GABS Brewer: Darren Robinson from Doctors Orders Brewing in Sydney, NSW
What beer are you making for GABS?
The plan is to make an eis version of Electrolyte, that was our mid-spring beer from Sydney Craft Beer Week last year. It’s a historical style from Leipzig in Germany called a Gose. That’s a very tart, sour German wheat beer. The tartness comes from the grain selection and then it’s got a lot of coriander in it which gives it a lemon note and then there’s a little bit of salt at the end to give it a drying finish.
The concept is to do that beer again but freeze the fermenter, which will freeze the bulk water content in the fermenter and then extract the now-amplified Electrolyte out. That should then be pushing the 7 per cent range. It’ll be the same beer but a lot more intensely flavoured.

Does it have a name yet?
At the moment it’s just called Eis Electrolyte or Electrolyte Eis – Eis as in the German nomenclature for ice beer.

Where did the inspiration come from?
I inadvertently did it at home. I had a fridge that was on the fritz and I had a keg of Electrolyte in it and I noticed it was partially frozen. I drank some beer out of it and it was like Wow! Just the intensity of that tartness was even more, the lemon and coriander and salt was intensified as well. I found it really enjoyable.

Do you think it’ll be a one-off or are you considering adding it to the range after GABS?
This is essentially a mid-seasonal or a specialty, which is for all intents and purposes a one-off. But we’ll see just how it goes.

What do you think of the concept of GABS?
I think it’s come a long way. The guys have got a formula that they’re working with now which is a bit more predictable in terms of how much volume they need, the logistics and everything. So you can better plan for it.
Ever year they try and expand it in different areas, which is great to try and keep the interest there. I’m hoping
the punters turn up and support it.

The Great Australasian Beer Spectapular (aka GABS) is on in Melbourne on May 23-25, 2014.