Australia Day saw the countdown of the iconic Triple J Hottest 100, and the 2016 instalment of the increasingly essential GABS Hottest 100 list of craft beers in Australia.
The diverse list is a window into the ever-changing preferences of consumers, bridging flavour bombs and easy-drinking, newcomers and commercial successes. Organisers of the Great Australian Beer SpecTAPular (GABS) report a “massive increase” in consumer votes on last year.
2016 sees more than 50 brewers make the honour role, with a number of new players and impressive array of multiple entries from some emerging dominant forces in crafted beers.
After an amazing three years at No.1, WA’s Feral Brewing was knocked off its perch by the previous first choice, Stone & Wood’s iconic Pacific Ale.
“We’re still right up there,” offered Feral’s Luke Dowling. “There are quite a few styles in the Top 10, including some entry-level ‘craft’ beers that draw people toward more diverse styles as their tastes evolve.
“It goes to show the craft beer in Australia is still on the rise.”
The most successful brewer overall was Manly’s 4 Pines, with the highest number of entries, including #7 and #8. Co-founder Jaron Mitchell told PubTIC they are very pleased with the mix.
“We’re absolutely wrapped with having seven of our beers feature in the Hottest 100 voting poll,” exclaimed Mitchell.
“Although we were knocked off the podium from 3rd place last year, as someone from another brewery said to me: ‘Whilst you didn’t get song of the year, having the most beers feature out of any independent brewery is kind of like having the album of the year’.”
The stand-out surprise this year was an incredible three entries, including #3 and #4, from South Australian brewery Pirate Life, which has been in operation for only a year. 
FULL LIST OF 2016 WINNERS:
1 ‘Pacific Ale’ Australian-style Pale Ale (Stone & Wood, NSW)
2 ‘Hop Hog’ American-style IPA (Feral, WA)
3 ‘IIPA’ Double American-style IPA (Pirate Life, SA) NEW
4 ‘Pale Ale’ American-style Pale Ale (Pirate Life, SA) NEW
5 ‘Pale Ale’ American-style Pale Ale (Little Creatures, WA)
6 ‘150 Lashes’ Australian-style Pale Ale (James Squire, NSW)
7 ‘Pale Ale’ American-style Pale Ale (4 Pines, NSW)
8 ‘Kolsch’ (4 Pines, NSW)
9 ‘Former Tenant’ American-style IPA (Modus Operandi, NSW)
10 ‘Karma Citra’ Black IPA (Feral, WA) GABS (2011)
11 ‘Throwback’ Specialty IPA (Pirate Life, SA) NEW
12 ‘Hop Thief 7’ American-style Pale Ale (James Squire, NSW) NEW
13 ‘Taco Beer’ Specialty Beer (Two Birds, VIC) GABS (2013)
14 ‘Milk and Two Sugars’ Sweet Stout (BrewCult, VIC) NEW / GABS (2015)
15 ‘Beechworth Pale Ale’ American-style Pale Ale (Bridge Road, VIC)
16 ‘Golden Stout Time’ Sweet Stout (Big Shed, SA) NEW / GABS (2015)
17 ‘War Hog’ American-style IPA (Feral, WA) NEW
18 ‘Pale Ale’ Australian-style Pale Ale (Coopers, SA)
19 ‘Summer Ale’ Australian-style Pale Ale (Mountain Goat, VIC)
20 ‘Steam Ale’ Australian-style Pale Ale (Mountain Goat, VIC)
21 ‘Dark Ale’ Dark Mild (White Rabbit, VIC)
22 ‘Ramjet 2014/15 (Whisky Aged)’ Russian Imperial Stout (Boatrocker, VIC) NEW
23 ‘Three Sheets’ Australian-style Pale Ale (Lord Nelson Hotel, NSW)
24 ‘Red’ American-style Amber Ale (Nail, WA)
25 ‘India Red Ale’ American-style IPA (Prancing Pony, SA)
26 ‘777’ Double American-style IPA (Riverside, NSW)
27 Noisy Minor ‘Admiral Ackbar’ American-style Amber Ale (Fortitude, QLD)
28 ‘The Chancer’ Blonde/Golden Ale (James Squire, NSW)
29 ‘Cloud Catcher’ Australian-style Pale Ale (Stone & Wood, NSW)
30 ‘Newtowner’ Australian-style Pale Ale (Young Henry’s, NSW)
31 Noisy Minor ‘ANZUS’ American-style IPA (Fortitude, QLD)
32 ‘Fat Yak’ American-style Pale Ale (Matilda Bay, VIC)
33 ‘Bright Ale’ Blonde/Golden Ale (Little Creatures, WA)
34 ‘Small Ale’ Specialty IPA (Colonial, WA)
