These hops also result in a softer bitterness. Ice beers are popular in Australia and North America. Many people think that 'old' beer is matured for a longer period and is generally older in age than 'new' beer. This is not so - production of new beer takes longer than old beer. Old beer is made with a top-fermenting yeast, and is the original type of beer brewed in Australia.
New beer is a bottom-fermenting lager and is lighter in colour.
Lager brewing in general did not begin in Australia until 1916. By 1939, with the exception of several draught beers being brewed in NSW and one in South Australia, most of the Australian beer was of the lager style. New gets its name because it is brewed using the more recent type of process, while old uses the earlier process.