The Great Australian Beer SpecTAPular

Mar 28, 2019

Renowned as one of the world’s leading beer festivals, GABS will bring together the best breweries from Australia and New Zealand in Sydney, Melbourne, Auckland and Brissie. The event also offers 170 unique craft beers and ciders that are made specifically for GABS.

Bacon, donuts, hemp flour, sake, rum, gin, Tim Tams, popcorn, agave, and even edible green ants are just some of the more exotic ingredients found among the many ‘Festival Beers & Ciders’ brewed especially for the 2019 edition of GABS Beer, Cider & Food Fest presented by Dan Murphy’s.

The GABS tour launches in Brisbane Convention & Exhibition Centre in the bustling South Bank precinct on Saturday, April 27, before moving on to the Royal Exhibition Building in Melbourne (May 17-19 ), Sydney Showground (June 1), and ASB Showgrounds in Auckland (June 29).

GABS Co-Founder Steve Jeffares said it was the right time to bring the iconic event to Queensland.

“For us, GABS has always been about sharing our love of craft beer and cider with as many people as possible, so bringing the festival experience to Brisbane has long been on the agenda. We’re thrilled to now be able to make this a reality, and can’t wait to showcase the booming craft beer scene to Queenslanders in true GABS style!”

“Every year we invite the industry to create something new for GABS, and every year we’re amazed by the creativity, quality, and diversity of styles we see represented. Certainly there are some quite out-there beers and ciders that grab the headlines, but you’ll also find breweries increasingly using the event to road test upcoming releases and showcase what they can do.”

Collaboration is a particular focus for this year’s festival, with many brewers pairing up with other food and drink brands to develop their GABS Collabs Festival Beers & Ciders, including coffee roasters, tea houses, gin and whisky distillers, biscuit makers and even an American BBQ smokehouse.

Many of those breweries and cideries also set up interactive stands at the festival as part of the Dan Murphy’s Marketplace, providing attendees with the chance to chat with the team behind the products as they sample from their ranges of core and limited-release beers and ciders.

While beer and cider are the stars of the show, GABS is perhaps just as well known for putting on a spectacular event, complete with circus and sideshow performers, panel discussions with industry leaders, cooking demonstrations, whisky bars, beer hall games, their incredibly popular ‘house band’ The Ale Capones, and even a giant indoor Ferris wheel at the Melbourne and Sydney events.

Some of the best local food trucks and vendors will also be serving up tasty treats at each event. In Melbourne, the new Yak Ales BBQ Heaven features an all-star lineup including Bluebonnet BBQ, Biggie Smalls and Leonard’s House of Love. Sydney punters can feast on dishes from Bovine & Swine, Happy As Larry Pizza, Chur Burger and Dirty Bird. Brisbane food trucks include King Of The Wings, Mac From Way Back, Netherworld’s Hellmouth Diner and more.

Tickets go on sale March 1. For further information, head to www.gabsfestival.com