GABS 2023 BEERS THROUGHOUT THE YEARS

By GABS resident writer, Beer Diva Kirrily Waldhorn

When the GABS H100 kicked off back in 2008, there were less than 50 breweries in Australia and the beer scene was absolutely dominated by the big breweries. Today, of course, there are over 700 breweries and more beers than ever to choose from and vote for. The fascinating question is, how much has our style preference changed over the years? Do we still love the same styles we voted in our top 10 all those years ago or have our tastebuds evolved over time? Are there beer styles that have remained steadfast favourites and some that have completely fallen out of favour? We figured it was time to do a little crunching and get under the tastebuds of beer fans, past and present.

Let’s head right back to 2008 where it all began. The time when ugg boots, the Blackberry and Twilight were cooler than cool (so much change, so little time), and take a look at the beer styles we were showing our love for. Given one of the first forays into craft in Australia was Little Creatures Pale Ale, it’s no surprise that American Pale Ales were pretty popular back then, as were their Aussie counterparts. We were also starting to venture a little larger with the Double IPA making a showing along with an NZ-hopped lager and an Amber Ale. Further down the list, ESB’s (Extra Special Bitter), a Belgian Tripel and a couple of stouts demonstrated that we weren’t completely hop-obsessed, but also enjoy those more comforting malt driven styles.

2009 and the Double IPA was making its move up the rankings with a couple in the top 10, more American Pale Ale and the first of the darks with a Porter creeping in as well.

Another decade ticked over and we’re in the 2010’s, the era of YOLO, Jersey Shore (ugh), planking and selfie sticks (double ugh) and with the turn of the decade, came a continuation for our love of all things Pale Ale and hops, with US and Aussie Pales dominating the chart. Anyone remember the wheat beers? These styles were incredibly refreshing and light, and probably the most polarising beer style of them all. Everyone had an opinion, you either loved them or hated them, there was no in-between. 2010 definitely found some love with a couple of wheat beers featuring in the top 20 but given the absence of them today, clearly the haters won that battle.

2011 was an interesting year in that beers #8-10 were all dark ales, with two Porters and a Black IPA on the list, though the list was still dominated by our all-time favourite ingredient, hops! Moving on to 2012, with those darks still hanging in there in the top 10 (four in fact), the German style Kölsch also made an appearance and for the first time, a sour beer, the Berliner Weisse hit the charts in the top 10. The sour revolution was in its infancy and perhaps even a little ahead of its time back then… or was it?