Three Coins Beer

Three Coins is a Sri Lankan beer brand brewed historically by McCallum Breweries (Ceylon) Ltd. The brand emerged from the McCallum brewery, a facility established in 1962 in Meegoda, a suburb of Colombo, by U. K. Edmund. Its portfolio has included several beer styles rather than a single standard lager: the core Three Coins beer is described as a 4.8% alcohol-by-volume all-malt lager, while associated products have included a Belgian-style witbier, strong beers, stouts, and Irish-style ales. The brand became part of a larger corporate brewing structure after Cargills Ceylon PLC acquired McCallum Brewery in February 2011 through its wholly owned subsidiary Millers Brewery Ltd. The reported purchase price was Rs. 1.425 billion. Following the acquisition, the Cargills group invested approximately Rs. 2 billion in upgrading the brewery. The reported annual production capacity was expanded from 50,000 hectolitres to 600,000 hectolitres, indicating an effort to turn the operation into a substantially larger participant in Sri Lanka's beer market. Three Coins has been associated with product experimentation and international brewing styles. Three Coins Riva, introduced in 2001 as a jointly branded product with Belgian brewer Riva N.V., was described as the first wheat beer brewed in Asia. Other products listed in the brand's historical portfolio include Sando Stout, Irish Dark, Irish Dark Red Ale, Grand Blonde, and Sando Power Strong. Some of these beers, including Sando Stout and Irish Dark, are identified as no longer being produced, while the available reference material does not establish the current availability of the remaining products. The ownership and production context changed again in 2014. After reports that Cargills was considering the sale of Millers Brewery, Lion Brewery announced in November that it had purchased Millers Brewery Limited for Rs. 5.15 billion. Lion Brewery said that production of Millers Brewery products would begin at its Biyagama facility, while brewing at the Meegoda plant would cease temporarily pending further evaluation. Because the available reference does not clearly document the present ownership, production status, distribution footprint, or continued availability of each Three Coins product, the brand's current operating status remains uncertain.

Three Coins is connected to the history of McCallum Brewery, a Sri Lankan brewing operation founded in 1962 by U. K. Edmund in Meegoda near Colombo. The brewery later developed a portfolio that included the Three Coins lager and a range of specialty beers. The standard Three Coins product is described as a 4.8% ABV all-malt lager. Its historical line-up also included products influenced by European brewing traditions, such as the Belgian-style Three Coins Riva, Irish-style ales, a stout, and strong beers. Three Coins Riva was launched in 2001 through a joint branding arrangement with the Belgian brewer Riva N.V. It was described as the first wheat beer brewed in Asia, giving the brand a distinctive place in the region's beer history. The wider portfolio subsequently included Grand Blonde, introduced in 2009, as well as Sando Power Strong, Irish Dark Red Ale, Sando Stout, and Irish Dark. The reference material identifies Sando Stout and Irish Dark as discontinued, but does not provide definitive current production information for all other variants. A major corporate change occurred in February 2011, when Cargills Ceylon PLC acquired McCallum Brewery through its wholly owned Millers Brewery subsidiary. The reported purchase price was Rs. 1.425 billion. Cargills then invested approximately Rs. 2 billion in brewery improvements. These upgrades reportedly increased capacity from 50,000 hectolitres per year to 600,000 hectolitres per year, marking a substantial expansion of the operation and its potential ability to supply the Sri Lankan market. The brewery's ownership came under review in 2014. In June, reports indicated that Cargills was preparing to sell Millers Brewery and named Distilleries Company of Sri Lanka and Carson Cumberbatch as possible buyers. In November, Lion Brewery was reported to have completed the purchase for Rs. 5.15 billion. Lion planned to manufacture Millers Brewery products at its Biyagama facility, while production at Meegoda was to stop temporarily while the plant and its future use were evaluated. The available material does not establish whether every historical Three Coins variant remained on sale after the ownership transition, whether the brand continued under the same brewing arrangements, or what its present market position is. Accordingly, Three Coins is best documented as a historically significant Sri Lankan beer brand whose production history is tied first to McCallum Brewery, then to Millers Brewery under Cargills, and later to Lion Brewery's acquisition of Millers.

1. 2014Millers Brewery is sold to Lion Brewery

   Lion Brewery acquired Millers Brewery from Cargills and planned to shift brewing of Millers products to Biyagama while evaluating the Meegoda site.

