HOPS TO IT: Bubblegum beer tickles voters' tastebuds

They might be the new kids on the block when it comes to craft beer brewing, but the team at Currumbin Valley Brewing have certainly found favour with drinkers.

Currumbin Valley Brewing's Luke Ronalds and Peter Wheldon toast the success of their Grape Bubblegum Sour brew which was named the People's Choice at the Great Australasian Beer Spectacular.

THEY might be the new kids on the block when it comes to craft beer brewing, but the team at Currumbin Valley Brewing have certainly found favour with drinkers by serving up a brew that's certainly out of the box.

The small farmhouse brewery has been voted the overall People's Choice winner for its Grape Bubblegum Sour at the Great Australian Beer Spectacular, which held shows in Brisbane, Sydney and Melbourne.

The GABS shows attracted more than 44,000 people, and the sour developed by Currumbin Valley's Peter Wheldon and Luke Ronalds, was voted the crowd favourite, selling out at each show.

"Considering that we have only been in production for about six months, it's a mind-blowing achievement for us and shows that we might be on the right track," Mr Wheldon said.

"The beer is inspired by Hubba Bubba grape bubblegum so the challenge was to deliver that flavour in a beer.

The Grape Bubblegum Sour was officially recognised at a recent beer event. Picture: Supplied

"I had the idea for a couple of years, and after a few attempts we managed to produce a beer which was well-balanced and not only tasted the way we intended, but also had the look as well (with a deep purple appearance).

"Personally, this beer had to pass my three schooner rule: you had to be able to drink three schooners of the drop without becoming bored with it."

Mr Wheldon said the accolade was a great boost for the fledgling brewery, which was given the nod over more credentialed Gold Coast breweries.

The Grape Bubblegum Sour is a five per cent Berliner Weisse-style beer, which as the name suggests, is sour by nature.

"There seems to be growing interest in sours beers as people look for something different from the onslaught of pale ales and IPAs - particularly women," Mr Wheldon said.

"The popularity of this brew has been so great that we are now making our third batch. Being a limited release, we have already sold out so people will have to go online to order some.

"We only have limited capacity at the moment with our core beer being a pale ale and while we are wrapped in the success of the sour, we have some other ideas for brews which we would like to explore and trial as well."

For more information, visit www.currumbinvalleybrewing.com.au.