No.1 GABS Hottest 100 2016, Stone & Wood Pacific Ale

If the GABS Hottest 100 Aussie Craft Beers poll is the finger on the pulse of Australian beer drinking tastes, then 2016 was the year of Pale Ales and India Pale Ales (IPAs) using American hops, and the victorious return of beer in cans.

The GABS Hottest 100 Aussie Craft Beers poll saw thousands of beer fans around the country vote for their five favourite Australian craft beers of the year and then enjoy the live countdown on Australia Day.

With more votes receivedthan ever before in the poll’s nine-year history, as well as more than 1600 beers for fans to vote for, the booming popularity of craft beer in Australia shows no signs of abating.

An impressive 21 new beers made the list this year, including Australian International Beer Awards 2016 Champion Beer ‘Little Dove’ from Western Australia’s Gage Roads Brewing Co, ‘Sonic Prayer’ and ‘Modus Pale’ from Modus Operandi on Sydney’s Northern Beaches, two versions of the highly regarded ‘Ramjet’ wood-aged beer from Melbourne’s Boatrocker Brewing Co, and an outstanding 55th placing for ‘KAIJU KRUSH!’ from the colourful Victorian brewery, after only releasing the beer in December 2016.

Taking the title of GABS Hottest Aussie Craft Beer of 2016 is Stone & Wood Brewing Co’s ‘Pacific Ale’, making it back-to-back honours for the Byron Bay brewery, and their third win overall. Moving from third into second place this year is Pirate Life Brewing’s 8.8% ABV ‘Double IPA’, the Adelaide brewery knocking Western Australia’s Feral Brewing into third with their perennial favourite ‘Hop Hog American Pale Ale.

But the big story is Gold Coast’s Balter Brewing. Part-owned by world champion surfer Mick Fanning, Joel Parkinson, Josh Kerr and Bede Durbidge, the brewery’s ‘XPA’ American Pale Ale made an impressive fourth place debut on the list.

Here is the full list:

