Cult brewery Mountain Culture has made GABS Hottest 100 Craft Beer history, taking out the top spot in its debut year – the first brewery in 15 years to do so – with its Status Quo pale ale.
The New England-style pale ale, described as “made for hop lovers…full flavoured and more tropical than the Hawaiian ukulele orchestra”, pipped previous years' winners including second- and third-placed Balter’s XPA and Bentspoke’s Crankshaft IPA.
Stone & Wood’s Pacific Ale, Sunshine Coast’s Your Mates Larry, Better Beer’s Zero Carb, Young Henry’s Newtowner, Coopers Original Pale Ale, Bridge Road Brewers’ Beechworth Pale Ale (the only indie beer to appear in every Hottest 100 list since the competition’s inception) and Black Hops G.O.A.T rounded off the Top 10. All up, 2140 beers were nominated from 311 breweries and drinks brands, including Willie the Boatman’s Albo Ale, which was personally voted for by our Prime Minister.
This pivot was so successful that by the end of 2020, Mountain Culture was shipping beer all over Australia, and had increased its brewery capabilities from 60,000 litres per year to 500,000. Since outgrowing their original Katoomba facilities, DJ and Harriet now brew their beers in a one-million-litre capacity facility in Emu Plains. Both venues offer tastings plus you can drink and dine in.
For the full 2022 GABS Hottest 100 Craft Beer people’s choice results, visit gabsfestival.com. Keep an eye out for the 101-200 list too, set to be unveiled this weekend.
