PRESS RELEASE: The Great Australian Beer Festival Hits Geelong Saturday 2 April Bigger and Better Than Ever

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
The Good Times are Back! The Great Australian Beer Festival Hits Geelong This Saturday 2 April – Delivering Two Full Bodied Sessions – 11-4pm | 5-10pm
They say good things happen to those who wait! We agree! The Great Australian Beer Festival is finally kicking off at Geelong’s Johnstone Park next Saturday, 2 April. Bigger and better than ever before the festival will deliver two jam-packed sessions, guaranteeing twice the fun and offerings throughout the day.
Patrons will have the opportunity to indulge in over 200 of the finest hand-crafted beers, ciders, cocktails, and wines; perfectly complimented by the very best in local gourmet street food. Plus, live music, masterclasses, beer- food pairings and live demonstrations.
Day session will run from 11am – 4pm with FREE masterclasses, forums, a. and workshops at the Brewers’ table and live music including The Badloves, The Settlement and local acts The Violas and Izzy Losi on the main stage.
Evening session will run from 5pm – 10pm featuring Geelong’s iconic Piano bar, roving cabaret performers and live music featuring ARIA Award winners Art vs Science, Pirateska Rebellion and emerging locals, Beans and Immy Owusu.
At GABF, festivalgoers are taken on the ultimate journey of craft beer and food discovery; exploring rare and exclusive festival brews, ciders, and one-of-a-kind cocktails, complimented perfectly by the best in local street food. The exceptional and innovative food and drink offerings are definitely the hero of the festival! “It’s why people come from all over Australia. Everything else is there to complement them and keep everyone completely entertained across the event.”
From small batch, speciality brews like “Jackalope Whisky Sours”, “Pana Chocolate stouts”, “Sticky Fingers” lagers” and Chlorophyl IPAs to reliable drapht favourites and pallet cleansing ales. For those not so keen on beer, there’s a selection of wines, cocktails, seltzers, ciders, and crush concoctions.
*(GABF festival picks available upon request)
Another major highlight of the festival will be the Masterclass and Brewers stage presented by Barrett Burston, hosted by industry icon and qualified cicerone, Tif Waldron.
“GABF is all about our love for local beer – the masterclasses, forums, beer-food pairings and brewer talks are another great way for those who are just entering the world of craft beer to discover more about the beers and the brewers around them.”
“We were heartbroken to postpone in January, but knew it was the most responsible thing to do due to huge rise in COVID 19 cases with the Omicron variant,” said festival director Kieran Blood. “However, the community support has been overwhelming with 95% of ticket holders retaining their tickets. We are so excited to finally have the opportunity to deliver the GABF experience that everyone knows and loves while offering a COVID safe environment. We aim to deliver the perfectly crafted beer festival experience!”
GABF will bring over 8000 people from all over Victoria and interstate into the local region, with many opting to stay for 1-2 nights to experience the many exciting activities and entertainment on offer. This means a massive economic injection into the local hospitality and retail industry.
The festival supports more than just those directly involved with the event, with the central location at Johnstone Park only a short walk from Geelong Station, offering easier access for locals and visitors and supporting local CBD businesses pre and post event.
Now more than ever, it’s so important to support locals! We are proud to showcase our local producers and local venues ranging from Geelong, Bellarine, Surf Coast and Otway regions. From limited releases to local regional favourites festival goers can expect the best of everything at GABF.
FESTIVAL DETAILS
The Great Australian Beer Festival| 2 April 2022 | Johnstone Park, Geelong | Day Session 11am-4pm| Evening Session 5pm-10pm
Very limited tickets available online only https://www.gabfgeelong.com.au
Both sessions Include access to the event and all entertainment.
Beer, food and other drinks available for purchase
Socials: Instagram – @geelonggabf/ facebook.com/GABFGeelong
WHO’S THERE – (A festival picks list will be released next week)
Brews – Bells Beach Brewing, Archive Wines, Gin and Whisky, Blackman’s Brewing Co, Brewicolo Brewing Co, Bridge Roads Brewing, Cockies Brewing, Bright Brewery, Great Ocean Road Brewing, Burnley Brewing Co, Colonial Brewing Co, Deeds Brewing, Forrest Brewing, Grand Ridge, Hop Nation Brewing, Jetty Road Brewing, Hawkers Beer, Little Creatures Brewing Co, White Rabbit , Kaiju Beer, Mountain Goat Beer, Mt. Pleasant Rd Brewing, Fury and Son, Prickly Moses, Queenscliff Distillery, Urban Alley, Moondog Brewing, Stomping Ground Brewing, Akasha Brewing, Ballistic Beer Co, Balter Brewing, Bentspoke Brewing Co, Two Birds Brewing, Coopers, 4 Pines Brewing, Brookvale Union Cider, Gage Roads Brewing, Willie Smiths Cider, Franks Cider
Food – Archive Wine bar (cheeses), Bavarian Bangers , Burn City Smokers, Chubby Bao, Lil Dumpling Van, Nuggies, Pizza Forno and Sweet Sandy’s Café De Wheels.
WHAT’S ON OFFER: – ENTERTAINMENT
Main Stage: Art vs. Science, The Badloves, Beans, The Settlement, Fulton Street Band, Rebellion, Immi Owusu, The Violas & Izzy Losi

The iconic GABF Piano Bar playing new and old classic tunes all day.
The Barrett Burston Masterclass and Brewers Stage
11.30am – 12pm: Fresh & Local – Meet the newest freshest beers from our region
Meet the newest and freshest beers from our Geelong neighbours. We’ll be introducing the people and the beers from our local breweries like Blackman’s Brewery and Bells Beach Brewing, while tasting some of the new releases.
12.30pm – 1pm: Hopped and Hazy
IPAs and Pale ales with a hazy tinge bring all kinds of juicy flavours. Join some of our favourite breweries to learn more about what makes these beers taste so good!
1.30pm – 2pm: White Rabbit & Pana Organic Chocolate – A Decadent beer and dessert ex-beerience
Join White Rabbit and Pana Organic Chocolate to celebrate the launch of their annual Easter Chocolate Stout collab. Pairing White Rabbit beers with Pana Chocolate and ice cream, what’s not to love? You may even be treated to a dessert beer cocktail.
2.30pm-3pm: Cooper cupboard couplings – learn about pairing Coopers beers with some snack pantry staples
Learn (and taste!) about Cooper’s favourite beers paired some snack pantry standards.
For GABF Geelong media requests please contact: Kieran Blood at 0401 187 245 [email protected]