When we headed to TWØBAYS' home in Dromana in early 2025 to record a podcast episode with founder Richard Jeffares and head brewer Kristian Martin, one of the reasons was to make sure we did it while they were still holders of the title of best gluten-free brewers on the planet. At the World Beer Cup in the States in 2024 – the world's biggest beer competition – they'd taken out gold in the GF category for their Session Ale, becoming one of very few Australian breweries to ever pick up gold there.

It turns out we needn't have worried. As we were recording that episode, we were given a tank sample of the next beer set to enter their core range: Pacific Ale. Roll forward to May 2025 and that beer only went and picked up gold at the 2025 World Beer Cup, meaning the Mornington Peninsula brewers have secured a quite remarkable achievement in going back-to-back at the toughest beer awards going. Crikey!

The beer itself is yet another one of those in their lineup which you could give to a craft beer drinker in a glass and we're pretty certain they'd have no inkling it features no malted barley or wheat, and is instead built upon nothing but gluten-free grains. Vibrant in its pineapple and citrus fruitiness, immaculate in its texture and structure, and tight and refreshing as you like, now it's not just a great option for people who can't drink gluten beers, but a gold medal-winning flagbearer for the Australian beer industry on a global stage. Crikey!

James Smith