-
Oddly enough, no. XXXX didn't become a thing in Vic until after I'd left. Now it's definitely up there in terms of 'have a bbq, smash a box and you're still sober enough to drive'* beers.
*not really, but kind of yes really
I actually hated beer and was a bourbon drinker until uni, at which time beer basically became free. It was free cans/bottles of VB (horrible shit) that got me drinking beer. It was some cycling mates and Mountain Goat Brewery that got me into drinking nice beer though.
I assume that your colonial youth was spent drinking XXXX (my colonial youth spent drinking McEwans Export, the original and worst IPA)?