Great Australasian Beer SpecTAPular
The Great Australasian Beer SpecTAPular, or GABS as it is commonly known, is a beer and food festival that celebrates the diversity and creativity of craft beer. It is run by The Local Taphouse beer bars each year in Melbourne and Sydney and in 2015, almost 23,000 people attended the events.
The Local Taphouses regularly run beer festivals, or SpecTAPulars, to showcase rare or exclusive beers under a different theme. The original GABS (it was originally called the Great Australian Beer SpecTAPular) was held at both venues in both Sydney and Melbourne on 12 February 2011. Another notable, annual event is the GABS Hottest 100 Aussie Craft Beers of the Year countdown. This event is held each Australia Day, January 26.
The main idea behind GABS was to invite leading Australian craft breweries to brew a special beer just for the event. Not especially confident, Taphouse owners Steve Jeffares and Guy Greenstone thought they would be lucky to get ten new beers so planned to put their favourite Australian beers on the 10 other available taps. The response from brewers was so positive that, ultimately, 22 breweries produced 20 brand new beers for the event.
Emboldened by the events' initial success, it was decided to relocate GABS to the Royal Exhibition Building in Melbourne for three days the following year and become part of Melbourne's Good Beer Week celebrations. About 8000 people attended.
GABS now features hundreds of beers, brewery stands, beer education, local food vendors and entertainment but it is predominantly known for the GABS 'Festival Beers' which are brewed especially for the event by leading brewers in Australia, New Zealand and other invited international brewers.
The first GABS Sydney took place at the Australian Technology Park on Saturday 30 May 2016.
In 2015, American magazine, Beer Connoisseur, rated GABS as one of the top 20 beer festivals in the world.
Royal Exhibition Hall, Melbourne. 22–24 May 2015
Australian Technology Park, Eveleigh, Sydney, 30 May 2016
Royal Exhibition Hall, Melbourne. 22–24 May 2014
Royal Exhibition Hall, Melbourne. 24–26 May 2013
The Local Taphouse, Melbourne. 12 February 2012
The Local Taphouse, Sydney, 12 February 2012
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