Chris Shanahan: National Press Club sniffs the beer scene

Talks between Canberra brewer Christoph Zierholz and National Press Club manager, Paul Butler, led last year to the club’s first matching of food with local beers.

The club’s wine dinners, of course, stretch back decades. Indeed I recall an early 1980s event for the liberal interpretation of “wine tasl ting” adopted by the diners, mainly journalists.

Last year’s beer event featured brews from Canberra’s Zierholz, Wig and Pen, and BentSpoke, as well as Lion, represented by veteran beer man Chuck Hahn.

Zierholz and Butler ran another degustation event in May – this time devoted solely to our local brewers.

Zierholz hopes for more joint promotion of Canberra’s fledgling but highly regarded brewing industry. Like our local wine makers, Canberra’s brewers compete with each other, but can benefit greatly from promotion of the industry as a whole.