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2. 2011McCallum Brewery is acquired by Cargills

   Cargills Ceylon acquired McCallum Brewery through Millers Brewery Ltd and subsequently funded a major capacity expansion.

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3. 2009Grand Blonde is launched

   The historical Three Coins portfolio added Grand Blonde, listed at 8.8% ABV.

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4. 2001Three Coins Riva is launched

   Three Coins Riva was introduced as a Belgian-style witbier through a joint branding arrangement with Riva N.V. It was described as the first wheat beer brewed in Asia.

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5. 1962McCallum Brewery is established

   U. K. Edmund established McCallum Brewery Limited in Meegoda, near Colombo, creating the brewing operation later associated with Three Coins.

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A Sri Lankan beer brand with a core all-malt lager and a historically varied portfolio spanning wheat beer, stout, strong beer, and Irish- and Belgian-style products.

• Three CoinsAll-malt lager

  The core Three Coins beer is described as a 4.8% ABV all-malt lager. It represents the brand's principal lager expression and anchors a portfolio that historically extended into wheat beer, stout, strong beer, and ale styles.

• Three Coins RivaBelgian-style witbier2001

  Three Coins Riva is a 4.8% ABV Belgian-style witbier introduced in 2001 through a joint branding arrangement with Belgian brewer Riva N.V. It was described as the first wheat beer brewed in Asia, making it one of the brand's most distinctive historical products.

• Sando StoutStout

  Sando Stout was an 8.8% ABV stout made with Danish barley, Scottish malt, and German hops. The product is identified in the reference material as no longer being produced.

• Irish DarkIrish-style ale

  Irish Dark was a 7.5% ABV Irish-style ale in the historical Three Coins range. The reference material states that it is no longer in production.

• Irish Dark Red AleIrish-style ale

  Irish Dark Red Ale was listed as a 4.5% ABV Irish-style ale associated with the Three Coins portfolio. The available source does not confirm its current availability.

• Grand BlondeBlonde beer2009

  Grand Blonde was introduced in 2009 and listed at 8.8% ABV. It formed part of the brand's historical move beyond standard lager into stronger and more style-specific beers.

• Sando Power StrongStrong beer

  Sando Power Strong was listed as an 8.8% ABV strong beer in the Three Coins-associated portfolio. The available material does not establish whether it remains in production.

• 2014Lion Brewery acquires Millers BreweryM&A

  After Cargills reportedly considered selling Millers Brewery, several Sri Lankan companies were identified as possible purchasers.

  What changed. Lion Brewery purchased Millers Brewery Limited from Cargills for a reported Rs. 5.15 billion.

  Aftermath. Lion Brewery planned to brew Millers products at its Biyagama facility. Production at the Meegoda plant was to cease temporarily while its future was evaluated.

  Acquisition price. Rs. 5.15 billion (November 2014)

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• 2011Cargills acquires McCallum BreweryM&A

  McCallum Brewery was the brewing operation associated with Three Coins. Cargills Ceylon pursued the acquisition through its wholly owned Millers Brewery subsidiary.

  What changed. Cargills acquired McCallum Brewery for a reported Rs. 1.425 billion and placed it within the Millers Brewery structure.

  Aftermath. The Cargills group reportedly invested Rs. 2 billion in brewery upgrades, with stated annual capacity rising from 50,000 hectolitres to 600,000 hectolitres.

  Acquisition price. Rs. 1.425 billion (February 2011)

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• 2014Cargills considers sale of Millers Brewery

  Reports in June 2014 said Cargills was preparing to sell Millers Brewery, with Distilleries Company of Sri Lanka and Carson Cumberbatch identified as possible purchasers.

  M&A
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• 2014Lion Brewery purchases Millers Brewery

  Lion Brewery announced in November 2014 that it had purchased Millers Brewery Limited from Cargills for Rs. 5.15 billion. It planned to brew Millers products at its Biyagama facility while temporarily stopping production at Meegoda pending evaluation.

  M&A
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• 2011Cargills acquires McCallum Brewery through Millers Brewery

  Cargills Ceylon PLC acquired McCallum Brewery in February 2011 through its wholly owned subsidiary Millers Brewery Ltd. The reported transaction value was Rs. 1.425 billion.

  M&A
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• 2011Cargills invests in McCallum brewery expansion

  Following the acquisition, the Cargills group reportedly spent Rs. 2 billion upgrading the brewery and increasing stated annual capacity from 50,000 hectolitres to 600,000 hectolitres.

  Other
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1. Three Coins Beer