The Hottest 100 Craft Beers Countdown Is The Only One That Matters

Each year, the GABS Festival Hottest 100 craft beer countdown serves as Australia’s biggest and most authoritative ranking of craft beer, picking apart the frenetic scene to help dial in the best and block out the rest. Australia’s still teeming with new craft beer releases almost every week, so having something like this to somewhat act as a guide is always a good way to put some crackers on your radar for the year to come. Although the overall winner of the Hottest 100 craft beers countdown for 2021 – the BentSpoke Brewing Crankshaft IPA – hasn’t budged from its position since last year, there’s been plenty of movement, and a boatload of new entries to spice things up for craft beer enthusiasts who are after something new.

If anything, the list indicates a surprising shake-up of the industry as the craft beer crown moves away from Melbourne and finds itself in our nation’s capital. Canberra has been a strong presence on the Hottest 100 craft beers countdown for a while now, but now with 12 ACT beers cracking the top 100, it may be time to admit that we have a new craft beer capital. Even if the state doesn’t have anywhere near the number of breweries as Melbourne, it’s clear the ones that do call ACT home are heads and tails ahead of the competition right now.

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A record 58 breweries made the list this year, with 37 brews making their debut including Heaps Normal’s Quiet XPA. The non-alcoholic beer just cracked the Top 20, which is a small but clear indicator that the low-to-no alcohol beer movement is gaining traction in the industry. Another zero alcohol option in the Hottest 100 craft beer countdown is Sobah Beverages’ Pepperberry IPA at #69, and there were a few from the low carb category, including the list’s highest debut – Better Beer Zero Carb from the Inspired Unemployed boys sitting at #6.

See below for the full list of the Tin Diesels that most impressed the panel of expert GABS beer drinkers. And remember, if you want someone to curate the best for you and deliver them straight to your door, you should get across our round-up of the best beer subscription services in the country.

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GABS Festival Hottest 100 Craft Beers (2021)

