AUSTRALIA'S biggest craft beer festival - GABS - will branch out into wine and spirits under a bold expansion plan to bring the event to the Hunter Valley in 2024.
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The Great Australasian Beer SpecTAPular (GABS), has joined forces with the Schwartz Family Company (SFC) to expand the festival outside of Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane and into new homes in Lovedale, the Gold Coast and Canberra.
Under the partnership, the SFC-owned Hunter Valley Wine & Beer Festival will become an official GABS event.
SFC owner Dr Jerry Schwartz has also become a board member of Spectapular Enterprises, the holding company behind GABS.
The Hunter Valley Wine & Beer Festival has been running for 11 years and was last held on June 24 at the Rydges Resort Hunter Valley.
The first GABS event in the Hunter Valley is expected in June 2024.
Dr Schwartz said with GABS coming on board, he is targeting "exponential growth" for the Hunter Valley Wine & Beer Festival, boosting its crowd numbers from 2,000 to 20,000.
"I would like to see it go up eventually by a factor of 10," Dr Schwartz said. "I've got the space.
"We have 50 vineyards and I'd love to maximise the vineyards.
"We have 200 vineyards in the Hunter so we have 25 per cent of the vineyards and I'd like to bring that up to 90 per cent of the vineyards."
GABS is recognised as one of the world's leading craft beer festivals and an important date on the brewing calendar.
A crowd of 40,000 attended GABS events in Sydney, Brisbane and Melbourne this year to taste beers from 120 breweries, including exclusive one-off ales.
Some of the more outlandish ales brewed for GABS this year included a banana pina colada sour, a pizza beer and jam donut-inspired golden ale.
"This is the perfect opportunity for them to expand beyond the beer and into the wine," Dr Schwartz said.
"That's what I really bring to the table for GABS.
"I bring more opportunity to showcase, not only beer, but other drinks."
GABS also owns the annual Hottest 100 Craft Beers poll, which was won by Katoomba's Mountain Culture Status Quo Pale Ale in January, ending the two-year dominance of the Crankshaft IPA from Canberra brewery BentSpoke.
"The partnership with Jerry is a natural fit on all levels," GABS managing director Mike Bray said.
"He brings a wealth of experience in providing local and international guests exceptional experiences every day."
This is the perfect opportunity for them to expand beyond the beer and into the wine.
- Jerry Schwartz
Newcastle and the Hunter Valley has fast become one of Australia's most fertile markets for the craft beer industry.
The region has at least 15 breweries and is already home to the successful Bitter & Twisted Boutique Beer Festival at Maitland Gaol and Newcastle Beer Festival, which was last held in February at King Edward Park.
Josh Leeson
Josh Leeson is an entertainment and features journalist, specialising in music, at the Newcastle Herald. He first joined the masthead in 2008 after stints at the Namoi Valley Independent and Port Stephens Examiner and has previously covered sport including the Asian Cup, A-League, Surfest, cricket and rugby league.
Josh Leeson is an entertainment and features journalist, specialising in music, at the Newcastle Herald. He first joined the masthead in 2008 after stints at the Namoi Valley Independent and Port Stephens Examiner and has previously covered sport including the Asian Cup, A-League, Surfest, cricket and rugby league.
