Tinnies at the Ready: Australia's Hottest 100 Craft Beers of 2024 Is Stacked with Must-Sip Brews

Each year for 17 years now, Australian beer lovers have voted on their top craft brews. Only twice has the same tipple won not just for two years in a row, but in three consecutive polls. The first to manage the feat was Feral Brewing Co's Hop Hog from 2012–14. Now, Mountain Culture's Status Quo Pale Ale has also notched up the same achievement, winning from 2022–24.

Emerging victorious in the GABS Hottest 100 Aussie Craft Beers poll for 2024, this Mountain Culture sip just keeps living up to its name, clearly. The brew from the New South Wales outfit in the Blue Mountains was anointed 2022's top drop and dubbed 2023's best tipple as well. So, yes, there is indeed a status quo among Australian beer drinkers of late — and it keeps being maintained.

This yeasty poll does for beer what Triple J's huge annual music countdown for bangers — and while there's only been two threepeats in the GABS list's history so far, it sure does love repeat winners. In both 2020 and 2021, Canberra's Bentspoke Brewing Co did the honours with its Crankshaft American IPA. In 2022 and 2023, that brew came in third instead, then picked up fourth place in 2024.

In second spot this time: Coopers Brewery's Original Pale Ale, taking over from 2017 and 2018 winner Balter Brewing Company, with its Balter XPA notching up third place — slipping down from second in 2022 and 2023.

Gage Roads Brewing Co's Single Fin Summer Ale took out fifth spot, followed by Range Brewing's Disco in sixth, Your Mates Brewing Co's Larry in seventh place, Philter Brewing's XPA in eighth, 4 Pines Brewing Company's Japanese Lager in ninth and One Drop Brewing Co's We Jammin' to round out the top ten.

Mountain Culture, which is run by husband-and-wife team DJ and Harriet McCready — and has boasted Australian cricketer Pat Cummins as its first investor since November 2024 — also placed 31st with its Cult IPA, 60th with its Be Kind Rewind NEIPA and 87th with its Scenic Route brew. And yes, it had more than a little company. 2024's hottest 100 was whittled down from almost 400 vote-receiving breweries, with 70 different outfits making the list.

State by state, Mountain Culture was the best New South Wales brewery, of course, while Coopers was South Australia's top spot, Balter is the highest-ranked Queensland name and Bentspoke flies the flag for the Australian Capital Territory. Bridge Road is Victoria's top representative, while Gage Road and Fox Friday earn that label for Western Australia and Tasmania, respectively.

Held by GABS — or the annual festival also known as the Great Australian Beer SpecTAPular, which returns for 2025 this autumn — the countdown is a people's-choice poll decided by booze lovers around the country.

If you're thinking "less background, more beer", here's what you've been waiting for: the rundown of the best beverages from the past year that just keep tempting tastebuds. Working your way through the whole 100 isn't just a great way to show your appreciation for locally made brews, either — consider it research for the 2025 countdown.

