International lager claims crown as Australia’s most preferred beer

Launching its inaugural ‘Brand Map of Australia’, Tracksuit reveals Corona as the nation’s most preferred beer
Sydney, Thursday, 29 May 2025 - From iconic mass-produced lagers to innovative craft brews, beer is woven into the fabric of Australian culture and continues to be a significant part of how Aussies socialise and connect. But in a market increasingly influenced by international players, brand tracking platform Tracksuit reveals a surprising Aussie favourite.
Launching its inaugural ‘Brand Map of Australia’, Tracksuit surveyed over 4,500 Australians to reveal the nation's favourite beer. The results found international lager, Corona, comes out on top as the most preferred, with 12% of Aussie beer drinkers selecting this as their top pick. Australia’s own, Great Northern, sits just behind with 11% preference.
On a state level, Corona holds its reign ranking in top position within NSW & ACT (11%), Victoria (13%), and Western Australia (19%). However, at a state-by-state level, it’s clear that Aussies have a strong affinity for their homegrown brews. According to the data:
Queensland: Quintessential Queensland beers Great Northern (16%) and XXXX (10%), are significantly more likely to be preferred in their home state than the national average. Great Northern and XXXX are the top preferred brands within the region, sitting above Corona.
Victoria: Victoria locals’ have a clear preference for Carlton (10%) and VB (9%), significantly over-indexing within the state compared to the national preference.
NSW & ACT: Originating in NSW, preference for Toohey's among those in NSW & ACT sits at 7% which is significantly higher than the national average (3%).
South Australia: South Australian-grown Coopers sees a significantly greater preference within South Australia (14%) compared to the national average. It also leads as the top preferred beer within the state. Interestingly NSW native Hahn also bucks the national trend in this region (sitting at 8%, compared to the national average of 4%).
Western Australia: Uniquely, Corona leads Western Australia’s beer preferences, sitting at 19%, which is significantly higher than the national average.
At a national level, the most common response was “I don’t drink beer” sitting at 34%. Females were a key demographic driver of this result, as among females, 50% selected this option, compared to 18% among males. Australians aged 55+ also are significantly more likely to say they do not drink beer compared to the national average.
Commenting on the data, Tracksuit’s Co-Founder and Co-CEO, Connor Archbold, said: "Despite an international beer brand being crowned the nation’s favourite, there's still a deep-rooted love for the local brews in Australia, and that's down to years of history and great brand building.
“This enduring love presents a significant opportunity for local breweries to double down on their authentic Australian identity in a way that international brands can’t. By getting under the skin of what’s really driving consumer choices on a state-by-state level and understanding where those trong pockets of local support are - or even where there might be some untapped potential - homegrown Aussie brands can really set themselves apart.
Strong pockets of local support are - or even where there might be some untapped potential - homegrown Aussie brands can really set themselves apart.
“This kind of focused understanding means marketing can be way more eective, brand strategies can be sharper, and you can make smarter calls about where to put your energy and dollars to resonate deeply with local beer enthusiasts.”
Methodology
For its inaugural Brand Map of Australia, Tracksuit surveyed 4,595 Australian consumers in December 2024 and January 2025 to ascertain attitudes towards beer brands. This data captured national results as well as state-by-state insights to understand regional preferences across Australia. To establish consumer ‘preference’, respondents could only select one brand as their most preferred.
National rankings
National rank |
Brand |
Region brand originated |
National preference from sample of 4,595 |
1 2 3 4 |
Corona Great Northern Victoria Bitter (VB) Coopers Carlton |
Mexico Australia Australia Australia Australia |
12% 11% 6% 5% 5% |
Stone & Wood |
Australia |
5% |
|
XXXX |
Australia |
5% |
|
5 |
Hahn |
Australia |
4% |
6 |
Tooheys New |
Australia |
3% |
7 Reschs Australia I don’t drink beer |
1% 34% |
Other 9%
State-by-state rankings
AU states |
Locals within the state are significantly more likely to prefer this brand compared to the national average |
Region brand originated |
NSW & ACT Queensland Victoria |
Tooheys Great Northern Carlton |
NSW Queensland Victoria |
South Australia |
Coopers |
South Australia |
Western Australia |
Corona |
Mexico |
About Tracksuit
Tracksuit is the beautiful, adordable and always-on brand tracking tool to measure and communicate the value of brand-building.
Built from best-in-class methodology, Tracksuit is accessible and easy to understand for everyone from CMOs to CFOs, brand marketing specialists to founders.
Trusted by nearly 1,000 modern consumer brands around the world, Tracksuit surveys thousands of people each week to track consumer awareness, consideration, usage and preference of a brand. The data is collected from diferent markets and demographics, while also being used to benchmark each brand against its competitors.
Tracksuit is now available in the US, Canada, UK, Ireland, France, Germany, Australia and New Zealand and gives full visibility on brand health to help answer the common question, “Is what we’re doing working?”