UPDATE: Balter acquired by Carlton & United
Balter has been voted Australia’s best craft brewery in Beer Cartel's 2018 Australian Craft Beer Survey.
More than 18,000 Australian craft beer drinkers took part in this year's survey.
Gold Coast’s Balter Brewing was co-founded by champion surfer Mick Fanning. It recently expanded its brewery from 1100 square metres to a massive 3300 square metres.
In January, Balter XPA — an extra pale ale — topped the GABS Hottest 100 Aussie Craft Beers of 2017.
The other craft brewers to feature in the top 5 were Modus Operandi, Pirate Life, Stone & Wood and Bridge Road.
Key findings from the 2018 Australian Craft Beer Survey included a strong desire to support Australian independent breweries, with two-thirds of drinkers are aware of the buy-out of at least one of the three leading Australian craft breweries in 2017. More than half (56%) of those aware have since reduced or stopped purchasing from these breweries.
Results show that 94% of beer drinkers believe the quality of craft beer is improving, while 85% said that they are now buying more Australian beer in place of imported beer.
The majority of craft beer drinkers are on the lookout for new beers to try. On average almost half of all purchases made by Australian craft beer drinkers are for beers they have never previously tried.
Few are using the NSW Container Deposit Scheme, with just 14% regularly taking their used bottles and cans to a collection point. The majority (68%) prefer to use kerbside recycling.
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