GABS Brewer: Kevin Hingston from Pact Beer

What sort of beer are you making for GABS?
We’ve teamed up with our mates from Butterbing Cookie Sandwiches to make Australia’s hottest cafe confectionery into a beer. We’re breaking all the rules for this one. Don’t put dairy in beer! Why not? Don’t put whole cookies into beer! Why? Will I clog my chiller? Probably, but this is GABS!

What’s it called?
Who Poured the Porter in the Cookie Jar?

Where did the inspiration come from?
Trev and Simone from Butterbing are ex-Canberran’s and we both launched our silly, brave, possibly stupid businesses at around the same time. We’ve been wanting to work together for some time, and GABS 2017 seemed like the perfect opportunity.

What’s the weirdest ingredient you’ve ever added to a beer?
We’ve done quite a few over the years. We’ve done a bit with fruit … we had the The Cumquat sour (Marmalambic), and launched the brand with the Quince Hefeweizen in 2015 but it often seems to end up in Porter town. The coconut water porter was a goodie, then we did the pea porter with blue boiling peas…now with the ButterBing porter…porters have been good to us.

GABS drinking preference – tasting paddles or a full glass?
Always start with the paddles. There’s so many reasons. From a sheer volume point of view, it’s the only way you might hope to get a good cross section. Once you’ve got your favourites down…it’s glass time!

The Great Australasian Beer Spectapular is on May 19-21 at the Royal Exhibition Building in Carlton, Victoria, May 27 at Sydney Showground Olympic Park, NSW and June 16-17 at ASB Showgrounds, Greenlane, Auckland.