Bacon, donuts, hemp flour, sake, rum, gin, Tim Tams, popcorn, agave, and even edible green ants. These are just some of the more exotic ingredients found among the beers and ciders brewed especially for the 2019 edition of GABS Beer, Cider & Food Fest presented by Dan Murphy’s at the Brisbane Convention & Exhibition Centre on Saturday 27 April.

Renowned as one of the world’s leading beer festivals, GABS (otherwise known as the Great Australasian Beer SpecTAPular) brings together some of the best breweries from Australia and New Zealand for a whirlwind celebration of craft beer and cider. GABS Co-Founder Steve Jeffares said it was the right time to bring the iconic event to Queensland. “For us, GABS has always been about sharing our love of craft beer and cider with as many people as possible, so bringing the festival experience to Brisbane has long been on the agenda. We’re thrilled to now be able to make this a reality, and can’t wait to showcase the booming craft beer scene to Queenslanders in true GABS style!”

At the heart of the event are the 170 beers and ciders made especially for GABS each year by Australia and New Zealand’s leading brewers and cidermakers, of which approximately 100 will be served at the new Brisbane event. “Every year we invite the industry to create something new for GABS, and every year we’re amazed by the creativity, quality, and diversity of styles we see represented” said Jeffares. “Certainly there are some quite out-there beers and ciders that grab the headlines, but you’ll also find breweries increasingly using the event to road test upcoming releases and showcase what they can do.”

Collaboration is a particular focus for this year’s festival, with many brewers pairing up with other food and drink brands to develop their GABS Collabs Festival Beers & Ciders, including coffee roasters, tea houses, gin and whisky distillers, biscuit makers and even an American barbecue smokehouse. Many of those breweries and cideries also set up interactive stands at the festival as part of the Dan Murphy’s Marketplace, providing attendees with the chance to chat with the team behind the products as they sample from their ranges of core and limited-release beers and ciders.

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