The Canberra Brewers and BentSpoke Brewing Co are teaming up to host one of the ACT’s biggest-ever beer competitions as they challenge homebrewers to clone the brewery’s flagship beer, Crankshaft! Great brewing is about accuracy and control, and nothing tests a brewer’s skills like cloning a commercial example. So the Canberra Brewers are running a competition to see who can best match the original.
The winner stands to win a $500 cash prize and a year’s membership to the Canberra Brewers!
The 2026 Canberra Brewers Committee – ready for action!
Dear Canberra Brewers,
There are a few awesome events happening in May for you to get involved with. Join us on Thursday, 7 May 2026, at the Polish White Eagle Club, 38 David St, Turner from 7.30pm for our club meeting. We’ll have an engaging education session, key competition updates, and plenty of great beer to talk about.
Education: Brewing efficiency – what is it good for?
This month’s session will unpack brewing efficiency – what it actually means, why it matters, and how it can improve your consistency and results. From mash efficiency to brewhouse efficiency, we’ll cover practical ways to measure and improve your numbers without overcomplicating your brew day. Whether you’re chasing better yields or just trying to understand your system, this session will have something for you.
Competitions update
The Autumn club competition is almost here, and there are a few important updates:
Entry registration has been extended to noon onSaturday, 2 May. Entry drop-offs also close at noon on Saturday. Get your brews in fast.
Judging will be a morning session only at Cypher on Saturday, 9 May – so the more the merrier when it comes to stewards and judges. If you’ve been thinking about getting involved, now’s a great time. Every comp you judge contributes to BJCP judging points. Register as a judge or steward via the comp site.
We will NOT be accepting bottles at the May meeting, as it’s too close to the competition date.
Thanks to everyone who has already put their hand up to help – these events don’t run without you.
Crankshaft Clone Competition – WIN $500
Don’t forget about the Crankshaft Clone Competition, now open for entries via the club website. This is a great chance to put your brewing skills to the test. Be sure to get your entries in before the closing dates: Registration closes 13 May, drop-off before at the BentSpoke Brewpub before 5pm, 16 May – keep an eye on the website for full details and deadlines.
The winner will be judged and announced at the big homebrewing event at the Braddon Bentspoke brewpub 10am–2pm, Saturday, 23 May, with the winner announced at 2pm. Get there wearing Brewclub T-shirts to promote the club and talk to the punters.
We will set up some brew gear and show off our skills, so if anyone is keen to help, please contact one of the committee members for more details.
2026 Newcastle Or Otherwise Kinda Interstate Experience (NOOKIE) draw
The 2026 NOOKIE prize will be drawn this meeting. The prize includes a weekend way to spend at a brewery up to $1,500. The previous winner, our president, was able to secure a brew day at Jervis Bay Brewing to brew a Baltic Porter. Jae, brewer from Jervis Bay Brewing, was very generous with their time in creating a recipe and supporting the brew day.
Raffle
As always, we will have a raffle at the club meeting, with lots of great prizes including brewing ingredients and beers. Bringing a bottle or keg of beer will get you NOOKIE entries with every raffle ticket.
Social events
Stay tuned to the socials, newsletters and calendar – there are lots of events are being planned including potential brew days at Cypher and BentSpoke, and a trip to the beer capital of Australia – Marrickville!
We look forward to seeing you on Thursday, 7 May, at the Polish Club.
As we roll into April, the brewhouse fires are burning bright and there’s plenty to look forward to at our next club meeting. Join us on Thursday, 2 April 2026 at the Polish White Eagle Club, 38 David St, Turner from 7:30pm. We’ll have an informative education session, club updates, and plenty of great beer to share.
Education Session – Cereal Mashing
Our April education session will take a deep dive into cereal mashing — an essential technique for unlocking the potential of adjunct grains such as corn, rice, oats, and wheat. Whether you’re looking to refine your process or simply understand why and when to use a cereal mash, this is the session for you. Bring your questions and brewing experiences to share.
CBR Brewers partners with BentSpoke for the Cranky Competition
Now that you have had a chance to practice brewing a Cranky clone for our smaller xmas crank-ish competition it’s time for the real deal. Our Crankshaft Clone Competition went live on Friday. With $500 at stake why not pit yourself against the best to see how your cranked-up Cranky Clone compares.
Mashematics is putting together a “Canberra Brewers Members special open to all” super kit containing all you need to brew a crankshaft. You can purchase from the Mashematics website.
If you haven’t seen the announcements on facebook members group or the forum, here are the upcoming comp. dates:
Club Comp 1 (Autumn Comp) – Saturday 9 May 2026 Club Comp 2 (Winter Comp) – Saturday 27 June 2026 ACT Amateur Brewing Championships – 11-13 September 2026
Get brewing on the following styles for comp 1:
Low Alcohol
Pale Ale
American Pale Ale
IPA
Speciality IPA
Amber Ale
Brown Ale
Porter
Strong Stout
Watch the socials and we may release another email for details on entering, judging and stewarding. All are welcome!!
