GFB Draught vs TWØBAYS Lager
Which do you prefer – and what is the difference? Our new easy-drinking Aussie tasting beer GFB? Or our TWØBAYS core range craft Lager?
If you’ve tried neither and you’ve never been a craft beer lover, start with GFB Draught and graduate to our craft Lager – or heck, go wild and drink them side by side to compare! Most people outside of craft beer see beer as ‘lager’, and it’s a great first touchpoint in the journey.
Both are brewed in our dedicated gluten free brewery in the Dromana Industrial Estate on Victoria’s Mornington Peninsula, and both are endorsed by Coeliac Australia.
Why we released these 2 gluten free beers
Lager was the fourth beer to join the TWØBAYS core range. The full-flavoured Lager/Pilsner style has recently found its place in Australia’s craft beer world, and we wanted to create the offering for those who wanted an alternative to the hoppier ales.
While we knew Aussies love exploring the world of gluten free craft beer, we also knew that a craft Lager would not be for everyone. There was a lot of feedback that people just wanted an easy-drinking classic Aussie beer taste too. So we launched our new brand called GFB – simply ‘just great beer’.
The first beer in the GFB range is a clean, crisp and refreshing full-strength Draught. We called it a ‘Draught’ to differentiate it from our Lager, but what is the difference? In truth ‘Draught’ on a can is a bit of an oxymoron as the word derives from the fact that the beer is exclusively tap-drawn from kegs! The name 'Draught' is often used as an alternative to Lager – especially for the ‘standard’ beers you would expect at any great Australian pub or hotel.
Our homage to a classic Aussie taste obviously hit the right notes because the first batch sold out online in 24 hours!
How is the look and feel different?
Prior to the release of GFB in September, TWØBAYS had been solely focused on pushing the boundaries of craft beer so that gluten free beer drinkers could enjoy the full craft experience like anybody else.
While we’ve also pushed the boundaries with the GFB Draught, it’s designed to have that classic Aussie taste, rather than something that is heavily hopped, or carries big malt flavours – or something that is more experimental with ingredients, mouthfeel and aroma.
Unlike our TWØBAYS beers, which are brewed using millet, buckwheat and rice malts, GFB uses sorghum and rice malts to create that easy-drinking flavour profile. The key difference is in those raw ingredients and the volume of hops used.
The ingredients also make the beer lighter in colour and drier in mouthfeel.
What’s the difference in taste?
GFB Draught and TWØBAYS Lager might use the same German Lager yeast and the same Saphir hops, but the brew team use less hops in GFB and they don’t accentuate the bitterness as much as they do in the craft Lager, which makes GFB closer to a Carlton Draught than a Victoria Bitter.
Our Lager enjoys a lovely malt sweetness, a classic crispness, and great hop aromatics – with the addition of a second hop called Premiant – but at the end of the day, it’s all down to personal preference and adventurousness.
*Note the above was a limited edition pack, no longer available for online purchase*
What should I try next?
If you like both GFB Draught and TWØBAYS Lager, explore the rest of the range. At TWØBAYS, we’re all about the journey of beer – and that begins with having a beer for every occasion with family and friends which is safe to drink for everybody (whatever style or brand it is).
After that, we encourage trial of our craft beer range through a mixed carton, consisting of four styles from our Lager, Pale, XPA, IPA and a speciality limited release beer, such as a Stout, a Red IPA, a Hazy Pale – or one of the awesome beers we have coming.
What else is there to know about the style?
Despite the fact that Lager challenges a brewer’s technical prowess, it is the most brewed and consumed beer style on the planet. Its ‘naked’ nature showcases process and ingredients, and there isn’t usually anywhere to hide faults like yeast stress or over-bittering. Coming from the German word “lagern” meaning “to store”, lagers were traditionally made and stored in caves and underground cellars in barrels.
The basic difference between the two major beer classifications is how they are fermented. Ales are fermented with top-fermenting yeast at warm temperatures (15-25ºC) and lagers are fermented with bottom-fermenting yeast at cold temperatures (5-10ºC).
The maturation period for a Lager is commonly at least a week longer than an ale (sometimes much more), this is because the lager yeast ferments slower, producing finer, more delicate, generally more refreshing flavour characteristics.
It’s also probably the beer that most people in the world first taste – especially Australians.
There are also more than 20 different styles of Lager (some of which we may explore in future Taproom beers and nationwide releases!
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Bohemian Pilsner
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German Licht
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Munchener Helles
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Dortmunder
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Vienna Lager
- Rice Lager
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Helles Bock
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Eisbock
- American Lager