35 ‘Indian Summer Pale Ale’ Australian-style Pale Ale (4 Pines, NSW) NEW
36 ‘Hangman’ American-style Pale Ale (Rocks, NSW)
37 ‘Copy Cat’ American-style IPA (Mash, WA)
38 ‘XPA (Extra Pale Ale)’ American-style Pale Ale (Wolf of the Willows, VIC)
39 ‘Vale Ale’ Australian-style Pale Ale (Vale, SA)
40 ‘Dog Days’ American Wheat (Little Creatures, WA) NEW
41 ‘Imperial West Coast Red Rye IPA’ Specialty IPA (4 Pines, NSW) NEW
42 ‘Praline’ Belgian Specialty Ale (La Sirène, VIC) GABS (2014)
43 ‘Return of the Dread’ Foreign Extra Stout (Little Creatures, WA) NEW
44 ‘Roger Ramjet 2015 (Bourbon Aged)’ Russian Imperial Stout (Boatrocker, VIC) NEW
45 ‘IPA’ American-style IPA (Hawkers, VIC) NEW
46 ‘Tusk 2015’ American-style IPA (Feral, WA) NEW
47 ‘IPA’ American-style IPA (Little Creatures, WA)
48 ‘Australian Pale Ale’ (4 Pines, NSW) NEW
49 ‘Fred’ American-style IPA (Murray’s, NSW)
50 ‘Growler’ American-style Brown Ale (2 Brothers, VIC)
51 ‘Fancy Pants’ American-style Amber Ale (Mountain Goat, VIC)
52 ‘Windjammer’ American-style IPA (Green Beacon, QLD)
53 ‘Pale Ale’ American-style Pale Ale (Hawkers, VIC) NEW
54 ‘Watermelon Warhead’ Berliner Weisse (Feral, WA) GABS (2012)
55 ‘Californicator’ American-style IPA (Big Shed, SA) NEW
56 ‘Pale Ale’ Australian-style Pale Ale (Kosciuszko, NSW)
57 ‘Citrus IPA’ Specialty IPA (4 Pines, NSW) NEW
58 ‘Golden Ale’ Blonde/Golden Ale (Two Birds, VIC)
59 ‘Temptress’ Porter (Holgate, VIC)
60 ‘Pale Ale’ American-style Pale Ale (Hawthorn, VIC)
61 ‘Calypso’ American-style Pale Ale (Odyssey, VIC)
62 ‘Two to The Valley’ American-style IPA (Newstead, QLD)
63 ‘F-Yeah’ American-style Pale Ale (Big Shed, SA)
64 ‘Kung Foo’ Pale Lager (2 Brothers, VIC)
65 ‘Garden Ale’ Australian-style Pale Ale (Stone & Wood, NSW)
66 ‘Pale Ale’ Belgian Pale Ale (White Rabbit, VIC)
67 ‘Sunset Ale’ American-style Amber Ale (Two Birds, VIC)
68 ‘Dark Red IPA’ Specialty IPA (Six String, NSW)
69 ‘Atomic Pale Ale’ American-style Pale Ale (Gage Roads, WA)
70 ‘Angry Man Pale Ale’ American-style Pale Ale (Murray’s, NSW)
71 ‘Winston’ American-style Pale Ale (Shenanigans, NSW)
72 ‘Hopsmith’ American-style IPA (Akasha, NSW) NEW
73 ‘Clout Stout 2015’ Russian Imperial Stout (Nail, WA) NEW
74 ‘Grizz’ American-style Amber Ale (2 Brothers, VIC)
75 ‘#010 West Coast IPA’ American-style IPA (Exit, VIC) NEW
76 ‘Draught’ Kölsch (Colonial, WA)
77 ‘IPA’ American-style IPA (Mornington Peninsula, VIC)
78 ‘ESB’ Extra Special Bitter (4 Pines, NSW)
79 ‘Yenda Pale Ale’ Australian-style Pale Ale (Australian Beer Co, NSW)
80 ‘Rogers’ American-style Amber Ale (Little Creatures, WA)
81 ‘Splice of Heaven’ Specialty IPA (Moon Dog, VIC) NEW
82 ‘West Coast IPA’ American-style IPA (Batch, NSW)
83 ‘Vanilla Milk Stout’ Sweet Stout (Thirsty Crow, NSW)
84 ‘Barrel Breed Barley Wine’ UK-style Barleywine (Mountain Goat, VIC) NEW
85 ‘Bling’ American-style IPA (Bridge Road, VIC)
86 ‘The Fox’ Vienna-style Lager (Rabbit & Spaghetti, SA) NEW
87 ‘Session Ale’ Australian-style Pale Ale (Mismatch, SA)
88 ‘Crankshaft’ American-style IPA (BentSpoke, ACT)
89 ‘Pale Ale’ American-style Pale Ale (Mornington Peninsula, VIC)
90 ‘28’ American-style Pale Ale (Burleigh, QLD)
91 ‘3 Quarter Time’ Australian-style Pale Ale (Newstead, QLD)
92 ‘White Ale’ Witbier (White Rabbit, VIC)
93 ‘Sly Fox’ American-style Pale Ale (Feral, WA)
94 ‘ESB’ Extra Special Bitter (Hargreaves Hill, VIC)
95 ‘55’ American-style Pale Ale (3 Ravens, VIC)
96 ‘Metamorphosis’ American-style IPA (KAIJU!, VIC)
97 ‘Sparkling Ale’ Australian-style Pale Ale (Coopers, SA)
98 ‘Zoo Feeder’ American-style IPA (Modus Operandi, NSW)
99 ‘Hopped Out Red’ American-style Amber Ale (KAIJU!, VIC)
100 ‘Hazelnut Brown’ UK-style Brown Ale (Bad Shepherd, VIC) NEW
NEW – First released in 2015
GABS– A ‘Festival Beer’ made especially for a previous GABS festival