Beers! GABS beer, cider and food fest in Auckland

Hangi doesn't always come from the ground, breakfast from a bowl and bubble gum from a wrapper — today they'll come from a nice, cold glass.

The GABS Beer, Cider & Food Fest will share 90 brews from breweries and cider makers in New Zealand and Australia at Auckland's ASB Showgrounds, their blends waiting for the adventurous of taste.

Ingredients range from breakfast cereals to grandma's jam to snails and seawater.

New Zealand brewers have given their beers a uniquely Kiwi taste, among them Auckland's Piha Beer, whose hangi beer includes ingredients such as house-smoked kumara, potatoes and pumpkins as well as manuka smoked malt.

Another Auckland beer company, Laughing Bones Brewing, turned to native plants already popular as natural remedies. Their pale ale is infused with sustainably foraged horopito and kawakawa leaves.

Meanwhile, Invercargill Brewery humoured an employee's longtime wish to work with a widely-grown root vegetable.

In a blurb about the brew, they describe using parsnip juice from a Southland grower to create a parsnip saison.

"One of [our] employees has wanted to brew one for years and now's your chance to taste it."

Taupō's Lakeman Brewing looked to a favourite children's story for inspiration in making their Hairy Wonker specialty beer, according to their promotional blurb.

"With coffee from Volcanic Roasters and chocolate from Huka Falls Chocolate, plus vanilla and almond, this is probably the beer Willy Wonka would have made."

Our Aussie cousins also showed they can tap into the wriggly and weird when turning out a brew with a difference.

Grounded crickets, seaweed, skittles and bubble gum are among ingredients used in beers from across the Tasman, and Feral Brewing Company's Breakfast IPA (India pale ale) mixed All-Bran, Nutri-Grain, cornflakes, oats, Weet-Bix and Frosted Flakes to make a "true breakfast juice".

"It smells like tropical fruit, looks like orange juice, [and] tastes like sweet cereal."

GABS co-founder Steve Jeffares said that brewing beer had done really well at the GABs Melbourne event this week, earning a People's Choice podium finish and a whole lot of new fans.

Victoria's Dainton Brewery's skittles-infused Skittlebrau was also a popular choice across the Tasman, Jeffares said.

He expected popular Kiwi craft beer brands, such as Epic and Garage Project, to do well, but others would also attract interest from adventurous beer fans.

"This is our third year in Auckland and people are really open to trying new things. They understand there will be some beers they don't like, but that they'll also be pleasantly surprised by being introduced to new flavours."