What CASCADE BREWERY does

Cascade Brewery Co is Australia's oldest continuously operating brewery, founded in 1824 by Peter Degraves in Hobart, Tasmania. The company produces a core beer portfolio of six SKUs — Draught (4.7% ABV), Pale Ale (5.0%), Lager (4.8%), Export Stout (5.8%), Bitter (4.4%), and Premium Light (2.4%) — complemented by limited-edition barrel-aged and experimental special releases. Production relies on traditional brewing methods using Nathan Brewing machinery installed during the 1927 Beckley-era renovations, housed in the historic sandstone brewery buildings in South Hobart that survived the devastating 1967 bushfires.

The company operates a diversified revenue model spanning four streams: wholesale packaged and draught beer distribution to retail outlets and hotels (locatable via the Beer Locator tool); direct-to-consumer hospitality through the Cascade Brewery Bar — a venue incorporating a restaurant, bar, function spaces at Woodstock House, and what is described as potentially Australia's finest beer garden; guided brewery tours booked through FareHarbor; and gift voucher/merchandise sales through a Shopify-powered e-commerce storefront. Customers are segmented across hospitality and food service (restaurants, bars, hotels, function venues), retail beer consumers, and tourism/experiential visitors.

Cascade is wholly owned by Asahi Group Holdings through Carlton and United Breweries (CUB), which acquired Cascade in 1993 before Asahi's June 2020 acquisition of CUB. The business serves primarily the Tasmanian and broader Australian market through CUB/Asahi's distribution network. The 2020 post-COVID rebrand consolidated the hospitality offering under the Cascade Brewery Bar name, and the company marked its 200th anniversary in 2024. No AI/ML capabilities are evident in the business model.

Name

CASCADE BREWERY

Legal name

Cascade Brewery Co

Website

https://www.cascadebreweryco.com.au

Company type

Private

Founded year

1824

Operating status

Operating

Short description

Cascade Brewery Co, founded 1824 in Hobart, Tasmania, is Australia's oldest continuously operating brewery, producing a core range of six beers and operating the Cascade Brewery Bar hospitality venue, tours, and e-commerce. Wholly owned by Asahi Group Holdings via CUB since 2020.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Hobart

HQ country

Australia

HQ region

Oceania

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Supply Chain, Operations, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Beer Sales: Sale of packaged and draught beer products through retail outlets, hotels, and the brewery's own bar. Core range includes Draught, Pale Ale, Lager, Export Stout, Bitter, and Premium Light.
2. Hospitality & Food Service: Revenue from the Cascade Brewery Bar restaurant and bar operations, including table reservations, functions, and events at the Woodstock venue.
3. Brewery Tours: Guided brewery tours booked through FareHarbor platform, providing educational and experiential visits to the historic facility.
4. Gift Vouchers & Merchandise: Sale of gift vouchers and merchandise through the e-commerce platform.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Cascade Brewery produces and sells a range of traditional Australian beers (Draught, Pale Ale, Lager, Export Stout, Bitter, Premium Light, and special release styles) through retail, hospitality, and hospitality-venue channels. It also operates the Cascade Brewery Bar at its historic Hobart site, offering a restaurant, bar, beer garden, function venue, and guided brewery tours, plus gift vouchers and merchandise via its e-commerce store.

