GABS Festival

Melbourne, known for the being the capital of food, now teems with an overwhelming number of food festivals. Any given weekend will offer a doughnut/wine/potato amalgamation that will leave you feeling a bit “meh”. The same food trucks and the same queues have become uninspiring. If only there was something new and different on the scene … ask and you shall receive.

GABS – otherwise known as the Great Australasian Beer SpecTAPular – brings together the best breweries from Australia and New Zealand for a non-stop celebration of craft beer and cider. “Craft beer and cider have been a thing for ages!” I hear you say. “How is this any different from any other festival?” Well, let me tell you. It’s weird.  

Craig Williams, GABS Event Director, describes the festival as the perfect launching point for those keen to try something new in a fun and exciting way. He’s not kidding. The list of attention-grabbing ingredients includes: Tasmanian jam, toasted marshmallows, rhubarb, Skittles, ice cream, dates, yuzu, gin, Bertie Beetles and even snails, crickets and oysters.

“For us, GABS is about sharing our love of craft beer and cider with as many people as possible through an unforgettable experience. Great beer is about skill, passion, creativity and most of all, fun. GABS brings all that to life, whether you’re just starting out on your beer journey, or the most fervent fan.”

While the more exotic ingredients are sure to pique your interest, you will also find examples of many different beer styles, as brewers look to expand people’s tastes beyond popular hop-driven Pale Ales.

Festival vibes will come courtesy of Little Creatures LIVE, with acrobats, circus performers and the ever-popular ‘GABS house band’, The Ale Capones, wowing audiences. To further heighten the experience, attendees will be able to ‘strut their putts’ at the Holey Moley Golf Club and Colonial Caddyshack, take a spin on the Yenda Wheel of Beer – an 18-metre indoor Ferris wheel – or have a go at ‘dunk-a-brewer’; all of which gathers funds to support the fight against motor neurone disease.

For nibbles, you can sample cheese soaked in beer, whisky and wine from the Milawa Cheese & Prosecco Bar or dig into some of the city’s best street food vendors, including Bluebonnet BBQ, Biggie Smalls and 8Bit Burgers.

GABS Beer, Cider & Food Fest 2018 is on at the Royal Exhibition Building from 18–20 May, with tickets on sale now. Are you game enough to try a Lizard’s Dinner (infused with crickets) or an Angasi coffin bay oyster stout? Or perhaps you’ve always wanted to drink the rainbow from a Skittlebrau. Whatever your choice, it’s bound to be a wholly curious experience.

GABS 2018  
Friday, 18 to Sunday, 20 May 2018
Royal Exhibition Building, 9 Nicholson Street, Carlton
gabsfestival.com