You may be familiar with Dos Equis, the Mexican beer that once had “The Most Interesting Man in the World” as its hype man, but did you know there’s also a Cuatro Equis? Well, not by that name, as XXXX is brewed in Australia, not Mexico. It’s not all that well known in the U.S., at least by anyone who isn’t a big fan of fantasy author Sir Terry Pratchett (some believe that Fourecks, which is Discworld’s “Last Continent,” takes its name from the beer), but it’s one of the biggest names in brewing in the land Down Under. Known for its bitter but slightly sweet flavor as well as smoothness, XXXX Gold was named the nation’s third-best-selling beer in 2022. But here’s a shocker for us non-Australians: Foster’s didn’t even crack the top 10.

Even though XXXX has a name that may seem somewhat suggestive, it has nothing to do with the adult entertainment industry but is instead an indication of quality or strength. It seems that in the 19th century, beer was rated in X’s, much as we award star ratings to just about anything these days. While Castlemaine Brewery was first able to produce an XXX-rated beer (which sounds even more racy), it gained that additional X in 1893. Much like Pabst Blue Ribbon when it won its eponymous award at the Chicago World’s Fair that same year, the company bigwigs celebrated the occasion by naming (or in the case of Pabst, re-naming) the brew after the honor.

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Castlemaine Brewery first went into business in Castlemaine, Victoria, but the Queensland branch, which is today home to XXXX, opened its doors in 1878. 15 years later, XXXX itself was born (the beer formerly known — or at least rated — as XXX), but the next milestone in the brewery’s history came in 1924. That year marked not only the addition of XXXX bitter to the lineup but also the introduction of the mascot Mr. Fourex. This dapper gentleman, the Australian analogue of Baltimore’s favorite food mascot Mr. Boh, has been raising his beer bottle in a toast to the good people of Queensland for the past century, and XXXX doesn’t seem to have any plans to pull a Mr. Peanut on him.

In 1928, a merger occurred between two companies to form what is currently known as Castlemaine Perkins. The company continues to operate under this name, despite having changed ownership to Lion in 1990 and subsequently to KIrin in 2011. The Queensland XXXX brewery remains the hallmark of the company with its product closely identified with this state. However, it is noteworthy that some of the XXXX beers are presently brewed in New South Wales and South Australia.

XXXX introduced a household name in Australia, the “stubby”, sometime in the later half of the 20th century. This is a small, robust bottle that contains 375 milliliters, a little above 12 ounces. 1991 marked the inception of XXXX Gold, which has grown to become the brewery’s best-selling beer and also the initiation of its uninterrupted sponsorship of the Queensland Rugby League Maroons.

The process of brewing XXXX beer is comparable to that of other large factory-brewed beers— if you are interested in learning the exact steps, you may book a tour for about A$37 (Australian dollars), approximately $24 in US currency. It is important to note that this amount does not include airfare to Queensland. During your tour, the subject of the company’s sustainability efforts is expected to be highlighted. In 2020, the brewery was recognized as carbon neutral and utilizes solar panels and biogas to meet part of its power needs for its activities.

Lastly, two of XXXX’s beers — the Bitter and Gold varieties — are brewed devoid of any preservatives. Their ingredients consist of hops, malted grains, cane sugar, yeast, and water, which has been so since a 2008 initiative to adopt a more basic, natural approach. A crucial step in maintaining the beer’s freshness and taste involves the addition of carbon dioxide right after all oxygen is vacuumed out just before the cap is placed on the bottle.

Over the years, XXXX has introduced new brews and dropped old ones from the lineup. Among the dearly departed are the original pre-1893 XXX Sparkling Ale, followed by 20th-century additions including XXXX Lite and Castlemaine 2.2 Bitter. Today’s lineup includes the same XXXX Bitter that debuted a century ago as well as the XXXX Gold that came along toward the end of the last millennium. They’ve been joined by XXXX Dry, which first came out in 2020 and has been sold throughout Australia since 2021, as well as a line of lagers called Summer Bright that are available in mango, lime, and raspberry lemonade as well as a standard beer-flavored beer.

XXXX also offers a nonalcoholic beer called XXXX Zero that they’ve touted as being the nation’s first 0% ABV beer to also be entirely carbon-free. As Lion’s chief sustainability officer Justin Merrell explains, the brewery went so far as to contact the can and bottle manufacturers to determine the precise amount of carbon generated in their production so they could factor this into knowing how much of it they’d need to offset.

During WWII, XXXX sent its beers abroad for the very first time, but only for distribution to the Australian armed forces. They did so again during the Vietnam War, at which time the bottles earned the nickname “barbed wire” because the linked X’s bore a similarity to something the soldiers likely saw on a regular basis. Once the war was over, however, XXXX was out of the import business as to this day the brewery maintains that none of its beer will ever be available for overseas purchase.

Well, that isn’t entirely true. You for sure can’t get your hands on the stuff in the U.S., which has sparked a number of Reddit threads, although many of these tend to be overtaken by Aussie beer snobs who enjoy criticizing a beer that seems to hold a similar status to Budweiser in its home country (implying that millions of people must purchase it, but surprisingly few would choose to admit it). Nevertheless, if you cannot afford to travel halfway around the world, a shorter flight would allow you to try the XXXX brewed by Interbrew U.K. in Manchester. It’s plausible that the U.K. version might not taste exactly like Australian XXXX, but unless you try the latter, how will you truly know?

Read the original article on Mashed.