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The 100 Best Craft Beers in Australia Have Been Named

Nick Hall, 26 Jan 2022 | News

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There’s nothing quite like a good clash of passionfruit and hops bursting through your palate. In fact, according to that one craft beer wanker friend everyone seems to have, it’s a near biblical experience. Sure, not everyone is intoxicated by a Double Vanilla Custard Pancake Imperial Nitro Thickshake IPA (that’s a real thing), but you can’t deny the craft beer market has exploded Down Under, and thanks must go to GABS. The almanac of all that is hazy, pale and pacific, the GABS Craft Beer & Cider Festival is renowned for unearthing the very best beers you’ve never heard of and in 2022, the event is already delivering in spades.

Over the weekend, the iconic GABS Hottest 100 Aussie Craft Beer poll put the sword to the nation’s top brewers, naming the 100 best craft beers in Australia. In a surprise result, Canberra firmed as the nation’s craft beer capital with local brewery Bentspoke’s Crankshaft American IPA being voted Australia’s favourite Craft Beer of 2021 in the closest finish in the history of the poll. Gold Coast’s Balter XPA, a two-time winner in 2017-18, claimed second, while Your Mates from the Sunshine Coast took out third for its Australian Pale Ale, Larry.

What We Learned

Despite a deeply Canberran focus, the battle between the states was a hotly contested one. Specifically, Queensland set the bar at 30 with Black Hops claiming six total spots. Victoria earned 22 places, NSW 20, ACT 12, SA and WA claiming eight each. Best of all, a record 58 breweries made the list this year, including 37 brews making their debut.

But while Hazy and Tropical dominated the list, the GABS Hottest 100 Craft Beer poll also ushered in a new era for non-alcoholic brews. Heaps Normal’s Quiet XPA came in at 20 in the rankings, while Sobah Beverages, zero alcohol, Pepperberry IPA landed at 69.

“It is just fantastic that the GABS Hottest 100 makes craft beer part of a national discussion. 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,” GABS Festival MD, Mike Bray said. “GABS is all about sharing a common love for craft beer and the fact that more people are joining the conversation each year, only bodes well for the future of the industry.”

A vastly different take on the festival than previous years, the 2022 GABS Craft Beer poll demonstrated the resilience of an industry that has copped the worst of Coronavirus. With venues shut down and breweries forced to divert orders away from on-premises venues, it’s been a complicated year. Ballistic Beer Co. CEO David Kitchen said the success of the festival only served to highlight the strength of the craft beer community in Australia.

“After the couple of years we have all had and the hits to the hospitality industry, this gives us something to celebrate and recognises what we have managed to do as a team despite the challenges,” Kitchen said. “It recognises the increasing number of people who are getting to try, enjoy and vote for our beers as their favourite craft beer. To also have another three beers in the Top 100, including the only stout, is incredibly rewarding and testament to our incredible brewing team, who can brew top quality beer no matter what the style.”

GABS Festival Hottest 100 Craft Beers Results

With the GABS Hottest 100 done and dusted for another year, the iconic festival has named its top picks. Palates at the ready, here is a list of the 100 best craft beers in Australia, according to you, the people who voted.

