Chris Shanahan: Five new Canberra beers for winter

Canberra, look out for a slew of new winter beers from our local breweries.

One of the beers is an election special from Pact Beer Co – it surely had to happen and it could only happen in Canberra. Brewer Kevin Hingston created this beer just for the election and called it the Double Dissolution Disillusion Double Bitter. Try saying that quickly 10 times after a few pints.

In a pun filled email, Hingston writes, “We put the Double Dissolution Disillusion Double Bitter down today. It’s an English style double bitter – a labor of love with a liberal amount of green hops.”

The best bit? “We are calling it a double bitter, but that’s just an empty election promise – it’s actually a normal strength one,” Hingston says.

The election beer isn’t the only thing that Pact is putting out this winter. It will join the Brickworks, an American brown ale style which is being relaunched for the Canberra winter.

And you can also look out for three intriguing new beers at microbrewery BentSpoke in Braddon. Ever-inventive master brewer Richard Watkins has tapped several extraordinary winter beers ready for BentSpoke’s second birthday which is being celebrated this month.

Who needs wine when you can enjoy Cluster 18, an 18 per cent alcohol sextuplet IPA. Or grab a balloon of the Descent 16 – a 16 per cent alcohol imperial stout. These are beers with a flourish.

But if you’d like something a little more comforting and traditionally wintry, don’t despair. For less adventurous palates, Watkins has created Hot Off the Press, a hot, mulled, spiced cider.