years back. Initially, the brand was presented as a smooth, refreshing, full-strength beer. However, a new brew was recently introduced, specifically with tropical anglers in mind, it’s with an alcohol content has been reduced to of 3.5 per cent, putting it squarely in the market for mid-strength-style beers. Great Northern is named after CUB’s first brewery in the state, and revives the classic marlin logo of the discontinued Cairns Draught line. Subsequently, Great Northern lager has risen in standing among Queensland beer drinkers and is now one of the biggest beer brands in the area.
Across the Top End, the crisp, golden lager is flowing faster than the famous Daly River tidal bore, and is becoming the dominant quench of choice among Top End anglers with discerning palates. Most Top End anglers like their beer cold and crisp. The chill in beer is up to you; the Great Northern Brewing Company guarantees its product is always crisp to the palate, with a subtle bitterness, mild fruity aroma and refreshing light finish that is oh so refreshing after a hard day flicking lures in the mangrove office, or trolling, jigging or bottom bouncing on the bluewater. On days like this, when all you want out of life is some shade, a cool breeze and a refreshing, ice-cold lager, Great Northern Super Crisp is more than a drink… It’s a cosmic experience.
So, have you got a thirst?