Six men wearing bright red Canberra Brewers T-shirts, one in front of a bar, reaching back for a beer, while the others stand together in the background, behind the bar.

Dear Canberra Brewers,

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!

A smiling woman leans over a bar, looking below beer taps.
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

A man standing behind beer taps, smiling, wearing a bright red Canberra Brewers shirt, holding a cup of beer
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:

  1. Consider which role suits your skills and interests
  2. Submit your nomination to president@canberrabrewers.com.au prior the AGM, or nominate on the night.
  3. 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.

Cheers,

Canberra Brewers Committee

The Canberra Brewers are heading back to the National Multicultural Festival and for the second year in a row will be serving up beers made by members to serve to the public.

The line-up this weekend (February 6-8) includes eight beers brewed on our pilot system at Zierholz Brewery in Fyshwick, a competition-winning recipe at BentSpoke’s Brew Pub in Braddon and at fruited sour beer brewed during a club trip to Jervis Bay Brewing Co.

The 10 beers will rotate through our taps for the duration of the festival, so punters should keep coming back to see what’s new.

Many of the brewers who made the beer will be behind the bar serving beers to customers, and keen to chat about all things beer and brewing.

Canberra Brewers treasurer Amber Hutchison brewed a dark saison for the event and said meeting brewers at the festival one year is what inspired her to get involved in the club.

“One of my first interactions with the Canberra Brewers was at the Multicultural Festival. The members I talked to were excited to engage me about my new homebrew hobby and invited me to attend the next club meeting.

“I’m very grateful for that opportunity to engage with the club at multi-culti as I would not be the brewer I am now!”

Amber Hutchison

2025 ACT Champion Brewer Andrew ‘Stretch’ Lewis had the privilege of brewing his kölsch recipe at the BentSpoke Brew Pub after it won beer of show at last year’s competition. Bent Brewer 7 carries on a long tradition of BentSpoke giving the beer of show winner a chance to brew on a commercial set up with Richard and Tracy.

The Canberra Brewers will be at stall D5, on City Walk between the Canberra Times Fountain and Akuna St.

A man pouring hops into a large brewing kettle
Ant adds hops to his ESB
A man stirs a brewing kettle with a large wooden paddle
Adi stirs the mash’ brewing his Helles Export
A man pours malt into a large stainless steel pot
Craig mashes in his Pivo
A man grins while stirring with a large wooden padel
Stretch brewing his Vienna lager.
A woman holds a conical lab flask, pouring yeast into a stainless steel fermenter
Amber pitches the yeast for her saison.
A man adds two packets of hops to a large vat of dark liquid
Ken hops is oatmeal stout
A man gives a thumbs up with brewing kettles in the background
Chuck brews his IPA
A man stands amidst stainless steel tanks while stirring a brewing kettle
John give his IPA a stir
Two men in a bar clinking beer glasses
Richard Watkins and Andrew ‘Stretch’ Lewis at BentSpoke

Multicultural festival beer line-up

🇩🇪 Adrian’s Helles Export 5.4%: A pale, medium-bodied German-style lager with a crisp finish that keeps you coming back for more.

🇧🇪 Amber’s Saison 6.1%: Dark in colour but light on the plate, this is a spiced, dry and slightly malty Belgian-style farmhouse ale.

🇬🇧 Ant’s ESB 5%: A sessionable malty English ale with unmistakable fruity esters from the Fuller’s yeast.

🇩🇪 Bent Brewer 7, Stretch’s ‘Kolsch’, 5%: ACT Champion Brewer Andrew Lewis’s beer of show winning recipe, brewed at BentSpoke Brew Pub. A crisp, refreshing German-style ale, perfect for a Summer thirst.

🇦🇺 Chuck’s IPA 6.4%: Our take on Crankshaft, Australia’s favourite IPA, made famous by big club supporter BentSpoke – what do you think?

🇨🇿 Craig’s Pevo 4.4%: A thirst-quenching golden beer with a clean, crisp taste and a touch of malt sweetness.

🇧🇷 Jervis Bay Brewing Co Colab Berry Sour 5%: Brewed by club members at Jervis Bay Brewing Co in Huskisson – a refreshingly tart raspberry and blackberry sour beer.

🇺🇸 John’s IPA 7%: A classic American-style IPA with bright citrus and tropical hops – bold and beautiful.

🇬🇧 Ken’s Oatmeal Stout 5.5%: A dark, full-bodied, roasty ale with a slight hint of mild earthy, nutty flavour from the oats.

🇦🇹 Stretch’s Vienna Lager 6%: A smooth amber lager with a malty, slightly toasty flavour and a crisp finish.

A map of City Walk, Canberra
The Canberra Brewers stall location for the 2026 National Multicultural Festival

Three men looking up at the camera with shiny stainless steel brewing equipment in the background.
Chuck, President Weenie and Jason brewing up a batch at Zierholz for the multicultural festival.

