Australia has voted for its favourite craft beer of 2021, in the latest Great Australian Beer SpecTAPular (GABS), welcoming back Bentspoke’s triumphant Crankshaft American IPA.
After an anti-socialising pandemic and the latest viral strain made for a challenging festive season for craft breweries, organisers were thrilled to welcome a record number of voter registrations for this year’s poll, and 55 pubs hosting live countdown celebrations around the country.
The GABS Hottest 100 reveals the trends, brands and breweries shaping craft beer, described by Australian Brews News as “on par with the Melbourne Cup” and even taking bets on Sportsbet.
Each beer-loving voter is set the daunting task of selecting their five favourite craft brews of the year.
This year garnered a whopping 2, 238 different beers nominated, from 281 breweries. A record 58 breweries made the list for 2021.
The result was the closest finish in GABS’ history, crowning BentSpoke’s Crankshaft #1 for the second year in a row, marking the brewer’s fifth year on the podium.
Two-time winner (2017, 2018), the Gold Coast’s Balter XPA, claimed second again, joined on the podium by Your Mates from the Sunshine Coast, with their Australian Pale Ale, Larry.
Craft beer continues to be the only beer sector in growth, reflected in 37 new brews making their debut on a list dominated by pale, hazy and hop-driven ales.
There is a continued move by craft breweries to attract mainstream beer drinkers, seen in the number of high quality, easy-drinking gateway lagers in the line-up.
The low-no alcohol category continues its market penetration, bringing a Top20 result for Heaps Normal’s Quiet XPA (debuting at #20) and Sobah Beverages’ zero alcohol Pepperberry IPA, coming in at #69.
Low-carb beer performed even better, finding a Top10 result for Inspired Unemployed’s Better Beer Zero Carb, at #6, as well as Burleigh Brewing Co’s Bighead No-carb Lager, at #57.
The GABS list also continues to attract one-off, experimental and ‘Fun’ brews, now counting Little Bang’s Face Invertor Sour, Ballistic’s Mexican Hot Chocolate Stout and Bad Shepard’s big Peanut Butter Porter.
While Canberra firmly consolidated its position as the craft beer capital for 2021, Bentspoke’s neighbour Capital Brewing also grabbing two spots in the Top10, the perpetual ‘battle between the states’ this year was won by Queensland, hosting 30 of the winning breweries, ahead of Victoria with 22, NSW with 20, ACT with 12, and both SA and WA claiming eight brewers.
The BentSpoke BrewPub opened in 2014, and by 2016 had grown to launch a full-scale production facility. GABS caps another great year for the Canberra business, with another five slots (at #1, #12, #41, #45, #91) adding to a swag of prizes taken in 2021, including at the International Brewing Awards in the UK and the Australian International Beer Awards.
“Last year was an amazing feeling to see Crankshaft, one of our original BrewPub beers make it to the top of the podium, so to see it win that top spot back-to-back is such a special and exciting thing for Tracy, myself and the whole BentSpoke team,” says Richard Watkins, head brewer and co-founder.
“Our goal is to produce a quality product whether at the BrewPub or at the cannery every day, experimenting, and trying new things to bring the people who love our beer a great tasting quality product,” adds Tracy Margrain, fellow head brewer and co-founder.
“It’s what defines us and pushes us to do our best every year.”
“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,” furthers GABS Festival MD, Mike Bray.
“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.”
Full results for 2021 HERE.
