The Boag’s brewery closing in Launceston, Tasmania, is now down to its final days. The last Tasmanian-brewed Boag’s beers were bottled on Oct. 21, 2026, ending 145 years of local production, ABC News reported. The brewery shuts for good on Nov. 6, and 42 local jobs go with it.
A note on sourcing: this Boag’s brewery closing report rests on a single source, the ABC News story by Kelsey Reid. The Bureau has not independently confirmed the figures with Lion, the brand’s owner.
The last bottles and the last brew
Bottling wrapped up on Oct. 21, but the final brew day was back in September, the ABC said. Brewer Adrian Hinds, a Boag’s employee for 22 years, described the scene to the ABC: “Today was the last drop of Boag’s put into containers; tanks are empty, everything’s on a carton or pallet ready to go out to the public.”
For that last mash, Hinds said, staff each added a sample of grain to the mash tuns so “everyone had that final little touch on the last brew of draught.” Afterward, he said he sat alone in the brewhouse and “just listened to all the sounds.” The Bureau has no file on Earthling grief, but that one translates.
Why the Boag’s brewery closing happened
Lion announced the closure in June, citing inflation and long-term declines in beer sales, per the ABC. Lion, owned by Japan’s Kirin, bought the Boag’s brand in 2008 for $325 million. Lion’s buying spree has reached the U.S. too, which BeerAlien covered when Bell’s was sold to Lion.
The Boag’s brewery closing was a long time coming in one sense. The ABC reported that most Boag’s brewing had already moved interstate the year before, leaving Launceston running at one-fifth of its capacity. Brewing of the brand continues in New South Wales, Queensland and Victoria, so Tasmania now imports its own beer icon.
| Founded | 1881, as the Esk Brewery, by James Boag and James Boag II |
| Owner | Lion (owned by Kirin), since 2008 |
| Last bottling in Tasmania | Oct. 21, 2026 |
| Final brew day | September 2026 |
| Brewery closes | Nov. 6, 2026 |
| Jobs lost | 42 |
| Brewing moves to | New South Wales, Queensland, Victoria |
| Staying open | Boag’s Brewhouse taphouse and museum |
Will the Boag’s brewery closing change the taste?
Boag’s has long marketed Tasmanian water as its key ingredient. Tour guide Phil Crowden, who has led visitors through the brewery for 17 years, told the ABC that the mineral count of Tasmanian water will be replicated at the mainland breweries. “You can actually emulate the water from any particular place in the world,” he said.
Adrian Singline, publican at The Gunners Arms in Launceston, told the ABC that Boag’s is his top seller and that Lion indicated there would be no added cost for his pub to stock Boag’s. He also said his customers would tell him quickly if they noticed a change in taste. An online petition tried to stop the closure, per the ABC.
What happens to the site
After the Boag’s brewery closing date, decommissioning the brewing equipment starts after Nov. 6 and is expected to take about 12 more months, the ABC said. A Lion spokesperson said the company is considering whether some equipment could go to its other sites.
In July, Premier Jeremy Rockliff said the Tasmanian government was interested in buying the historic site. Property developer Errol Stewart has pitched a mix of commercial space, a boutique hotel, public open space, offices and parking. Business Minister Felix Ellis said the government “continued to engage constructively” with Lion, per the ABC. No sale has been announced.
The Boag’s Brewhouse, the taphouse and museum, stays open beyond November, and a documentary about the brewery’s final days is planned. It joins a string of big-brewer closures, like Carlsberg Britvic’s proposed Marston’s brewery closure in England. Closer to Australia’s craft scene, Tribe Breweries bought Black Hops out of administration. With the Boag’s brewery closing, Launceston keeps the name on the building but not the brewing.
BEERALIEN.COM | Reporting on Earth’s finest craft beers from a galaxy far, far away.
BeerAlien
Terry Bunch
