- Source: Great Australasian Beer SpecTAPular
The Great Australasian Beer SpecTAPular, or GABS as it is commonly known, is a beer and food festival that celebrates the diversity and creativity of craft beer. It is run by The Local Taphouse beer bars each year in Melbourne and Sydney and in 2015, almost 23,000 people attended the events.
The Local Taphouses regularly run beer festivals, or SpecTAPulars, to showcase rare or exclusive beers under a different theme. The original GABS (it was originally called the Great Australian Beer SpecTAPular) was held at both venues in both Sydney and Melbourne on 12 February 2011. Another notable, annual event is the GABS Hottest 100 Aussie Craft Beers of the Year countdown. This event was originally held each Australia Day on January 26, but is now held on the fourth Saturday of January.
The main idea behind GABS was to invite leading Australian craft breweries to brew a special beer just for the event. Not especially confident, Taphouse owners Steve Jeffares and Guy Greenstone thought they would be lucky to get ten new beers so planned to put their favourite Australian beers on the 10 other available taps. The response from brewers was so positive that, ultimately, 22 breweries produced 20 brand new beers for the event.
Emboldened by the events' initial success, it was decided to relocate GABS to the Royal Exhibition Building in Melbourne for three days the following year and become part of Melbourne's Good Beer Week celebrations. About 8000 people attended.
GABS now features hundreds of beers, brewery stands, beer education, local food vendors and entertainment but it is predominantly known for the GABS 'Festival Beers' which are brewed especially for the event by leading brewers in Australia, New Zealand and other invited international brewers.
The first GABS Sydney took place at the Australian Technology Park on Saturday 30 May 2016.
In 2015, American magazine, Beer Connoisseur, rated GABS as one of the top 20 beer festivals in the world.
Statistics
= 2023
=Top Hottest 100 Winners
'Status Quo' Pale Ale (Mountain Culture Beer Co)
'XPA' eXtra Pale Ale (Balter Brewing Company, QLD)
'Crankshaft' American IPA (Bentspoke Brewing Co, ACT)
= 2022
=Top Hottest 100 Winners
'Status Quo' Pale Ale (Mountain Culture Beer Co)
'XPA' eXtra Pale Ale (Balter Brewing Company, QLD)
'Crankshaft' American IPA (Bentspoke Brewing Co, ACT)
= 2021
=Top Hottest 100 Winners
'Crankshaft' American IPA (Bentspoke Brewing Co, ACT)
'XPA' eXtra Pale Ale (Balter Brewing Company, QLD)
'Larry' Australian Pale Ale (Your Mates Brewing Co, Sunshine Coast)
= 2020
=Top Hottest 100 Winners
'Crankshaft' American IPA (Bentspoke Brewing Co, ACT)
'Pacific Ale' Australian Pale Ale (Stone & Wood Brewing Co., NSW)
'XPA' eXtra Pale Ale (Balter Brewing Company, QLD)
= 2019
=Top Hottest 100 Winners
'Pacific Ale' Australian Pale Ale (Stone & Wood Brewing Co., NSW)
'XPA' eXtra Pale Ale (Balter Brewing Company, QLD)
'Crankshaft' American IPA (Bentspoke Brewing Co, ACT)
People's Choice Winner
'Grape Bubblegum Sour' Berliner Weisse (Currumbin Valley Brewing, QLD)
= 2018
=Top Hottest 100 Winners
'XPA' eXtra Pale Ale (Balter Brewing Company, QLD)
'Pacific Ale' Australian Pale Ale (Stone & Wood Brewing Co., NSW)
'Crankshaft' American IPA (Bentspoke Brewing Co, ACT)
People's Choice Winner
'Boozy Froot' New England IPA (Big Shed Brewing Concern, SA)
= 2017
=Top Hottest 100 Winners
'XPA' eXtra Pale Ale (Balter Brewing Company, QLD)
'Pacific Ale' Australian Pale Ale (Stone & Wood Brewing Co., NSW)
'Crankshaft' American IPA (Bentspoke Brewing Co, ACT)
People's Choice Winner
'The Mountie' Maple Imperial Stout (Stockade Brew Co, NSW)
= 2016
=Top Hottest 100 Winners
'Pacific Ale' Australian Pale Ale (Stone & Wood Brewing Co., NSW)
'IIPA' American Double IPA (Pirate Life Brewing, SA)
'Hop Hog' American Pale Ale (Feral Brewing Company, WA)
People's Choice Winner
'Peanut Brittle' Gose (Bacchus Brewing, QLD)
= 2015
=Attendance
Royal Exhibition Hall, Melbourne. 22–24 May 2015
Attendance: 16,200 people
Australian Technology Park, Eveleigh, Sydney, 30 May 2016
Attendance: 6,300 people
People's Choice Winner
'Milk and Two Sugars' Imperial Milk Stout (BrewCult, VIC)
Complete List of Festival Beers
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= 2014
=Attendance
Royal Exhibition Hall, Melbourne. 22–24 May 2014
Attendance: 12,000 people
People's Choice Winner
'Praline' Belgian Ale (La Sirene, VIC)
Complete List of Festival Beers
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= 2013
=Attendance
Royal Exhibition Hall, Melbourne. 24–26 May 2013
Attendance: 11,000 people
People's Choice Winner
White Chocolate and Raspberry Pilsner (Bacchus, QLD)
Complete List of Festival Beers
Back to Top
= 2012
=Attendance
Royal Exhibition Hall, Melbourne.
People's Choice Winner
'Gunnamatta' Tea Leaf IPA (Yeastie Boys, NZ)
Complete List of Festival Beers
Back to Top
See also
Beer in Australia
List of breweries in Australia
Australian International Beer Awards
References
External links
Official website
Kata Kunci Pencarian:
- Great Australasian Beer SpecTAPular
- Mountain Goat Beer
- Gabs
- List of beer organizations
- Food festival
- Culture of Melbourne
