It has been a week and a bit since the GABs Hottest 100 Aussie Craft Beers were announced and we still can’t wipe the smiles off our faces. It’s more than the fact that our XPA took out the #1 slot. There’s a deeper sense of gratitude we’ve been able to feel that tops any award we could hope to win.

The first reason behind it is the barrage of messages from other beer makers and lovers alike wishing us well for the win. It’s a sign of an epic industry when pretty much every one of your ‘competitors’ give you a heartfelt pat on the back for a job well done. Knowing how healthy everyone’s approach to good beer is makes us really excited for the future. Then there’s the fact that every single one of our canned beers made it into the top 100 and the first ever time a tin hit number one. All of that speaks to a consistency that Scott and our team of brewers work towards day-in day-out. To have that recognised by the people who took the time to put in their opinion, well, we really, really appreciate it.

To see how well our immediate community has done in the countdown has been amazing too. 10 beers in the top 100 from the Gold Coast, more if you count Brisbane and Byron as being in the neighbourhood. Black Hops nailed the highest debut beer at #20. Legend blokes that make great beer. Stone & Wood’s Pacific Ale showing its consistency again in being one of Australia’s favourite craft beers is really inspiring. Knowing that there’s 100s if not 1000s of great brews out there right now that people are appreciating is pretty crazy too. We love seeing more and more Australians turning to better options that have serious blood, sweat and tears poured into them (not literally, of course).

Finally, it’s the broad appeal that the Balter XPA seems to have. It’s one thing to have experts vote the brew in the top of multiple awards. It’s a whole other thing to have regular folk enjoy the drop on a daily basis too. A tip of the hat from the full spectrum of beer lovers just blows us away.

So, what does this all mean for Balter going forward? Head brewer Scotty Hargrave summed it up best when he said: “Just keep trying to make the best beer we can. What else would we do?”

We hope those efforts continue to tickle your taste buds. Until your next sip, a big cheers from us for the cheer you’ve given us. And, salut to good beer the country over.