Stone & Wood’s Pacific Ale has reclaimed victory and taken out the top spot in the GABS Hottest 100 for 2019.
The 12th year of the Australian craft beer poll saw 35,500 beer lovers place over 177,000 votes for their favourite craft beers of the year, nominating more than 2,500 beers from 290 breweries. The results were revealed in a live count down over the weekend and also celebrated at more than 60 official events in venues around the country.
Craig Williams, GABS Festival Event Director and organiser of the poll, described the intertwined history of the Hottest 100 and Stone & Wood Pacific Ale.
“In many ways the Hottest 100 has grown organically alongside the Australian craft beer industry, while holding a mirror to it at the same time. In its very early days, there might have been only 50 craft breweries in all of Australia. Today, voters could choose from more than 2,500 beers made by nearly 300 breweries. It’s quite remarkable how far craft beer has come in such a short time,” Williams said.
“And through it all, Pacific Ale has been the Hottest 100’s most outstanding performer, debuting at number 14 in the 2009 poll (under original moniker ‘Draught’), moving to number three in 2010 and has truly stood the test of time never straying from the podium since, including wins in 2011, 2015, 2016 and now 2019. To me, it’s a testament both to the beer’s quality and consistency, but importantly to the community and lifestyle they’ve built around the brand.”
Taking out silver on the podium was previous two-time winner Balter with their XPA. It was highly speculated that Balter’s sale to CUB in December would impact their ratings, however the brand was the most represented in the Hottest 100, with eight beers on the list including two in the top ten.
In third place for the third year in a row was Bentspoke’s IPA called Crankshaft, which was one of six Bentspoke beers in the list.
In terms of the styles that were most popular in the list, the New England or Hazy IPA continued to be a popular style, and alongside hop-driven pale ales and IPAs accounted for almost three quarters of the list. One of these was Feral’s Biggie Juice, who moved up 93 places from last year’s results, the biggest climber of the year.
Independent breweries were well represented in the poll, with 79 per cent of beers made by independently owned breweries. Across the whole list, 30 beers also made their Hottest 100 debut, 18 of which were brewed for the first time in 2019.
Judging by state, Queensland was the most awarded, claiming 29 spots on the list from 12 different breweries. This included the People’s Choice Award recipient of last year’s festival, the Grape Bubblegum Sour from Currumbin Valley Brewing that was first an exclusive festival beer.
Williams reflected on the list and said: “With everything we do, whether it’s our events or the Hottest 100, it’s about celebrating the craft beer industry and welcoming more people into the craft beer world. If the poll, and all the discussion around it, is successful in getting just a few more mainstream beer drinkers to think about all the other amazing options out there, then that’s a great thing.”
The full Hottest 100 is below, and can also be found on the GABS Festival website, along with sublists for the Hottest 100 New Craft Beers, Indie Craft Beers and the list from 101-200.
- Stone & Wood ‘Pacific Ale’ (Australian Pale Ale) NSW
- Balter ‘XPA’ (Pale Ale) QLD
- BentSpoke ‘Crankshaft’ (American IPA) ACT
- Young Henrys ‘Newtowner’ (Australian Pale Ale) NSW
- Your Mates ‘Larry’ (Australian Pale Ale) QLD
- Bridge Road ‘Beechworth Pale Ale’ (Australian Pale Ale) VIC
- Feral ‘Biggie Juice’ (New England IPA) WA
- Balter ‘Hazy’ (New England IPA) QLD
- KAIJU! ‘Krush! Tropical Pale Ale’ (Pale Ale) VIC
- Hop Nation ‘Jedi Juice’ (New England IPA) VIC
- Balter ‘IPA’ (American IPA) QLD
- BentSpoke ‘Barley Griffin’ (Australian Pale Ale) ACT
- Burleigh ‘Twisted Palm’ (Australian Pale Ale) QLD
- Black Hops ‘Pale Ale’ (Australian Pale Ale) QLD
- Gage Roads ‘Single Fin’ (Australian Pale Ale) WA
