A Canberra IPA has been crowned Craft Beer of 2020 in the annual GABS Hottest 100 Aussie Craft Beers poll. Bentspoke’s Crankshaft American IPA took out top honours, with Capital Brewing’s XPA winning the best debut beer.
The Greatest Australasian Beer Spectactular (GABS) Festival MD Mike Bray said: “It is just fantastic the GABS Hottest 100 makes craft beer part of a national discussion. 150 people voted in the first poll in 2008, nearly 40,000 voted this time around! After the year the brewing industry has had, to see venues busy, beer flowing, people celebrating and debating craft beer as we delivered the live countdown on Saturday was incredible.”
Each voter has to select their five favourite craft beers of the year. “To give you a sense of how difficult that is with Australian’s long love affair with beer, this year a whopping 1951 different beers attracted a share of nearly 200,000 votes,” Bray said.
Pale, hazy and hop driven ales dominated the list but the move by craft breweries to attract mainstream beer drinkers is clearly working, judging by the number of high quality, easy drinking, gateway Lagers proving popular.
In the battle between the states, Queensland set the bar in the Top 10 with Balter XPA and Hazy IPA, Your Mates Larry, Back Hops GOAT and Ballistic Breweries Hawaiian Haze all placing.
Byron’s Stone & Wood and Sydney’s Young Henry’s Newtowner flew the NSW flag.
Bentspoke added a second ACT beer with the Barley Griffin in 10th and although Victoria only had a lone Top 10 representative in Bridge Road’s Beechworth Pale Ale, they sent a message of things to come with a big resurgence across the board claiming 25 of the overall spots on offer and was the only state to increase its presence on the GABS Hottest 100.
Impressive performances too from small breweries like Beerfarm (WA) at #18 and tiny start up Cronulla Beer Co (NSW) #52. Hawke’s Brewing came in at #56, #67 and #92.
Fun beers also hold their own with Grifter’s Serpent Kiss Fruit Beer, Ballistic’s Mexican Hot Chocolate Stout and Bad Shepherds big Peanut Butter Porter.
Independent Breweries made up 85 per cent of the list which is testament to the entrepreneurial spirit and talented craftspeople in the industry, Bray said.
The full GABS Hottest 100 list, plus sub lists with placings of new beers brewed for the first time in 2020 and independent only breweries at www.gabsfestival.com.
