Category Archives: Beer

Canberra’s Wig and Pen settles in at Llewelyn Hall

29 April 2015Beer, Beer review, PeopleChris Shanahan

Canberra’s Wig and Pen brewpub re-opened on 12 January, even as workers finished off the brewing area. For the re-opening, owner Lachie McOmish served beers brewed before the original outlet closed on 30 October 2014 and held in cold storage.

Shortly after opening, brewing commenced at the new Llewellyn Hall site. At the same time, Tom Lillicrap headed off for post-doctoral studies, handing brewing responsibilities to Frazer Brown and assistant, Alan Ball.

From a drinker’s perspective, the Wig came through the move and brewing changes unscathed. The stock held in storage remained remarkably fresh for the opening. And the new beers brewed on site since then retain the Wig’s benchmark quality, with subtle tweaks introduced by Brown.

A preview of his coming imperial brown ale, aptly named King of the North, point to an inventive future at one of Canberra’s most congenial, civilised watering holes.

Wig and Pen Duck a l’Orange $7 half-pint
This is a variant on the Wig’s popular Duckmaloi Irish Red Ale. On its way from keg to tap, the rich, malty ale percolates through a glass cylinder (the “hopinator”) loaded with fresh orange peel and cinnamon. The appealing, pungent–fruity aroma turns to a teasing, tart, delicious orange hit on a sumptuous, mildly bitter palate.

Wig and Pen Backnow Extra Special Bitter $7 half-pint
For a time the Wig’s staff responded “not now” to requests for its sold-out Extra Special Bitter. But it’s back now and true to the English cask-conditioned, hand-pumped style: round, soft and warming on the palate with a lingering, balanced hops bitterness – the right beer for a cold winter’s night.

Big beer brands still on top

4 February 2015BeerChris Shanahan

Roy Morgan research released for last week’s Australia Day celebrations revealed that nine out ten people who drank beer in 2014 drank at least one Australian beer.

The research found drinkers of XXXX Gold, Cascade Premium Light, VB and Crown Lager, “are more likely than drinkers of other Aussie beer brands to believe that ‘Australian beer is the only beer worth drinking’ and that ‘imported beer is a waste of money’”.

Not surprisingly, the ten top beers rated in the survey of 5,968 respondents were large-volume, popular brands, not the craft beers columns like this tend to talk about.

Lagers comprised eight of the 10. But the James Squire brand, embracing ales and lagers, came in at ninth position. And Cooper’s Pale Ale, in fourth place, demonstrated that popular taste could embrace characterful beers as well.

Canberra’s Wig & Pen brewpub – Canberra landmark returns

28 January 2015Beer, Beer reviewChris Shanahan

After closing its city brewpub on 30 October, Canberra’s much-loved Wig and Pen poured first beers at its new Llewellyn Hall home on Monday 12 January.

Owner Lachie McOmish opted for a low-key launch, heralded by nothing more than a “not long now” Facebook post on 1 January.

Eleven days later the Wig opened. And the customers came. “We did about the same business as we would’ve on a usual Monday at the old Wig and Pen”, said McOmish.

On our visit a day later, patrons enjoyed their brews as workers – no longer visible in the bar area – completed the finishing touches to the brewing and storage rooms.

Brewer, Dr Tom Lillicrap, said he hoped to begin brewing at the new site by mid January. Meanwhile, the bar served beer brewed at the original site and kept in cold storage during the move.

Wig and Pen Thousand Monkeys Hefeweizen $12 pint, $7 half-pint
Dr Tom Lillicrap says he’s leaving the Wig for post-doctoral studies. But he’s handing over to Frazer Brown and Alan Ball, his collaborators on this delicious wheat beer, infused with fresh plumcots, navel oranges and lychees. The fresh fruit and orange-rind flavours make an already spritely, fruity beer even more enjoyable.

All the way with IPA in USA craft beer market

21 January 2015BeerChris Shanahan

The trend-setting American craft beer market is being led by the very strong and distinctive IPA (India Pale Ale) styles.

Summing up developments in 2014, the Brewers Association, representing craft and home brewers, said IPAs account for around one fifth of craft beer sales to June 2014 and formed the biggest category in the Great American Beer Festival. Sale of craft beer overall increased 18 per cent by volume in the same period.

The association says craft beer is now moving into the mainstream as volumes grow and increasing numbers of people from different age and backgrounds give it a try.