AGM wrap-up
A big thank you to everyone who attended the 2026 AGM and to all those who nominated for committee roles. It was great to see such strong engagement from members. The new committee is already working hard to plan another exciting year of competitions, collaborations, and education sessions. All these activities are supported by our good finances with the financials for the 2025-26 period to be provided to members at the April meeting.
For those who missed the meeting, we’ll provide a short recap of key outcomes and introduce the new committee team at the April gathering.
Club business & socialising
Jervis Bay Brewing will be hosting a brew day to support Amber’s N.O.O.K.I.E. prize on the 18 April at 10am, see the event on CB Facebook member group. The 2026 N.O.O.K.I.E. prize will be drawn at the May meeting.
As always, our monthly meeting is a great chance to catch up with fellow brewers, talk shop, and sample some homebrew. Don’t forget to bring along a few bottles of your latest creation for feedback and sharing or for the six pack swap.
The kegerator will be set-up to host member-bought kegs and we happen to know Ed and Lawfo will be bringing some tasty beers.
We look forward to seeing you on Thursday, 2 April, at the Polish Club. Bring your ideas, bring your enthusiasm, and — of course — bring your homebrew, either a keg or bottle!
As we head into March, there’s plenty to celebrate — and some important club business to attend to. The annual general meeting (AGM) will be conducted at the next club meeting on Thursday, 5 March at the Polish White Eagle Club, 38 David St, Turner from 7:30pm. We need as many members to attend as possible to vote in the new committee. If you would like to be a member of the committee for 2026, please read the Committee Nominations section of this message.
National Multicultural Festival 2026 – what a result!
Treasurer Amber behind the taps at the multicultural festival.
A massive thank you to everyone who volunteered, brewed, transported, set up, packed down, and poured at our stall at the Canberra Multicultural Festival 2026.
Thanks to an extraordinary team effort, we:
sold out of approximately 1,000 litres of club-brewed beer
showcased the depth and quality of Canberra Brewers talent
raised significant funds for the club to support competitions, education sessions, equipment upgrades, and future events
promoted the Club to the Canberra community and (fingers crossed) recruited new members.
The feedback from festival-goers was overwhelmingly positive. Not only did we demonstrate the quality of homebrewing in Canberra, we strengthened the club’s profile within the wider community.
This outcome reflects the professionalism, organisation, and brewing excellence of our members. Well done to all involved — it was a standout effort.
A heartfelt thank you to our 2025 committee
Club President Anthony Ween gets some quality assurance in during the multicultural festival.
As we approach another AGM and get ready to vote in the 2026 committee, it’s important to pause and recognise the incredible work of our 2025 Committee. Behind every successful brew day, competition, festival pour, and club gathering is a dedicated group of volunteers who generously give their time, energy, and expertise to keep the Canberra Brewers thriving.
A special thank you must go to Anthony Ween, our President, for his outstanding leadership over the past three years. Guiding a volunteer organisation is no small task, and his steady hand, thoughtful decision-making, and genuine passion for the club have helped shape a strong, welcoming, and forward-looking community.
We also want to recognise the huge efforts of Ed and Nicole as the Competition Secretaries over the past 3 years. Competitions are an important part of the club and the way they have been run in recent years has been outstanding. Both Ed and Nicole have put in considerable hours to plan and conduct the comps. They took it in their stride and dealt with everything from venue changes, late bottle collections, deadlines for packing and sending to Nationals and the odd frozen fridge!
While not being an elected member of the committee we would like to acknowledge the efforts of Pat B to update the website and push our social media presence. Pat has been a champion for the club over many years and without his efforts for this and his BJCP training we would be much diminished. Thanks again Pat!
To the entire 2025 Committee: thank you for your commitment, your teamwork, and your belief in what makes the Canberra Brewers such a special community. The club simply wouldn’t function without you — and we are grateful for every meeting attended, email answered, and event supported. Here’s to another great year of brewing together!
2026 committee nominations now open
With our 2026 Annual General Meeting approaching, we are calling for nominations for the Canberra Brewers Committee.
The following positions are open:
President
Treasurer
Competition Secretary
Social Secretary
Communications Secretary
Education Officer
General Member/s
Serving on the committee is a rewarding way to contribute to the direction and success of the club. It’s an opportunity to shape competitions, events, education programs, and our broader brewing community.
If you’re interested in nominating:
Consider which role suits your skills and interests
Be prepared to briefly introduce yourself at the meeting
If you’d like more information about what any role involves, please reach out to a current committee member — we’re happy to chat.
Fresh ideas and new energy are always welcome.
2026 Annual General Meeting – 5 March 2026
Our 2026 AGM will be held on Thursday, 5 March 2026
At the AGM we will:
present reports from the President and Treasurer
review the past year’s activities and achievements
dissolve the 2025 Committee
elect the 2026 Committee
discuss the club’s direction for the year ahead.
David Gilks will be our returning member and will run through the proceedings to elect the new committee.
Your attendance is strongly encouraged — the AGM is your opportunity to have a say in the future of Canberra Brewers. If you are unable to attend the meeting you may nominate a proxy to vote on your behalf.
We look forward to seeing you at the March meeting and AGM. Bring your ideas, bring your enthusiasm, and of course, bring your homebrew to share.
