Bottoms up, Ma'am! Aussies brew beer for the Queen

SYDNEY (Reuters Life!) - Bottoms up, Ma'am! An Australian brewer has come up with a luxury beer, with a royal price tag, that it claims is fit for the Queen.

To mark the 55th anniversary of Queen Elizabeth's coronation on Monday, Foster's sent the monarch a gift-wrapped bottle of Crown Ambassador Reserve lager, the first from a limited release of 5,000 champagne-style bottles.

"We heard the Queen is a Gin fan, but we're hoping she will enjoy it," Kate Leaman, Crown brand communications manager, told Reuters. "It's actually a very palatable brew, it's something you should enjoy along side a rich hearty meal or some fine cheeses."

Costing about A$60 ($57), a bottle of Crown Ambassador Reserve is almost nine times the price of a standard Crown. Sold in 750 ml bottles, the beer can be cellared for up to 10 years and is best enjoyed in a Shiraz wine, and not pint, glass.

"The brewers went out to the hop fields and hand-picked the hops for this brew and added them in fresh," Leaman said. "We are expecting the 5,000 limited edition bottles to be picked up pretty quickly by beer connoisseurs."

The beer will be available to the public from June 30.

Crown Larger was originally brewed in Australia in 1919 and was reserved for visiting ambassadors and dignitaries. It was only released to the public in 1954, when the Queen made her first visit to Australia.

"It's got a bit of a royal history there," Leaman said. "In honor of her coronation, we decided to mark it with the special release of the first bottle and send her the first bottle." (Reporting by Pauline Askin, Editing by Miral Fahmy)