“Very validating”: Mountain Culture’s Status Quo is Australia’s number one craft beer again

Mountain Culture Beer Co’s Status Quo pale ale has been crowned Australia’s favourite craft beer for the second year in a row in the GABS Hottest 100 rankings.

In a demonstration of the diversity of Aussie brews available to discerning drinkers, 436 breweries from across the nation participated, with a total of 1,877 beers in contention.

“We’ve had a big weekend celebrating,” said Mountain Culture co-founder and head brewer DJ McCready.

“We had no idea where we would land on the list, last year was our first in the competition and we won. So winning again this year is very validating for myself and the team.”

Throughout the festive season, craft beer fans have been treated to/bombarded by a Triple J Hottest 100-inspired array of physical and digital marketing campaigns designed to win drinkers’ votes.

After tens of thousands of votes were counted, Mountain Culture’s Status Quo topped the rankings again.

Run by husband-and-wife team, DJ and Harriet McCready, the brewery, founded in 2019 in Katoomba in NSW’s Blue Mountains, has exploded in popularity in recent years, with a solid core range and a seemingly endless stream of unique limited-release ales snapped up by eager punters both locally, and increasingly further afield (the brand has been stocked in Dan Murphy’s and BWS since early 2023).

“It’s a crowded market out of there, there are a lot of crap beers”, said McCready.

“The craft scene has exploded [in recent years], so to take out the top spot again is extremely validating, the brand is growing fast.”

“We’re a true craft brand, Harriet and I own 100% of the company, we put everything into growing the business, and make the best beer we possibly can, and invest back into the company.”

“I’m a brewer before a business owner, we have a lot of fun, we’re trying to take away the stuffiness around craft beer, a bit like the wine industry it can have a slight air of elitism.”

Status Quo just piped two previous champions on the podium, with Balter’s very tasty XPA taking silver for surfer Mick Fanning’s Gold Coast institution, and Canberra’s exceedingly excellent BentSpoke Crankshaft IPA taking bronze.

The Top 10 featured two new entrants in SA’s Pirate Life Brewing’s South Coast Pale Ale and WA’s Gage Roads Brewing Co Single Fin, joining such now iconic crafties as SA’s Coopers Brewery Original Pale Ale, NSW’s Stone & Wood Brewing Co’s Pacific Ale, and Young Henrys Newtowner.

NSW breweries took out the bragging rights with 27 beers on the list ahead of Queensland with 24. Victoria had 22, WA 11 spots and the ACT and SA both took 8 positions. Sadly for this Tasmanian, no Tassie brews made the top 100: Hobart’s Fox Friday is coming guys (with a tap-room opening in Melbourne soon).