gabs_official_guide_2015

MODERATELY CHALLENGING
Style: Specialty IPA Character: Hoppy
ABV: 7.2% Festival Glass: 4 tokens
GOLDEN BEAR BREWERY New Zealand
48 Underbelly
Made with lots of roasted wheat and pale malt, this
deep dark red ale has had blackcurrants added,
which give a distinctive resinous quality and
unique flavour.
MODERATELY CHALLENGING
Style: Fruit Beer Character: Fruity/Spicy
ABV: 6% Festival Glass: 3 tokens
GOLDEN EAGLE BREWERY New Zealand
49 Four Saisons – Marilyn
This Saison is dark, spicy, smokey and orange.
MODERATELY CHALLENGING
Style: Saison Character: Fruity/Spicy
ABV: 8.5% Festival Glass: 4 tokens
GRAND RIDGE BREWERY VIC
50 Grand Ridge IPA
Barrel aged IPA with real balance. Expect great
length along with robust hop character.
MODERATELY CHALLENGING
Style: IPA (American) Character: Hoppy
ABV: 5% Festival Glass: 3 tokens
GREEN BEACON BREWING CO QLD
51 Cherry Oak Stout
This has been aged in oak barrels that once
housed luscious, full-bodied Spanish Tempranillo
and the addition of sour cherries has added a
further dimension of complexity. Flavours include
chocolate, coffee, vanilla, roasted grains, dark
fruits, toasted coconut and subtle cherry.
MODERATELY CHALLENGING
Style: Foreign Extra Stout Character: Roasty
ABV: 5.5% Festival Glass: 3 tokens
HAWKERS BEER VIC
52 Imperial Red
This is their Red Ale’s bigger brother, showcasing
layered hop flavour and aroma from Australian and
American varieties added throughout the brewing
and maturation process. A big but balanced beer.
MODERATELY CHALLENGING
Style: Specialty IPA Character: Hoppy
ABV: 7.6% Festival Glass: 4 tokens
HAWTHORN BREWING VIC
53 Red Rye Hand
A red coloured Rye Ale balancing a variety of
caramel malts, spicy rye and a big whack of
American hops.
MODERATELY CHALLENGING
Style: Amber Ale (USA) Character: Hoppy
ABV: 5.2% Festival Glass: 3 tokens
HOLGATE BREWHOUSE VIC
54 Red Riding Wood
A barrel fermented Red Saison using mixed
fermentation and locally sourced Pinot Noir barrels.
MODERATELY CHALLENGING
Style: Saison Character: Tart/Funky
ABV: 5.5% Festival Glass: 3 tokens
HOMESTEAD BREWERY WA
55 Velvet
A black cherry sour beer that is a bittersweet
symphony of sour cherries, stewed fruits and
cinnamon spice with undertones of dark chocolate
and high notes of vanilla and cacao. This sexy
incarnation of a Cherry Ripe is velvety smooth and
displays a complexity that is a joy to decipher.
MORE CHALLENGING
Style: Mixed-Fermentation Sour Beer
Character: Tart/Funky
ABV: 9.8% Festival Glass: 4 tokens
HOPDOG BEERWORKS NSW
56 Taxidermied Pachyderm
Barrel aged Belgian India Rye Brown Ale,
pentagonally hopped.
MODERATELY CHALLENGING
Style: Belgian Specialty Ale Character: Fruity/Spicy
ABV: 6.5% Festival Glass: 3 tokens
HOT WATER BREWING CO New Zealand
57 Partywave
A big bold IPA combining all the New Zealand
hops from the brewery’s Kauri Falls Pale Ale with
all the American hops from their About Time IPA.
MODERATELY CHALLENGING
Style: Specialty IPA Character: Hoppy
ABV: 7.5% Festival Glass: 4 tokens
INDIAN OCEAN BREWING WA
58 Mumme
A traditional style of beer originally from
Düsseldorf. 'Alt' refers to the 'old' style of brewing
(i.e. making top-fermented ales) that was common
before lager brewing became popular. A well
balanced, bitter yet malty, clean, smooth, wellattenuated
amber-coloured German-style ale.
MODERATELY CHALLENGING
Style: Altbier Character: Crisp
ABV: 5.6% Festival Glass: 3 tokens
INVERCARGILL BREWERY New Zealand
59 Cumulonimbus
A traditional wheat-based ale originating in
Southern Germany with a unique banana and
clove yeast character. This version is pale straw
in colour with a fluffy head and a fruity and a
floral nose.
EASIER DRINKING
Style: Weizen/Weissbier Character: Fruity/Spicy
ABV: 5.6% Festival Glass: 3 tokens
JAMES SQUIRE NSW
60 Brewers 2050
This distinctive black lager presents like a Porter
yet has subtle aromas of tropical and herbaceous
notes delivered by the combination of Nelson
Sauvin and Enigma hops and a flavour that is
subtle roasted coffee with a clean, crisp finish.
EASIER DRINKING
Style: Schwarzbier Character: Roasty
ABV: 5.4% Festival Glass: 3 tokens
CONTAINER B SECTION 4
KAIJU! BEER VIC
61 Betelgeuse
American Amber Ales are like American Pale Ales
but with more body, more caramel richness, and
a balance more towards malt than hops (although
hop rates can be significant, like in this one).
Expect an enormous and delicious beer.
MORE CHALLENGING
Style: Amber Ale (USA) Character: Hoppy
ABV: 10% Festival Glass: 4 tokens
KEVIN HINGSTON – CHAMPION
62 HOMEBREWER
ACT
Membrillo Hefeweizen
This homebrewing champ has, thanks to
Blackhorse Brewhouse, blended the traditional
banana and clove character of a Hefeweizen with
the subtle quince paste flavours of apple and pear
to take it to tasty new places.
MODERATELY CHALLENGING
Style: Hefeweizen Character: Fruity/Spicy
ABV: 5% Festival Glass: 3 tokens
KOOINDA BOUTIQUE BREWERY VIC
63 Let Us Tell You About Taylor
This is an American Brown Ale with “added
ingredients”! Expect a strongly flavoured, hoppy
brown beer, which is related to American Pale and
American Amber Ales although with more of a
caramel and chocolate character.
MODERATELY CHALLENGING
Style: Brown Ale (USA) Character: Hoppy
ABV: 6% Festival Glass: 3 tokens
LA SIRÈNE BREWING VIC
64 Bébé Rouge
The follow up to their Belgian Praline Ale which
won last year’s People’s Choice Best GABS Festival
Beer, this encompasses a Belgian style Red Ale
with an abundance of vibrant red berries to give a
refreshingly zesty beer with a kiss of tartness - a
modern approach to a very famous style.
EASIER DRINKING
Style: Fruit Beer Character: Fruity/Spicy
ABV: 4.5% Festival Glass: 3 tokens
LIBERTY BREWING CO New Zealand
65 Inde Saison Pâle
Saisons were traditionally brewed in winter and
consumed throughout summer. This new age
version features imported and local hops which,
when used with the traditional French yeast,
produces a funky, tart refreshing ale with accents
of grapefruit, lemon, coconuts and spice.
MODERATELY CHALLENGING
Style: Saison Character: Fruity/Spicy
ABV: 7% Festival Glass: 4 tokens
gabsfestival.com.au THE GREAT AUSTRALASIAN BEER SPECTAPULAR 2015 35