We Got Our Hands On The GABS Beer Fest Limited Edition Six-Pack And We Have Thoughts
Every year, craft beer lovers around Australia patiently wait for that special time of year when GABS Craft Beer & Cider Festival comes back into town.
Usually around this time, the GABS festival would be showing up with representatives from many leading breweries around Australia and New Zealand, who would be showcasing their crowd favourites and brand new brews.
This year that experience has been pushed back to later in the year (for obvious reasons), but they HAVE compensated by still releasing their much coveted limited edition six-pack with five of the most unique beers I’d ever heard of, to be honest.
With flavours like Salt And Vinegar Sour and Salted Caramel Popcorn Ale, this six pack is absolutely worth trying yourself for the fun of it. But I’m a bit of a craft beer snob, so I thought I’d give them a go and let you know what I thought.
Fair note though, I’m all about my IPAs and never about dark beers because they always taste like coffee, and coffee tastes like arse.
Lost In The Fog Hazy XPA – Modus Operandi Brewing Co (NSW)
This was absolutely my clear winner. I did warn you that I’m all about IPAs and pretty much all hoppy beers, so this probably isn’t a surprise. Definitely had a bit of a tropical taste to it as well. In short, 10 out of 10, and the only one I could finish.
Sambo Salt And Vinegar Sour – Your Mates Brewing Co (QLD)
I know that it literally says it on the tin, but I was not prepared for how exactly like salt and vinegar chippies this beer tastes. Right down to that feeling of vinegar shooting right up the back of your nostril and making you squint.
Popcorn-ucopia Salted Caramel Popcorn Ale – Bright Brewery (VIC)
This one is an amber ale variety, but my god you get that burnt caramel taste coming through strong at the start of your sip. The after taste is quite bitter. My friend made the super professional and specific note that it tastes like Bertie Botts Every Flavour Beens popcorn flavour, so make of that what you will.
Strawberries & Cream Milkshake IPA – One Drop Brewing Co (NSW)
What I appreciate most about this brew is that it’s vegan, what I didn’t enjoy was that it was quite flat and not very hoppy — basically not what I would have expected from an IPA. But it was DEFINITELY strawberries and cream, kind of like drinking a melted down version of those hard candies.
Mega Golden Stout Time – Big Shed Brewing Concern (SA)
Never before in my life have I drunk a beer that was just absolutely Golden Gaytime flavoured. This for sure tastes like the ice cream, which I dig, but the after tastes is all stout — which as I’ve mentioned tastes like coffee to me and coffee tastes like arse so for that reason I didn’t finish it. However if you like dark beers you’ll love this.
Where to score one
Firstly, I know I reviewed five beers, but you get two of the stout, I can count. This magical six pack is somewhat like a circus — you’re a little disturbed but you also just have to know what it’s like. Also the bottles and cans are cool, if you like collecting those types of things.
The six-pack is available form today in limited numbers from Dan Murphy’s. Happy Fri-yay!
(Lead Image: Provided / GABS Festival)
