Forget the Federal Election. There is only one poll that matters to the GABS Festival: the People’s Choice Poll. GABS was a smash in Brisbane last weekend when polling in the People’s Choice started and voting continues next weekend (20-21 May) when the craft brewing festival hits Sydney.
Guests can vote for their favourite brew at the GABS Festival with the winners to be announced at the end of the Melbourne event which takes place over the weekend 27-29 May with 20,000 beer lovers expected to visit the Royal Exhibition Building to drink beer.
Basically like the Royal Easter Show for grown ups, GABS is Australia’s biggest craft beer celebration, showcasing the best of the best from Australia and New Zealand with 117 brand new festival beers brewed exclusively for GABS.
There are more than 700 taps to choose from at the festival – don’t drink them all! – and in addition to the best in craft beer, there are also wine, gin and whiskey stands as well as a silent disco, roaming jazz bands and panels with industry leaders.
Other highlights include an Invisible IPA Festival Beer – a clear beer experiment – and Wayward’s one off GABS Festival Raspberry Pavlova Seltzer. Yum! New Zealand’s Garage Project, one of the top five breweries in the world, will be there as will Urban Alley fresh from its Bronze medal win at the World Beer Cup last week and one of Australia’s most exciting breweries, Mountain Culture.
There is also an eight pack of GABS – a souvenir of the exhibition. Each year event director, Mike Bray and Dan Murphy’s, carefully judge and curate the eight pack which is made available at Dan Murphy’s for the whole month of June. This means that Dan Murphy’s buy 5000 litres of beer from craft brewers, extending their market reach.
Organisers say that each year around 100 breweries submit their brew to be considered for inclusion in the eight pack. Even if their beer does not make the eight pack, it is still exclusively available to sample at GABS.
This year the eight carefully curated craft beers are:
- The Awesome Beer, Mountain Culture (NSW)
- Dropping F-Bombs, 7th Day Brewery (NSW)
- Face Berserker, Little Bang Brewing Co (SA),
- Get Up and Go, Banks Brewing (VIC)
- Quadruple, Six String Brewing Co (NSW).
- Smooches, Capital Brewing Co (ACT)
- Wax On Wax Off, Deep Creek Brewing Co x Maku Brewing (NZ/VIC)
- White Kronos, Helios Brewing Co (QLD).
Suffice to say, the election is not likely to get in the way of Saturday’s festivities in Sydney.
Event Details
Friday, 20 May and Saturday, 21 May
ICC, Darling Harbour in Sydney
- Session 1 – Friday Beers: Friday 20 May 5.30pm – 10.30pmy,
- Session 2 – Super Saturday: Saturday 21 May 11.30am – 4.30pm
- Session 3 – Super Saturday: Saturday 21 May 6.30pm – 11.30pm
Friday, 27 May, Saturday 28 May & Sunday, 29 May at the Royal Exhibition Building, Carlton.
