GABS 2021

Overview

After being postponed due to COVID-19, the Great Australasian Beer SpecTAPular, better known as GABS, returns to ASB Showgrounds on Saturday, July 3, 2021. After humble beginnings in Melbourne a decade ago, it has now expanded to cover four cities in two countries, and is rightfully considered by most as the best craft beer and cider festival in the Asia Pacific region.

Creators Steve Jeffares and Guy Greenstone (The Local Taphouse, Stomping Ground Brewing Co.) will again be wrangling up the best breweries from across the country and are offering up hundreds of brews — which usually includes 100+ exclusive festival beers and ciders. These exclusive and often wacky specialty brews are created just for the event and are generally the festival's main draw, giving attendees the rare chance to try brand-spanking new beers while meeting the brewers behind them.

Expect collaborations with coffee roasters, tea houses, and gin and whisky distillers. In previous years, brews have also been made with biscuit makers and even an American barbecue smokehouse — so expect plenty of experimental tastes.

Apart from beer, the event also plays host to mini golf, a giant beer can piñata, a silent disco and a competitive scavenger hunt. The much loved 18-metre-high beer Ferris wheel is always a fixture, as are wandering performances and local food stalls.