Gold Coast brewery Balter’s XPA has been voted No.1 beer in the GABS Hottest 100 Aussie Craft Beers for the second time.

The Currumbin based brewery was formed in 2016 and part owned by Gold Coast surfing stars Mick Fanning, Joel Parkinson, Josh Kerr and Bede Durbidge.

Another two Balter beers made it into the top 10 list this year and Queensland breweries dominated the top 100 list.

Balter noted on Facebook: “Yesterday Balter HQ was electrifying! To be with our community, friends and family when the results were read out was such a wonderful feeling. Six beers in the GABS Festival Hottest 100, five of those in the top 25, three in the top 10 and the coveted number 1 spot was far more than we thought was possible.

“Thank you to everybody who got behind us this year and sent a vote our way. The fact you drink our beer, share it with your mates and get involved means so much to us and it’s a huge motivator to our team to start 2019 like this.

“Congratulations to our close friends at BentSpoke Brewing Co who amassed 5 beers in the top 25. You guys make a consistently great range of beers we love to drink. Congratulations to the landscape defining Stone & Wood Brewing who’ve been on the podium for around a decade. What an achievement in itself. A special mention to our Queensland friends Your Mates Brewing Co. for the highest debuting brewery coming in at 13th with old Larry Pale Ale, and to every beer that made the 200 list. Australia is spoilt for choice when it comes to good beer.

“And finally to the 53 people who come to work everyday at Balter. All this stuff doesn’t happen without you. Remember, beer got us here, and we wouldn’t want to be anywhere else!”

The annual GABS Hottest 100 Craft Beers of 2018 poll saw more than 30,000 beer fans around Australia and New Zealand vote for their five favourite craft beers of the year.

“This year’s list is again very revealing about what people are drinking and enjoying, whether that’s a more mainstream Pale Ale or a Strawberry Rhubarb Sour from their favourite Sunshine Coast local,” GABS co-founder Steve Jeffares said.

“With breweries opening in all corners of the country, pushing the boundaries of style, technique and creativity, there’s really never been a better time to be a craft beer drinker,” he said.

THE TOP 10
‘XPA’ American Pale Ale (Balter, QLD)
‘Pacific Ale’ Australian Pale Ale (Stone & Wood, NSW)
‘Crankshaft’ American IPA (BentSpoke, ACT)
‘Newtowner’ Australian Pale Ale (Young Henrys, NSW)
‘Beechworth Pale Ale’ Australian Pale Ale (Bridge Road, VIC)
‘IPA’ Imperial IPA (Balter, QLD)
‘IPA’ American IPA (Balter, QLD)
‘Krush! Tropical Pale Ale’ Pale Ale (Kaiju! VIC)
‘Jedi Juice’ New England IPA (Hop Nation, VIC)
‘Single Fin’ Australian Pale Ale (Gage Roads, WA

Click here to see the full list