1. ‘Pacific Ale’ Australian Pale Ale (Stone & Wood, NSW)
2. ‘IIPA’ American Double IPA (Pirate Life, SA)
3. ‘Hop Hog’ American Pale Ale (Feral, WA)
4. ‘XPA’ American Pale Ale (Balter, QLD)
5. ‘IPA’ American IPA (Pirate Life, SA)
6. ‘Little Dove’ American Pale Ale (Gage Roads, WA)
7. ‘Pale Ale’ American Pale Ale (Pirate Life, SA)
8. ‘Crankshaft’ American IPA (BentSpoke, ACT)
9. ‘Former Tenant’ American IPA (Modus Operandi, NSW)
10. ‘Pale Ale’ American Pale Ale (4 Pines, NSW)
11. ‘IPA’ American IPA (Fixation, NSW)
12. ‘War Hog’ American IPA (Feral, WA)
13. ‘Beechworth Pale Ale’ American Pale Ale (Bridge Road, VIC)
14. ‘150 Lashes’ Australian Pale Ale (James Squire, NSW)
15. ‘Pale Ale’ American Pale Ale (Little Creatures, WA/VIC)
16. ‘Newtowner’ Australian Pale Ale (Young Henry’s, NSW)
17. ‘Indian Summer Ale’ Australian Pale Ale (4 Pines, NSW)
18. ‘Kolsch’ Kölsch (4 Pines, NSW)
19. ‘Barley Griffin’ Australian Pale Ale (BentSpoke, ACT)
20. ‘Throwback’ Specialty IPA (Pirate Life, SA)
21. ‘Sonic Prayer’ American IPA (Modus Operandi, NSW)
22. ’Taco’ Specialty Beer (Two Birds, VIC) GABS
23. ‘India Red Ale’ American IPA (Prancing Pony, SA)
24. ‘Golden Stout Time’ Sweet Stout (Big Shed, SA) GABS
25. ‘Korben D.’ American Double IPA (Akasha, NSW)
26. ‘Single Fin’ Blonde/Golden Ale (Gage Roads, WA)
27. ‘Three Sheets’ Australian Pale Ale (Lord Nelson, NSW)
28. ‘Cloud Catcher’ Australian Pale Ale (Stone & Wood, NSW)
29. ‘Karma Citra’ Black IPA (Feral, WA) GABS
30. ‘Atomic’ American Pale Ale (Gage Roads, WA)
31. ‘Coffee Ramjet 2016’ Wood-Aged Beer (Boatrocker, VIC)
32. ‘Tusk – Nov 2016’ Specialty IPA (Feral, WA)
33. ‘Red’ American Amber Ale (Nail, WA)
34. ‘Ramjet 2016’ Wood-Aged Beer (Boatrocker, VIC)
35. ‘Dark Ale’ Dark Mild (White Rabbit, VIC)
36. ‘Summer Ale’ Australian Pale Ale (Mountain Goat, VIC)
37. ‘Wild Yak’ Australian Pale Ale (Yak Ales, VIC)
38. ‘Steam Ale’ California Common (Mountain Goat, VIC)
39. ‘Kosciuszko Pale Ale’ Australian Pale Ale (Kosciuszko, NSW)
40. ‘Grizz’ American Amber Ale (2 Brothers, VIC)
41. ‘Small Ale’ Specialty IPA (Colonial, WA/VIC)
42. ‘Dog Days’ American Wheat (Little Creatures, VIC)
43. ‘Footscray Ale’ Australian Pale Ale (West City, VIC)
44. ‘Spearhead’ Australian Pale Ale (Cricketers Arms, VIC)
45. ‘Vanilla Milk Stout’ Sweet Stout (Thirsty Crow, NSW)
46. ‘Modus Pale’ American Pale Ale (Modus Operandi, NSW)
47. ‘Furphy’ Kölsch (Little Creatures, VIC)
48. ‘Amber Ale’ American Amber Ale (4 Pines, NSW)
49. ‘VPA’ American Pale Ale (Nail, WA)
50. ‘Californicator’ American IPA (Big Shed, SA)
51. ‘Freshie Salt & Pepper’ Gose (Nomad, NSW)
52. ‘Mt Tennent’ American Pale Ale (Pact, ACT)
53. ‘Fat Yak’ American Pale Ale (Yak Ales, VIC)
54. ‘Kung Foo’ Pale Lager (2 Brothers, VIC)
55. ‘KRUSH!’ American Pale Ale (KAIJU!, VIC)
56. ‘Windjammer’ American IPA (Green Beacon, QLD)
57. ‘Reginald’ American IPA (Blackman’s, VIC)
58. ‘Pale Ale’ American Pale Ale (Hawkers, VIC)
59. ‘Session Ale’ Australian Pale Ale (Mismatch, SA)
60. ‘Calypso’ American Pale Ale (Odyssey, VIC)
61. ‘8BiT’ American IPA (Stockade, NSW)
62. ‘Hop Thief 8’ American Pale Ale (James Squire, NSW)
63. ‘The Chop’ American IPA (Hop Nation, VIC)
64. ‘Sunset Ale’ American Amber Ale (Two Birds, VIC)
65. ‘IPA’ American IPA (Little Creatures, WA/VIC)
66. ‘Rogers’ American Amber Ale (Little Creatures, WA/VIC)
67. ‘Watermelon Warhead’ Berliner Weisse (Feral, WA) GABS
68. ‘Hop Culture’ American IPA (Mornington Peninsula, VIC)
69. ‘Miss Pinky’ Soured Fruit Beer (Boatrocker, VIC)
70. ‘Bright Ale’ Blonde/Golden Ale (Little Creatures, WA/VIC)
71. ‘Sly Fox’ American Pale Ale (Feral, WA)
72. ‘Hop Thief 7’ American Pale Ale (James Squire, NSW)
73. ‘Praline’ Belgian Specialty Ale (La Sirène, VIC)
74. ‘Copy Cat’ American IPA (Mash, WA)
75. ‘Elsie The Milk Stout’ Sweet Stout (Batch, NSW)
76. ‘Fancy Pants’ American Amber Ale (Mountain Goat, VIC)
77. ‘The Fox’ Vienna-style Lager (Rabbit & Spaghetti, SA)
78. ‘Growler’ American Brown Ale (2 Brothers, VIC)
79. ‘IPA’ American IPA (Hawkers, VIC)
80. ‘Peanut Brittle’ Gose (Bacchus, QLD)
81. ‘Rare Breed: Pulped Fiction’ Double IPA (Mountain Goat, VIC)
82. ‘Yenda Pale Ale’ Australian Pale Ale (Australian Beer Co, NSW)
83. ‘Garden Ale’ Australian Pale Ale (Stone & Wood, NSW)
84. ‘Hazelnut Brown’ English Brown Ale (Bad Shepherd, VIC)
85. ‘Bling Bling’ Double IPA (Bridge Road, VIC)
86. ‘Beach Ale’ Blonde Ale (Odyssey, VIC)
87. ‘Pale Ale’ American Pale Ale (Mornington Peninsula, VIC)
88. ‘Fred’ American IPA (Murray’s, NSW)
89. ‘Imperial IPA’ Specialty IPA (4 Pines, NSW)
90. ‘F-Yeah’ American Pale Ale (Big Shed, SA)
91. ‘Session IPA’ American IPA (Modus Operandi, NSW)
92. ‘Bling’ American IPA (Bridge Road, VIC)
93. ‘Project #22: Bert’ Australian Pale Ale (Colonial, WA)
94. ‘Sourpuss’ Berliner Weisse (Wayward, NSW)
95. ‘B.F.H. (Barrel Fermented Hog)’ American IPA (Feral, WA)
96. ‘28’ American Pale Ale (Burleigh, QLD)
97. ‘Thanks Captain Obvious’ American IPA (BrewCult, VIC)
98. ‘ALT Brown American Brown Ale (Balter, QLD)
99. ‘The Chancer’ Blonde/Golden Ale (James Squire, NSW)
100. ‘Hopsmith’ American IPA (Akasha, NSW)