GABS Hottest 100 Aussie Craft Beers of 2024

1. Mountain Culture Beer Co Status Quo
2. Coopers Brewery Original Pale Ale
3. Balter Brewing XPA
4. BentSpoke Brewing Co Crankshaft
5. Gage Roads Brewing Co Single Fin Summer Ale
6. Range Brewing Disco
7. Your Mates Brewing Co Larry
8. Philter Brewing XPA
9. 4 Pines Brewing Company Japanese Lager
10. One Drop Brewing Co We Jammin'
11. Bridge Road Brewers Beechworth Pale Ale
12. Young Henrys Newtowner
13. Stone & Wood Brewing Co Pacific Ale
14. Blackflag Brewing Rage Juicy Pale Ale
15. Pirate Life Brewing South Coast Pale Ale
16. Rocky Ridge Brewing Co Jindong Juicy
17. Capital Brewing Co Coast Ale
18. Bright Brewery Alpine Lager
19. Seeker Brewing Mystic NEIPA
20. Hawkers Beer West Coast IPA
21. Akasha Brewing Co Freshwater Pale Ale
22. Beerfarm Royal Haze
23. The Grifter Brewing Co Pale
24. Burleigh Brewing Co Burleigh Bighead
25. Black Hops Brewing G.O.A.T.
26. Hop Nation Brewing Co J-Juice
27. Blackman's Brewery Juicy Banger IPL
28. KAIJU! Beer KRUSH! Tropical Pale Ale
29. Reckless Brewing Co BX Lager
30. Fox Friday Craft Brewery Hazy IPA
31. Mountain Culture Beer Co Cult IPA
32. Little Creatures Pale Ale
33. Balter Brewing Eazy Hazy
34. Coopers Brewery Sparkling Ale
35. Mountain Goat Beer GOAT Very Enjoyable Beer
36. 10 Toes Brewery Pipeline
37. Better Beer Zero Carb
38. Hiker Brewing Co Horizon
39. Bodriggy Brewing Company Speccy Juice
40. Little Bang Brewing Co Sun Bear
41. Helios Brewing Co Dionysus Oat Cream DIPA
42. Range Brewing Lights + Music
43. CBCo Brewing CBCo Pale Ale
44. Banks Brewing Cake Eater
45. Moon Dog Craft Brewery Old Mate
46. Shout Brewing Co Mullet Pale Ale
47. Capital Brewing Co Capital XPA
48. Bad Shepherd Brewing Co Peanut Butter Porter
49. BentSpoke Brewing Co Barley Griffin
50. Matso's Mango Beer
51. James Squire One Fifty Lashes
52. Heaps Normal Quiet XPA
53. Margaret River Beer Co In The Pines
54. Moffat Beach Brewing Co Passenger Pale Ale
55. Heads of Noosa Brewing Co Japanese Style Lager
56. Green Beacon Brewing Co Wayfarer Tropical Pale Ale
57. Feral Brewing Co Biggie Juice
58. Wolf of the Willows Brewing Wolf PUP Hazy Pale Ale
59. Hawke's Brewing Hawke's Patio Pale
60. Mountain Culture Beer Co Be Kind Rewind
61. Lightning Minds Pale Ale
62. Balter Brewing Hazy IPA
63. Bridge Road Brewers Bling IPA
64. Sunday Road Brewing Cryotherapy
65. Brewmanity Mouth of Melbourne
66. Big Shed Brewing Concern Boozy Fruit
67. Coopers Brewery Australian Lager
68. Balter Brewing Cerveza
69. Capital Brewing Co Hang Loose Juice Hazy IPA
70. Coopers Brewery XPA
71. 4 Pines Brewing Company Pacific Ale
72. Black Hops Brewing East Coast Haze
73. Stomping Ground Brewing Co Gipps St Pale Ale
74. Byron Bay Brewery Premium Lager
75. Range Brewing Dreams
76. The Grifter Brewing Co Serpents Kiss
77. Wayward Brewing Co Hazy Mid
78. Curly Lewis Brewing Co Bondi Hazy Ale
79. Yulli's Brews Amanda Mandarin IPA
80. Hop Nation Brewing Co Rattenhund
81. Gage Roads Brewing Co Hazy As
82. Blackflag Brewing Affinity Tropical Pale
83. Hawke's Brewing Hawke's Lager
84. Future Magic Brewing Co Hazy Shade of Pale
85. Feral Brewing Co Hop Hog
86. Dangerous Ales Crispy Boi Lager
87. Mountain Culture Beer Co Scenic Route
88. 4 Pines Hazy Brewing Company Pale Ale
89. Gage Roads Brewing Co Side Track All Day XPA
90. Pirate Life Brewing Hazy XPA
91. Fox Friday Craft Brewery Pale Ale
92. Lord Nelson Brewery Hotel Three Sheets Pale Ale
93. BentSpoke Brewing Co Sprocket
94. Burleigh Brewing Co Twisted Palm
95. Mountain Goat Beer Tasty Pale Ale
96. Shelter Brewing Co Hazy IPA
97. White Rabbit Dark Ale
98. Jetty Road Pale Ale
99. Dainton Beer Blood Orange NEIPA
100. Bojak Brewing Calypso

For more information about the GABS Hottest 100 Aussie Craft Beers of 2024, head to the GABS website.