Emu

Emu Brewery

The history of the Emu Brewery is one of the oldest and most fascinating in Australian brewing history, tracing its roots back to the very first years of the Swan River Colony. In 1837 – just eight years after the founding of the settlement of Perth – James Stokes established the Albion Brewery on the banks of the Swan River in what is now Perth's CBD, directly on Mounts Bay Road, laying the foundation for a brewery that would shape the beer life of Western Australia for more than a century. After several changes of ownership and name – first the Stanley Brewery, then the Emu Brewery – the brand was ultimately acquired in 1927 by the large Swan Brewery, which from that point united both the Swan and Emu brands under one roof.

The architectural centrepiece of the Emu Brewery was the imposing Art Deco building erected between 1936 and 1938 to the designs of architects Oldham, Boas and Ednie-Brown, and adorned by Western Australian sculptor Edward Kohler with an elaborate bas-relief frieze along the facade depicting various stages of the brewing process. The building was regarded as one of the finest and most remarkable examples of Perth's Art Deco era, and the Swan Brewery was proud enough of it to feature an image of the brewery building on every label of Emu Export Lager bottles and cans. In the late 1970s production was relocated to a new facility in Canning Vale, after which the historic building stood empty and fell into disrepair. Despite being listed on the National Estate, the brewery was demolished in late 1991 following a lengthy political dispute – a controversial loss for Perth's cultural heritage.

Today the Emu brand is carried on by Lion Nathan as part of the Asahi Group and the beers are produced outside Western Australia, yet the Emu Export Lager continues to this day as a grounded, honest and authentically West Australian lager at 4.2% ABV with a loyal following in the pubs and bars of the West State. As one of the few Australian beer brands able to trace its history back to the pioneer era of the Swan River Colony, Emu stands today as a living and unmistakable symbol of the brewing heritage of Western Australia, which has preserved itself unbowed through nearly two centuries of history.