Product overview

Cascade Brewery is an Australian brewery founded in 1824, producing a core range of beers including Draught (4.7%), Pale Ale (5.0%), Lager (4.8%), Export Stout (5.8%), Bitter (4.4%), and Premium Light (2.4%). The company operates hospitality services under the Cascade Brewery Bar brand, offering tours, functions, a restaurant, and one of Australia's finest beer gardens. Special release and seasonal beers including barrel-aged and experimental styles complement the core portfolio.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Cascade Draught Classic Australian draught lager (4.7% ABV) with resinous hop aroma, hint of caramelised malt, subtle fruity notes, moderate bitterness, and clean refreshing finish; sold packaged and on draught to retail and hospitality consumers.
• Cascade Pale Ale Timeless classic Australian Pale Ale (5.0% ABV) with balanced malt sweetness and hop bitterness, elegant fruity and floral hop aroma, smooth moderate bitterness, clean crisp finish, golden hue and medium body.
• Cascade Lager Crisp, clean Australian lager (4.8% ABV) with refreshing character, golden appearance, subtle malt sweetness, and balanced slight bitterness.
• Cascade Export Stout Robust full-bodied Australian stout (5.8% ABV) with rich flavors of roasted malt, dark chocolate, and coffee, velvety smooth texture and complex lingering finish.
• Cascade Bitter Classic English-style Australian bitter (4.4% ABV) with balanced malt sweetness and subtle hop bitterness, amber hue and medium body.
• Cascade Premium Light Lower-alcohol Australian beer (2.4% ABV) with crisp refreshing taste through balanced integration of light hoppy and malt notes, clean finish.
• Special Release Beers Limited edition and seasonal brews including barrel-aged beers, experimental styles, and collaborations with other breweries, complementing the core beer portfolio.
• Cascade Brewery Bar Heritage hospitality venue at the original Cascade Brewery site in Hobart, Tasmania, featuring tour space, functions area, bar, restaurant, and what is described as potentially Australia's finest beer garden; offers table reservations, gift vouchers, and a bar menu for visitors and the local community.
• Brewery Tours Guided tours of the historic Cascade Brewery facility, booked through the FareHarbor platform, providing educational and experiential visits to the 1824 brewery site for tourists and the local community.
• Functions & Events Event hosting services at the Woodstock function venue within the Cascade Brewery estate, including corporate functions, weddings, and private events, with bookings managed through FunctionTracker.

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Coopers Brewery: Australia's largest remaining family-owned brewery, producing a core range of ales and stouts comparable to Cascade's traditional beer portfolio. Like Cascade, it leverages heritage positioning and family ownership narrative to differentiate from multinational-owned competitors.
• James Boag's: Tasmanian brewery producing premium lagers and ales, making it the most direct geographic competitor to Cascade within the Tasmanian craft/regional segment. Owned by Lion (Kirin), and competes for the same Tasmanian on-premise and retail shelf space.
• Stone & Wood Brewing: Leading independent Australian craft brewery operating tasting rooms and tours comparable to Cascade's hospitality offering. Competes for the same premium on-premise and experiential consumer occasions with a parallel multi-channel revenue model.
• Little Creatures Brewery: Australian craft brewery with a flagship brewhouse and hospitality venue in Fremantle plus additional locations, offering brewery tours, food service, and packaged beer — directly comparable to Cascade's brewpub/tour operating model.

Broad incumbents

• Carlton & United Breweries (CUB): Parent company of Cascade and Australia's largest brewer, producing Carlton Draught, VB, and Great Northern. Directly comparable as a multi-brand Australian brewery under Asahi ownership, though operating at far greater scale across national distribution.
• Lion (Beer Division): Australian subsidiary of Kirin producing XXXX, Hahn, James Boag's, and Little Creatures. Comparable as a major multi-brand Australian brewer with overlapping craft and mainstream portfolios competing for the same hospitality and retail accounts as Cascade.
• BrewDog: Global craft brewery chain operating brewery bars, tours, and hospitality venues at multiple sites. Comparable as a multi-channel brewer combining packaged beer with high-volume brewery-bar and tour experiences — relevant international benchmark for Cascade's experiential model.

Emerging players

• Mountain Goat Brewery: Independent Australian craft brewery producing specialty ales and lagers, with hospitality at its Melbourne brewery. Comparable as a craft-focused Australian competitor targeting similar on-premise experiential occasions, though smaller scale.
• 4 Pines Brewing: Australian craft brewery with multiple brewpub locations and tours, now part of Lion's portfolio. Competes directly with Cascade in the experiential hospitality segment and craft packaged beer category.
• Furphy: Lion-owned Australian craft lager brand competing in the same mid-strength and premium packaged beer segment as Cascade's core Draught, Pale Ale, and Lager offerings.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights5 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/CascadeBrewerybar
• Instagraminstagram.com/cascadebrewerybar

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about CASCADE BREWERY