While millions of Aussie music fans tuned into the Triple J’s Hottest 100 over the weekend, beer connoisseurs kept their eyes peeled for the results of another countdown altogether: the GABS Hottest 100 Craft Beer vote. GABS stands for 'Great Australasian Beer SpecTAPular' – and if you’ve tasted a fair few funky froffs at the organisation’s epic annual beer festival over the years, you’ll know these folks are serious about celebrating great breweries. Back for its seventeenth year, the Hottest 100 Craft Beer poll calls on drinkers to vote for their fave Aussie tinnie, and the results are in. So did your go-to pour make the list?
For the second year in a row, first place has gone to Mountain Culture Beer Co’s much loved Status Quo Pale Ale, which outranked 1,877 different beers. For the 2024 edition, tens of thousands of Australians voted for their favourite five craft beers from 436 breweries across the country, with the Blue Mountains-based brewery’s Status Quo Pale Ale coming out as a clear winner. Second place this year went to Balter Brewing’s XPA, and third place was awarded to Canberra’s much-loved BentSpoke Crankshaft IPA.
Bridge Road Brewers was the highest-ranked Victorian brewery to make the list, coming in at fifth place with its pale ale, while several other local breweries such as Fixation Brewing, Moon Dog, Stomping Ground and Bright Brewery also ranked in the Hottest 100. All up, 22 of the 63 breweries were Victorian, with New South Wales-based breweries taking out the most spots in the countdown.
Thirsty for more? Check out the full list of winners here.