Excitement brews for Great Australian Beer Festival

Geelong’s Great Australian Beer Festival (GABF) will celebrate its sixth anniversary on February 17, with organisers guaranteeing the event will stimulate more than just the tastebuds.

Inspired by the fast-growing craft brewing industry, GABF began in 2013 as a celebration of mostly local and state-based breweries. Today the event attracts more than 5,000 beer lovers and has brewers lining up from all over the country to take part in the Geelong event.

This year’s festival features 37 hand-picked craft brewers, a great entertainment and music line-up, free master classes and a series of outrageously “wack” races for festival-goers to enter.

Festival director Michael Ward said GABF was not only a smorgasbord of more than 200 beers and ciders; it was a bigger overall experience.

“There are three stages of live entertainment featuring music from Kingswood, Russell Morris, Vaudeville Smash, The Go Set, Fat Picnic, Redspencer, Immy Owusu’s Magic Butter Machine and many more.

“We have arranged for Andy Pobjoy from the Piano Bar and local cocktail king Gorge Camorra from 18th Amendment Bar, to oversee our newly created honky tonk piano and beer cocktails bar.

There will be food trucks cooking up a tempting array of dishes and heaps of barbecues; it’s just a great social event, a real celebration.

“Another feature of the day is a wacky series of races held out on the race track. Punters are invited to enter quirky races for the chance to win great prizes.”

As in previous years, a series of free seminars will be held during the day with beer lovers having the opportunity to meet and mingle with the brains behind the brands.

For an epic summer’s day out, head to gabf.com.au.