In 2013 craft beers claimed $14.3 billion of America’s $100 billion beer market.

The number of craft brewers is increasing at a rate of 1.5 a day, and more than 2000 are being planned.

20 January 2015 in goodfood.com.au
21 January 2015 in the Canberra Times

Erina brewer excites with pale ale and dark red IPA

14 January 2015Beer, Beer reviewChris Shanahan

Our Sydney beer scout, Mr Malty, drew our attention to Six String Brewing Co, of Erina on the NSW central coast. “These blokes are good”, he said, “especially the Pale Ale and Dark Red IPA”.

We found cans at Plonk Fyshwick. Shell shocked at paying $99.90 and $123.90 respectively for a slab of each, we threw in a can each of Hefeweizen and Gold Ale and headed down the coast.

Hefeweizen, a wheat beer in the southern German style offers banana-like fruity aroma, lively, zesty flavours, low bitterness and characteristic lemony bite in the finish. It’s a fair rendition of the style (three-and-a-half star rating.

The mid-strength (3.5 per cent alcohol) Six Strings Golden Ale really steps up to the mark for this style, using rich malt and hops to fill the gap left by the low alcohol content (four-star rating).

Six String Brewing Co Pale Ale 375ml can $4.16
The brewer calls this “a hybrid between American and Australian pale ales”. That’s a fair description of an opulent, pale golden beer, with a beautiful, persistent head and intense, citrus-like hops aroma. The hops also give a strong, lingering bitterness to a very pleasing example of the style.

Six String Brewing Co Dark Red IPA 375ml can $5.16
Six String’s powerful IPA pours dark, almost black with a distinct red hue, topped by a luxurious white head. The head concentrates the hop oils and bitterness, so it takes a few sips of the smooth, malty liquid below to see the great harmony of this very malty, very bitter beer – a triumph of the brewer’s art.

13 January in goodfood.com.au and other Fairfax digital media
14 January in the Canberra Times

Canberra-brewed take aways

17 December 2014BeerChris Shanahan

For a special, ultra-fresh Christmas beer, or a cool gift for beer lovers, consider the take-home offerings of two local brewers, BentSpoke and Zierholz.

BentSpoke, Elouera Street Braddon, sells 2-litre metal “travellers” for $30 plus $24 for the beer. Brewer Richard Watkins says owners can fill up from his regular beers and two of three seasonal beers now on tap: Frenzy, a raspberry infused wheat ale; and Heat Freekah, a Belgian style “saison” ale brewed from the new “freekah” barley.

A third seasonal beer, Spicy Baubles (a herb, spice and fruit infused pale ale), is available only on-premise.

Zierholz Premium Brewery offers five-litre, recyclable kegs for $40 through the brewery at Paragon Mall, Fyshwick and its Canberra University outlet.

For the festive season Christoph Zierholz recommends his German style pilsner or Hefeweizen (wheat beer), modelled on the southern German style.

16 December 2014 in goodfood.com.au
17 December 2014 in the Canberra Times

When beer isn’t booze

10 December 2014BeerChris Shanahan

As VB (4.9 per cent alcohol) and XXXX Gold (3.5 per cent alcohol) vie for Australia’s most-popular beer crown, Coopers announced a sales surge in the very different zero-alcohol beer market.

The Adelaide brewer says sales of Holsten 0.0% increased by 20 per cent in the last year. Coopers expect consumption to continue growing following decisions by national liquor outlets to range it alongside normal beers, not soft drinks.

Cooper’s Scott Harris said increasing sales in Australia, “reflect the situation in the rest of the world, where no alcohol beers make up to 13 per cent of total beer sales in some European countries”.

Market research group Mintel recently reported particularly strong interest in zero alcohol beer in Spain and Germany. European commentators attribute growing success largely to health consciousness and improved flavour. German-made Holsten, for example, is brewed like a normal beer, with the alcohol removed afterwards.

9 December 2014 in goodfood.com.au
10 December 2014 in the Canberra Times

Canberra’s year in beer, 2014

3 December 2014BeerChris Shanahan

Canberra’s embrace of the global craft-beer phenomenon tightened during 2014. We began the year with two local breweries – Zierholz and the Wig and Pen – and on 6 June we welcomed BentSpoke, Braddon, as our third.

