'I had to have it': Boag's worker wins auction for last Tasmanian brew

Detailed summary

The final Tasmanian-brewed Boag's Red case is sold at auction for $1,300 to a brewery electrician who says it's going straight on display in his lounge room.

The last case and can of Tasmanian-brewed James Boag beer has sold at auction for $1,300.

Local beer production has now ceased, with all James Boag beer to be brewed on the mainland.

The memorabilia's proud owner, a former Boag's worker, has no plans to sell it, and has had himself tattooed in honour of the brewery.

The final Tasmanian-brewed James Boag beer has sold for $1,300, as the brewery that predates electricity in the state closes its doors.

Former brewery electrician Sam Cox, who spent 14 years working at the Launceston institution, has become the proud owner of the final can and case of locally brewed Boag's Red.

"I've always been a fairly strong believer in Boag's Red, love the brand, great drop," he told ABC Northern Tasmania.

In 2024, parent company Lion shifted production of James Boag to the mainland, but Tasmania's supply continued to be brewed locally.

In June, it announced the Launceston brewery would close, due to a long-term decline in Australia's beer market, forcing it to operate at about one-fifth of its capacity, and making operations unviable.

After 145 years, the brewery bottled its final beers in Launceston last month, and shut last week.

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