| The Adelaide Aerated Waters & Brewing Company Ltd. was established in early 1883, during a period of rapid industrial growth in South Australia’s brewing and soft drink industries. The company first operated from 87 Currie Street, Adelaide, producing a range of beverages including aerated waters, cordials, ales, and stouts. Within months, the business had expanded beyond its initial capacity, and by May 1883, operations were transferred to a larger premises, the former Billin & Wright factory on Angas Street, a well-known site previously used for cordial and aerated water manufacture. Upon moving, the company continued to produce several of the popular Billin & Wright products, maintaining continuity with a loyal customer base while also expanding into brewing. This dual production line reflected a growing local trend: combining soft drink and beer manufacturing to make year-round use of equipment and labour, regardless of seasonal demand. From its inception, the company sought to establish a distinctive brand identity. Its original trademark featured a boar’s head, chosen to symbolise strength and tradition. However, this design quickly drew controversy. The T.B. Hall & Co. brand of imported stout, widely sold throughout the colonies, already used a similar Boar’s Head trademark. The resemblance led to accusations that the Adelaide company was attempting to pass off its stout as the imported product, and the matter was taken to court. The case was widely reported in the local press, highlighting both the competitive nature of the 19th-century brewing trade and the growing importance of brand recognition in the marketplace. The court ruled in favour of T.B. Hall, forcing the Adelaide company to abandon its trademark and rebrand its bottled products. Despite this early setback, the Adelaide Aerated Waters & Brewing Co. Ltd. prospered through the mid-1880s. By 1888, the company had fully repaid its mortgage, an indication of strong sales and sound management. Its beers and soft drinks found success across the city’s hotels, cafes, and general stores. The company’s ales and stouts in particular were praised for their quality. However, by the late 1890s, the company began to face increasing challenges. Competition from larger breweries intensified, and the business struggled with a problem that plagued many smaller producers of the time, a shortage of glass bottles. Before the turn of the 20th century, around 95% of all glass bottles used in Australia were imported from the United Kingdom, often arriving pre-filled with beer or mineral water. Once consumed, local companies would clean and reuse the bottles for their own products. While economical, this system left local bottlers dependent on imports and vulnerable to periodic shortages. By the late 1890s, a series of trade disruptions and the growing dominance of major brewers reduced the availability of good-quality reusable bottles. Without a steady supply of packaging, production and sales for smaller companies like the Adelaide Aerated Waters & Brewing Co. became increasingly difficult. In 1898, after fifteen years of operation, the company entered voluntary liquidation. The shortage of bottles continued to affect local beverage makers well into the early 1900s, only easing with the introduction of locally manufactured glassware, notably the “Pick Axe” brand bottles, which were produced in South Australia. These bottles finally provided a reliable local source for bottling beer, cordials, and mineral waters, too late, however, to save many of the smaller manufacturers of the 19th century.  Brewery Owners and Shareholders 1892  AAW&BCo's logo vs T.B. Halls Logo |
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XXX Dubblin Stout
5.001.001.001.0010
c1895
Photocopied label, colours unknown
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