1. BentSpoke Brewing Co – Crankshaft
2. Balter Brewing – Balter XPA
3. Your Mates Brewing Co – Larry
4. Stone & Wood Brewing Co – Pacific Ale
5. Black Hops Brewery – G.O.A.T.
6. Better Beer – Better Beer Zero Carb
7. Capital Brewing Co – Capital XPA
8. Ballistic Beer Co – Hawaiian Haze
9. Capital Brewing Co – Coast Ale
10. Young Henrys – Newtowner
11. Coopers Brewery – Original Pale Ale
12. BentSpoke Brewing Co – Barley Griffin
13. Balter Brewing – Hazy
14. Bridge Road Brewers – Beechworth Pale Ale
15. Beerfarm Metricup – Royal Haze
16. Pirate Life Brewing – South Coast Pale Ale
17. Gage Roads Brewing Co – Single Fin
18. KAIJI! Beer – KRUSH! Tropical Pale Ale
19. Black Hops Brewing – East Coast Haze
20. Heaps Normal – Quiet XPA
21. Heads of Noosa Brewing Co – Japanese Lager
22. Brick Lane Brewing Co – One Love Pale Ale
23. Little Creatures – Little Creatures Pale Ale
24. Moon Dog Craft Brewery – Old Mate
25. Philter Brewing – Philter XPA
26. Mountain Goat Beer – GOAT Very Enjoyable Beer
27. Feral Brewing Co – Biggie Juice
28. Brookvale Union – Ginger Beer
29. 4 Pines Brewing Co – 4 Pines Pacific Ale
30. Big Shed Brewing Concern – Boozy Fruit
31. Hawke’s Brewing – Hawke’s Patio Ale
32. Bright Brewery – Alpine Lager
33. Grifter Brewing Co – Pale
34. Blackflag Brewing – Rage Juicy Pale
35. Green Beacon Brewing Co – Wayfarer
36. Stomping Ground Brewing Co – Gipps St Pale Ale
37. Akasha Brewing Co – Hopsmith IPA
38. Dainton Beer – Blood Orange NEIPA
39. Revel Brewing Co – Strawberries & Cream Soul Ale
40. Coopers Brewery – Sparkling Ale
41. BentSpoke Brewing Co – Sprocket
42. Capital Brewing Co – Hang Loose Juice Blood Orange NEIPA
43. Coopers Brewery – Coopers XPA
44. Your Mates Brewing Co – Sally
45. BentSpoke Brewing Co – Cluster 8
46. Black Hops Brewery – Neverland
47. Balter Brewing – Eazy Hazy
48. Ballistic Beer Co – Hawaiian Haze IPA
49. Capital Brewing Co – West Coast NEIPA
50. Coopers Brewery – Coopers Pacific Pale Ale
51. Bodriggy Brewing Co – Speccy Juice
52. Colonial Brewing Co – Colonial Pale Ale
53. Grifter Brewing Co – Serpents Kiss
54. Sunday Road Brewing – Cryotherapy
55. Deeds Brewing – Juice Train
56. 10 Toes Brewery – Pipeline Pale
57. Burleigh Brewing Co – Bighead No-carb Lager
58. Hop Nation Brewing Co – J-Juice
59. Range Brewing Co – Lights + Music
60. Black Hops Brewery – Hop Swap
61. Black Hops Brewery – Black Hops Pale Ale
62. Your Mates Brewing Co – Macca
63. Balter Brewing – Captain Sensible
64. Capital Brewing Co – Trail Pale Ale
65. Hawke’s Brewing – Hawke’s Lager
66. Burleigh Brewing Co – Twisted Palm
67. One Drop Brewing Co – Double Vanilla Custard Pancake Imperial Nitro Thickshake IPA
68. Cronulla Beer Co – Next Level XPA
69. Sobah Beverages – Pepperberry IPA
70. Jetty Road Brewery – Jetty Road Pale Ale
71. Brouhaha Brewery – Strawberry Rhubarb Sour
72. Stone & Wood Brewing Co – Cloud Catcher
73. Blackman’s Brewery – Juicy Banger
74. 4 Pines Brewing Co – 4 Pines Pale Ale
75. Brick Lane Brewing Co – Sidewinder Hazy Pale
76. Hop Nation Brewing Co – Rattenhund
77. Sunday Road Brewing – Enigma Ale
78. Otherside Brewing Co – Anthem IPA
79. Bad Shephard Brewing Co – Peanut Butter Porter
80. Ballistic Beer Co – Mexican Hot Chocolate Stout
81. Black Hops Brewery – Hornet
82. Little Creatures – Pacific Ale
83. Your Mates Brewing Co – Eddie
84. Dainton Beer – Jungle Juice
85. Bodriggy Brewing Co – Utropia Pale Ale
86. Young Henrys – The Unifier
87. Hawkers Beer – West Coast IPA
88. Mismatch Brewing Co – Mismatch Session Ale
89. Gage Roads Brewing Co – Side Track All Day XPA
90. Little Bang Brewing Co – Face Inverter
91. BentSpoke Brewing Co – Red Nut
92. Tumut River Brewing Co – Ginja Ninja
93. Eumundi Brewery – Eumundi Alcoholic Ginger Beer
94. Deeds Brewing – Once More Into The Fray
95. Akasha Brewing Co – Akasha Mosaic IPA
96. Ballistic Beer Co – Low Ha
97. Capital Brewing Co – Rock Hopper IPA
98. Wayward Brewing Co – Raspberry Berliner Weisse
99. Willie the Boatman – Nectar of the Hops
100. Balter Brewing – CryoHaze

Check it out

General FAQs

What is the best craft beer in Australia?

The Crankshaft American IPA from Canberra brewery BentSpoke Brewing Co has taken out top spot in GABS Hottest 100 poll, making it the best craft beer in Australia for 2022.

What is the best craft beer state in Australia?

According to thw results of GABS Craft Beer poll, Queensland is the best state in Australia for craft beer. The Sunshine State managed to nab 30 placings out of a possible 100.