Skol Lager was developed originally by Ind Coope breweries in Alloa, Central Scotland. In 1958, Graham's Continental was launched and quickly changed to Graham's Skol to give a Scandinavian impression. The name was later revised to just Skol. Allied Breweries, Labatt, Pripps-Bryggerierna, and Unibra formed a new company called Skol International in 1964. Its aim was the creation of a worldwide beer brand, Skol, which could be licensed, manufactured and marketed across the world. In the late 1960s, it was heavily advertised on Dutch pirate RadioVeronica as Skol International, with an advertising jingle sung by Patrica Paay, later a very successful Dutch pop singer and TV presenter. Since then participation in the company has changed significantly.
History
From 1973 to 1982, beer under the Skol brand was brewed by the Dutch Oranjeboom Brewery, but it was not a success in the Dutch market. In 1980, Skol was the major sponsor of the Fittipaldi Automotive, after the end of the Copersucar sponsorship at the end of the previous season. In 1992, the merger between Allied Breweries and Carlsberg created Carlsberg-Tetley's, who moved the production of Skol from Alloa to their brewery in Leeds until this brewery was closed in 2011. It continues to be distributed in the UK, with an ABV reduced to 2.8%. Currently, Skol is one of the most popular beer brands in Brazil, still trailing Brahma beer. It was originally produced by Caracu, which was bought by Brahma in 1980. In 1999, Brahma merged with Antarctica and became AmBev, then InBev, and later AB InBev. Skol beer became internationally recognized as a Brazilian beer, though not initially conceived in Brazil. Carlsberg holds the license to brew and market the beer worldwide, except for Africa and South America. Unibra holds the license for Africa. In Europe, the beer is also marketed in Turkey, and in Romania. In Asia, it is distributed in Malaysia, China, Hong Kong, and Singapore. In Africa, it is present in Angola, Burundi, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Guinea, Madagascar, and Rwanda. The name is the English language variant of the Scandinavian drink toast "skål". For a time, the Hägar the Horriblecartoon character was used for promotion. In the Brazilian market Skol has added a new drink to their brand named "Skol Beats" which has a citrus taste and 3 flavors: blue, red and green, all containing approximately 7.9% of alcohol.
