The hoo hah caused by the last best Aussie beer poll has just about subsided, so it must be time to start another one, don’t you think? Set to spark debate and get palates excited in equal measure this time around is The Critic’s Choice: Australia’s Best Beers, due for release on April 1 by the team that brought you The Beer Lovers' Guide To Australia in 2010.
Unlike The Local Taphouse Hottest 100 poll that The Crafty Pint sponsored this year, here the voting wasn’t limited to craft beers – any Aussie beer available in the country last year was eligible – and this time it was experts from across the beer industry that cast the votes, including leading brewers, bar owners, retailers and writers (even little old Crafty).
However, like the Hottest 100, it has resulted in a top 100 countdown. This one’s presented in a rather sleek-looking, white, pocket-sized book that features photos and snippets on all of the beers plus a few beery articles.
We’ve not seen the full rundown but, based on the beers we were asked to write snippets for (and the sneak peek we managed to get last week after the publisher and editor were plied with enough beer), there are some superb beers on the list.
The publishers will be counting down from 12 to one on their website from March 20 to April 1. Over that period, they’re also giving away two packs of the top 12 beers every day on their Facebook page. What’s more we’ve got five copies to give away in this Friday’s Crafty newsletter so make sure you’re signed up.
The plan is to make the book an annual release, with this year’s costing $14.95 and available from book shops and newsagents.
