BREW LORDS
Local brewers are working overtime on new recipes to showcase our best ales
Caribbean Haze
With added Mount Gay Black Barrel Rum, coconut, mango and pineapple this New England-style IPA is a Caribbean jam of fresh fruits and a hint of creamy vanilla oak barrel to finish. GOLD Coast brewers have been burning the midnight oil conjuring up something special for the inaugural Great Australian Beer Spectacular (GABS) in Brisbane later this month.
The festival which features craft beers and ciders from across the country and across the ditch, is a celebration of brewing and will feature more than 120 unique brews being developed just for sale at GABS.
Gold Coast craft brands Burleigh Brewing, Balter, Black Hops and Currumbin Valley Brewing are among brewers working frantically to come up with something out of the ordinary.
Each has been asked to develop a brew which will impress the crowds at the Brisbane Convention and Ex
Grape Bubblegum Sour
The taste of your chewy childhoods, this is your grown up version. Puckering sour beer, but big bubbles and no troubles. hibition Centre on
April 27.
And judging by the names of the brews, the Coast representatives have more than risen to the challenge.
From Burleigh Brewing comes Burleigh Dragon Fruit Brut, Balter is serving up Double Hazy IPA, Black Hops is brewing Caribbean Haze (collaborating with Mount Gay Rum) and newcomers Currumbin Valley Brewing are offering Grape Bubblegum Sour.
For Luke Ronalds from Currumbin Valley, the opportunity to be part of such a huge beer festival is great exposure.
“This is our first time at GABS so it’s a chance to impress and get our name out there,” Mr Ronalds said.
“We have just moved into our premises in the Currumbin Valley (we were formerly Gypsy Brewing) and for GABS, Saturday, our Grape Bubblegum Sour is inspired by grape Hubba Bubba gum with a mouthpuckering sourness.
“There seems to be a growing section of the craft market developing sour beer and we hope ours will hit the mark.”
Brennan Fielding from Burleigh Brewing has taken an exotic path with Burleigh Dragon Fruit Brut – a dry, crisp beer which is pink in colour.
Burleigh Dragon Fruit Brut
If you’ve never seen a dragon fruit, it looks kind of like a dragon egg (they exist right?) and the red ones used here give the beer colours of French champagne. This is dry and fragrant
“I have always wanted to make a champagne-style beer – the brut term reflects a dry, clean style of the wine. I wanted to make the brew crisp and easy drinking and also have a reddish colour to it, like a wine,” Mr Fielding said.
“By using dragon fruit, I was able to get a pinkish colour and with the fruit being fairly neutral, it didn’t impact on the flavour and nature of the beer.
“We have been involved with GABS since it first started up down south but are looking forward to the inaugural event in Brisbane.”
Answering the GABS challenge saw Black Hops Brewing’s Michael ‘Govs’ McGovern come up with Caribbean Haze, an IPA which will take the drinker to the Caribbean (or so he hopes).
“This is a hazy IPA which incorporates a rum element
Double Hazy IPA
A bigger, juicier version of the normal Hazy, dry, spice and with plenty of character in an imperial style of brew – fit for a king or the simple commoner. thanks to Mount Gay rum and the result is a fruity IPA which provides a bit of an inner glow,” Mr McGovern said.
“There’s a strong fruit flavour with pineapple, mango and a hint of coconut coming through initially – with a warming rum aftertaste at the back end of the mouthful.
“It’s bold but versatile – suited to sitting on a beach in the Bahamas or warming yourself up from the cold in Melbourne.”
This will be Black Hops’ fifth appearance at GABS.
For Balter Brewing’s Scott Hargrave, the festival provides the perfect opportunity to unleash his Double Hazy IPA on eager beer drinkers.
It will be Balter’s fourth appearance at the festival but Mr Hargrave has been at them all and knows just how to impress.
“We have had great success with our Balter Hazy so this is a chance to really juice it up and create an IPA more in an imperial style,” he said.
“It will have plenty of body, it’s a little more spicy but still dry and cleansing and full of character.
“With so many beers on offer you have to come up with something that will stand out and this Double Hazy is full of flavour but be careful, it is also strong due to our brewing process to boost the flavour.
“I am really looking forward to seeing the reaction of drinkers at GABS.”
The Great Australian Beer Spectacular at the Brisbane Convention and Exhibition Centre on April 27 will have two sessions: 11.30am-4.30pm and 6.30pm-11.30pm.
FOR DETAILS VISIT, WWW.GABSFESTIVAL.COM.