- Coopers ‘XPA’ (American Pale Ale) SA
- BentSpoke ‘Cluster 8’ (Imperial IPA) ACT
- Capital ‘Hang Loose Juice’ (New England IPA) ACT
- Coopers ‘Original Pale Ale’ (Australian Pale Ale) SA
- Balter ‘Captain Sensible’ (American Pale Ale) QLD
- Philter ‘XPA’ (Australian Pale Ale) NSW
- Black Hops ‘Hornet’ (American IPA) QLD
- Stone & Wood ‘Cloud Catcher’ (Australian Pale Ale) NSW
- 4 Pines ‘Pacific Ale’ (Australian Pale Ale) NSW
- Balter ‘Dazy’ (Double New England IPA) QLD
- Balter ‘Hazy DC’ (New England IPA) QLD
- 4 Pines ‘Pale Ale’ (American Pale Ale) NSW
- Modus Operandi ‘Sonic Prayer IPA’ (American IPA) NSW
- Colonial ‘Pale Ale’ (American Pale Ale) WA/VIC
- BentSpoke ‘Sprocket’ (American IPA) ACT
- Capital ‘Coast Ale’ (California Common) ACT
- James Squire ‘One Fifty Lashes’ (Australian Pale Ale) NSW
- Black Hops ‘Super Hornet’ (Imperial IPA) QLD
- Grifter ‘Serpents Kiss’ (Fruit Beer) NSW
- Moon Dog ‘Old Mate’ (American Pale Ale) VIC
- Grifter ‘Pale’ (Australian Pale Ale) NSW
- Furphy ‘Furphy Refreshing Ale’ (Kölsch) VIC
- Colonial ‘South West Sour’ (Hoppy Sour) WA/VIC
- Stomping Ground ‘Gipps St Pale Ale’ (American Pale Ale) VIC
- Your Mates ‘Sally’ (American IPA) QLD
- Coopers ‘Session Ale’ (Pale Ale) SA
- Brick Lane ‘One Love’ (Australian Pale Ale) VIC
- Coopers ‘Sparkling Ale’ (Australian Sparkling Ale) SA
- Dainton ‘Blood Orange Neripa’ (New England IPA) VIC
- Heads Of Noosa ‘Japanese Lager’ (Pale Lager) QLD
- Bondi Brewing ‘Beach Beer Bondi’ (Australian Pale Ale) NSW
- Ballistic ‘Oaked XPA’ (Pale Ale) QLD
- 10 Toes ‘Pipeline’ (Australian Pale Ale) QLD
- Feral ‘Imperial Biggie’ (Double New England IPA) WA
- Balter ‘IIPA’ (Imperial IPA) QLD
- Feral ‘Hop Hog’ (American Pale Ale) WA
- 10 Toes ‘Happy Days’ (American IPA) QLD
- Capital ‘Rock Hopper IPA’ (American IPA) ACT
- Little Creatures ‘Pale Ale’ (American Pale Ale) WA/VIC
- BentSpoke ‘Red Nut’ (Red IPA) ACT
- Young Henrys ‘Natural Lager’ (Kellerbier) NSW
- Modus Operandi ‘Former Tenant Red IPA’ (Red IPA) NSW
- Jetty Road ‘Pale Ale’ (American Pale Ale) VIC
- Mountain Goat ‘Goat’ (Hoppy Lager) VIC
- Moon Dog ‘Splice Of Heaven Pine-Lime’ (Milkshake IPA) VIC
- Big Shed ‘Boozy Fruit’ (New England IPA) SA
- Young Henrys ‘Motorcycle Oil’ (Porter) NSW
- Balter ‘Strong Pale Ale’ (American Pale Ale) QLD
- Colonial ‘IPA’ (Australian IPA) WA/VIC
- Wayward ‘Raspberry Berliner Weisse’ (Berliner Weisse) NSW
- Currumbin Valley ‘Grape Bubblegum Sour’ (Kettle Sour) QLD
- Capital ‘Trail Pale Ale’ (American Pale Ale) ACT
- Brick Lane ‘Base Lager’ (Helles Lager) VIC
- Stone & Wood ‘The Gatherer’ (American Wheat) NSW
- Fixation ‘Fixation IPA’ (American IPA) VIC
- Young Henrys ‘IPA’ (Australian IPA) NSW
- Thirsty Crow ‘Vanilla Milk Stout’ (Sweet Stout) NSW
- BentSpoke ‘How’s It Gosen?’ (Gose) ACT
- Bridge Road ‘Beachy XPA’ (Australian Pale Ale) VIC
- 10 Toes ‘Lager’ (Australian Pilsner) QLD
- Green Beacon ‘Wayfarer’ (Pale Ale) QLD
- Bondi Brewing ‘Bondi Draught’ (Australian Pilsner) NSW
- Capital ‘Big Drop Double IPA’ (Imperial IPA) ACT
- Your Mates ‘Macca’ (Helles Lager) QLD
- Brick Lane ‘Red Hoppy Ale’ (American Amber/Red) VIC
- Hemingway’s ‘7th Heaven Tropical Ale’ (Australian Pale Ale)
- Stone & Wood ‘Sticky Nectar’ (Milkshake IPA)
- Capital ‘Evil Eye Red IPA’ (Red IPA) ACT
- Burleigh ‘Bighead’ (Pale Lager) QLD
- Beerfarm ‘Asam Boi Gose’ (Gose) WA
- Black Hops ‘Caribbean Haze’ (New England IPA) QLD
- Hop Nation ‘Dreamfeed’ (New England IPA) VIC
- Nail ‘VPA’ (Pale Ale) WA
- Young Henrys ‘Stayer (mid)’ (Hoppy Lager) NSW
- Moon Dog ‘Beer Can’ (Hoppy Lager) VIC
- 4 Pines ‘Indian Summer Ale’ (American Pale Ale) NSW
- Akasha ‘Mosaic IPA’ (American IPA) NSW
- Green Beacon ‘Windjammer’ (American IPA) QLD
- Brouhaha ‘Strawberry Rhubarb Sour’ (Kettle Sour) QLD
- Akasha ‘Korben D. Double IPA’ (Imperial IPA) NSW
- Mountain Goat ‘Summer Ale’ (Blonde Ale) VIC
- Bridge Road ‘Bling IPA’ (American IPA) VIC
- Range / Mr Banks / Mr West ‘Participation Award’ (Double New England IPA) QLD
- Your Mates ‘Donnie’ (Porter) QLD
- Batch ‘Pash The Magic Dragon’ (Kettle Sour) NSW