The two-story brewpub provides great views of the brewing equipment from the downstairs bar. It serves beer, cider, wine and food on both levels and at its outdoor courtyard.

On opening night, people queued in the cold to join an enthusiastic crow inside. And in the first three days, patrons consumed 3,500 litres of beer – all brewed on site in the lead up to opening by Richard Watkins.

Watkins, partner Tracy Margrain and his backers – the family behind Melbourne brewing supplier, Bintani Australia – designed and built BentSpoke from scratch in a new building on the corner of Mort and Elouera Streets, Braddon.

As BentSpoke fired up, our oldest brewpub, the Wig and Pen prepared to move from its Alinga Street home of two decades to nearby Llewellyn Hall, at the Australian National University.

Owner Lachie McOmish hoped to achieve the move in just a few weeks from September. However, McOmish poured last drinks for his loyal patrons on 30 October. And after visiting the new site on 25 November, I’d be surprised to see it open before the new year, despite the building activity underway at the time.

McOmish says the bar will be about the same size as the original. The brewing area, on the same level, will be larger, and supported by a grain mill and storage space downstairs.

Before departing the Wig and Pen to establish BentSpoke, Richard Watkins trained Dr Tom Lillicrap as the Wig’s new brewer.

The new site should attract the old enthusiasts. And concertgoers at Llewellyn Hall will at last have tasty alternatives to the lacklustre offering of the Hall’s pop-up bar.

As BentSpoke revved up and the Wig and Pen wound back for its move, our third brewer, Christoph Zierholz, eyed a new site at Kingston.

Zierholz currently brews from a brewpub in Fyshwick, with another outlet at University of Canberra. He hopes to secure a site for a brewery and beer hall at the new arts precinct, adjacent to Kingston Markets.

Certainly our thirst for varied and interesting beers seems endless. It seems likely our small city can easily absorb the output of three exceptionally innovative local brewers.

All of these brewers arose from the amateur ranks. And the depth of local interest shows in two recent events.

Canberra brewer, Kevin Hingston, won the Champion Brewer Award at this year’s Australian Amateur Brewing Championship, hosted in Canberra. Canberra brewers overall amassed the second highest aggregate, just one point behind more populous Victoria, and two points ahead of NSW.

The other event, Canberra Beer Week, held in November, attracted a beyond-capacity crowd to its one-day beer hall at Kingston. Tap takeovers and beer and food events across the city also attracted enthusiastic drinkers.
It seems Canberra can’t quite get enough of the really good stuff.

25 November 2014 in goodfood.com.au
3 December 2014 in the Canberra Times

Great Australian beer festival February 2015

26 November 2014BeerChris Shanahan

Australians’ exploding love for cider and craft beer means ever more events combining these lovely drinks with fine food and entertainment.

A big event on the calendar, the Great Australian Beer Festival, is to be held at Geelong Racecourse on Saturday 21 February.

The organisers are yet to announce details of entertainment and food at the event. But they expect to offer more than 200 craft beers and ciders.

Brewers supporting the event include the two big boys, Lion (Little Creatures) and CUB (Matilda Bay) as well as a number of smaller independents. These include Prickly Moses, Southern Bay Brew Co, Mountain Goat, Murray’s, Stone and Wood, Napoleone and Holgate.

The website (gabfgeelong.com.au) provides updates on the event as it takes shape. Entry to the event costs $44 online (including online transaction fee) but will be $50 at the gate. Drink tokens cost extra.

Canberra beer week

19 November 2014BeerChris Shanahan

After teetering close to cancellation just two weeks from commencement, Canberra Beer Week launched successfully on Saturday 8 November, says organiser Anthony Young.

Red tape nearly derailed one of the signature events, says Young. But Beer Day Out, a showcase of 27 Australian and international craft brewers at Kingston markets, went ahead as scheduled, attracting an enthusiastic crowd.

Like similar events now well established in Sydney and Melbourne, Canberra’s major beer event caters to growing consumer interest in craft beers.

Canberra brewer BentSpoke, launched two new beers for the event over a “meet the brewers” brunch at the brewpub.

And food and beer matching events included New Zealand craft brews over lunch at Pod Food, Pialligo, and a beer degustation menu at Rubicon restaurant, Griffith.

Organisers expect an even bigger and more varied event next year, so keep an eye on canberrrabeerweek.com.