1. BentSpoke Brewing Co – Crankshaft
2. Balter Brewing – Balter XPA
3. Your Mates Brewing Co – Larry
4. Stone & Wood Brewing Co – Pacific Ale
5. Black Hops Brewery – G.O.A.T.
6. Better Beer – Better Beer Zero Carb (Debut)
7. Capital Brewing Co – Capital XPA
8. Ballistic Beer Co – Hawaiian Haze
9. Capital Brewing Co – Coast Ale
10. Young Henrys – Newtowner
11. Coopers Brewery – Original Pale Ale
12. BentSpoke Brewing Co – Barley Griffin
13. Balter Brewing – Hazy
14. Bridge Road Brewers – Beechworth Pale Ale
15. Beerfarm Metricup – Royal Haze
16. Pirate Life Brewing – South Coast Pale Ale
17. Gage Roads Brewing Co – Single Fin
18. KAIJI! Beer – KRUSH! Tropical Pale Ale
19. Black Hops Brewing – East Coast Haze (Debut)
20. Heaps Normal – Quiet XPA (Debut)
21. Heads of Noose Brewing Co – Japanese Lager
22. Brick Lane Brewing Co – One Love Pale Ale
23. Little Creatures – Little Creatures Pale Ale
24. Moon Dog Craft Brewery – Old Mate
25. Philter Brewing – Philter XPA
26. Mountain Goat Beer – GOAT Very Enjoyable Beer
27. Feral Brewing Co – Biggie Juice
28. Brookvale Union – Ginger Beer (Debut)
29. 4 Pines Brewing Co – 4 Pines Pacific Ale
30. Big Shed Brewing Concern – Boozy Friut
31. Hawke’s Brewing – Hawke’s Patio Ale
32. Bright Brewery – Alpine Lager
33. Grifter Brewing Co – Pale
34. Blackflag Brewing – Rage Juicy Pale
35. Green Beacon Brewing Co – Wayfarer
36. Stomping Ground Brewing Co – Gipps St Pale Ale
37. Akasha Brewing Co – Hopsmith IPA
38. Dainton Beer – Blood Orange NEIPA
39. Revel Brewing Co – Strawberries & Cream Soul Ale (Debut)
40. Coopers Brewery – Sparkling Ale
41. BentSpoke Brewing Co – Sprocket
42. Capital Brewing Co – Hang Loose Juice Blood Orange NEIPA
43. Coopers Brewery – Coopers XPA
44. Your Mates Brewing Co – Sally
45. BentSpoke Brewing Co – Cluster 8
46. Black Hope Brewery – Neverland
47. Balter Brewing – Eazy Hazy (Debut)
48. Ballistic Beer Co – Hawaiian Haze IPA (Debut)
49. Capital Brewing Co – West Coast NEIPA (Debut)
50. Coopers Brewery – Coopers Pacific Pale Ale
51. Bodriggy Brewing Co – Speccy Juice
52. Colonial Brewing Co – Colonial Pale Ale
53. Grister Brewing Co – Serpents Kiss
54. Sunday Road Brewing – Cryotherapy
55. Deeds Brewing – Juice Train
56. 10 Toes Brewery – Pipeline Pale
57. Burleigh Brewing Co – Bighead No-carb Lager
58. Hop Nation Brewing Co – J-Juice
59. Range Brewing Co – Lights + Music (Debut)
60. Black Hops Brewery – Hop Swap (Debut)
61. Black Hops Brewery – Black Hops Pale Ale
62. Your Mates Brewing Co – Macca
63. Balter Brewing – Captain Sensible
64. Capital Brewing Co – Trail Pale Ale
65. Hawke’s Brewing – Hawke’s Lager
66. Burleigh Brewing Co – Twisted Palm
67. One Drop Brewing Co – Double Vanilla Custard Pancake Imperial Nitro Thickshake IPA
68. Cronulla Beer Co – Next Level XPA
69. Sobah Beverages – Pepperberry IPA (Debut)
70. Jetty Road Brewery – Jetty Road Pale Ale
71. Brouhaha Brewery – Strawberry Rhubarb Sour (Debut)
72. Stone & Wood Brewing Co – Cloud Catcher
73. Blackman’s Brewery – Juicy Banger
74. 4 Pines Brewing Co – 4 Pines Pale Ale
75. Brick Lane Brewing Co – Sidewinder Hazy Pale
76. Hop Nation Brewing Co – Rattenhund
77. Sunday Road Brewing – Enigma Ale
78. Otherside Brewing Co – Anthem IPA
79. Bad Shephard Brewing Co – Peanut Butter Porter
80. Ballistic Beer Co – Mexican Hot Chocolate Stout
81. Black Hops Brewery – Hornet
82. Little Creatres – Pacific Ale (Debut)
83. Your Mates Brewing Co – Eddie
84. Dainton Beer – Jungle Juice
85. Bodriggy Brewing Co – Utropia Pale Ale
86. Young Henrys – The Unifier (Debut)
87. Hawkers Beer – West Coast IPA
88. Mismatch Brewing Co – Mismatch Session Ale
89. Gage Roads Brewing Co – Side Track All Day XPA
90. Little Bang Brewing Co – Face Inverter
91. BentSpoke Brewing Co – Red Nut
92. Tumut River Brewing Co – Ginja Ninja (Debut)
93. Eumundi Brewery – Eumundi Alcoholic Ginger Beer
94. Deeds Brewing – Once More Into The Fray
95. Akasha Brewing Co – Akasha Mosaic IPA
96. Ballstic Beer Co – Low Ha (Debut)
97. Capital Brewing Co – Rock Hopper IPA
98. Wayward Brewing Co – Raspberry Berliner Weisse
99. Willie the Boatman – Nectar of the Hops
100. Balter Brewing – CrypHaze (Debut)