Brewers,

Happy New year, we hope you had a great Christmas break and got a chance to brew, travel, or at least taste a few great brews. We are excited about 2026 at the club, starting with the first club meeting on Thursday, 5 February at the Polish White Eagle Club, 38 David St, Turner  from 7:30pm. We will have a huge weekend following the meeting with our major fundraiser and club promotion at the National Multicultural Festival, 6-8 February, more details below!

President’s message

Two men standing together, one holds a wooden plaque while giving the thumbs up.
Jason Reilly, left, receiving the 2025 Club Member of the Year Award from the Prez.

February is a great chance to get together as a club after a big 2025 and start fresh for the new year. We need to acknowledge the massive efforts of Jason and Chuck in-particular, to coordinate the brewing of the club’s beers for the multi-cultural festival. This is a fantastic opportunity to show off the club and our biggest public activity of the year. Thanks also to Christoph from Zierholz for access to his brewery, and Richard from BentSpoke for supporting and sponsoring the club’s efforts with BentBrewer, and to all other support provided that makes the club what it is.

All of our outcomes come from the efforts of members, so we need to thank those who participate, but also look to new brewers to welcome to the club. Invite friends. If you meet brewers, invite them to a club event and encourage them to join our great club!

Brew strong!

National Multicultural Festival

The multicultural festival is almost upon us! There are still slots available for club members to assist with setup, pack-up and serving beers throughout the weekend 6-8 February. It is a great activity to get involved with, and a chance for us to talk to the Canberra Community about this hobby that we love so much. All the details are on the Canberra brewers forum.  

Crankshaft Clone Competition

A man grins while holding a T-shirt and two cases of Crankshaft while a second man smiles in the background.
Corey picks up his swag from BentSpoke head brewer and co-founder Richard Watkins.

Congratulations to Corey for taking out the Club Crankshaft Clone comp at the Christmas party. The committee is working in the background to organise a Crankshaft clone comp which will open to the public to coincide with international homebrew day in May. The aim is to promote the existence of the club to homebrewers in Canberra, in order to increase our membership. If you are keen to get involved on the organising side, please contact the comp secretaries, or any of the committee members.

Education

To kick-off 2026, we are going to explore “The why and how of yeast harvesting.” This will be a great opportunity to discover multiple methods for yeast harvesting, how to improve your success rate and to share your own experiences with other club members.

AGM and committee positions

The Club AGM will be held at the March meeting. It sneaks up on us quickly. We need maximum attendance (at least a quorum) so please make an effort to clear your schedule for Thursday, 5 March. This year we have quite a few committee members who will not be re-nominating for their existing appointments, so we need some new members to step forward and lend a hand to running the club. It is a rewarding experience, and honestly, doesn’t take a huge effort. More info. to come on the process for nominating for positions.

See you all at the Feb Meeting at the Polish Club!

Computer generated illustration of Santa Claus holding a beer
The most wonderful time… for a beer…

Brewers,

Just a quick message this month but a couple of important dates to note!

Note there is no meeting at the Polish Club  this Thursday (4 December), instead, we are gearing up for Sunday, 14 December at 1pm  and the Club Christmas party at Bentspoke Cannery, Mitchell.

As usual, there is no January meeting, but we are back for our first meeting of 2026 on Thursday 5 February 2026 at the White Eagle Polish Club from 7.30pm. And of course keep a session or two free to help out at the National Multicultural Festival, 6-8 February 2026.

Jingle Beers

The big Christmas party is here again! Please bring a salad or desert and of course, your beers. The club will provide sausages and various other animals to cook on the BBQ. If you have dietary requirements that you need us to consider, please email this to social@canberrabrewers.com.au. We’ll make sure we have some vegetarian/vegan options.

This event is for paid-up club members. You can join before, or on the day.

Be sure to carpool with a designated driver or get an uber with some mates. We promote responsible alcohol consumption.

See you at 1pm, Sunday 14 December at  Bentspoke Cannery, 79 Lysaght St. Mitchell ACT, enter via Brooke Street.

More details will be added to the Facebook event page and the forum as they are finalised.

Club Member of the Year

The Club member of the year has been decided and will be announced at the Christmas party. On behalf of the President and committee, thank you to all members for your involvement and contributions to the club this year!

Make sure you clear your schedule to get to the Christmas party, you could be member of the year and we’d love for you to be recognised in front of the club membership.

Crankshaft Clone Competition

By now you should have your Crankshaft clones brewed, ready for the club comp at the Christmas party. Bring in a minimum 500mL bottle of your entry, ensure it is un-marked. A team of experts will judge who takes home the crown of the Crankiest Brewer. No cost for entry, except for being a paid-up club member. One entry per brewer. This one is for a bit of fun and preparation for the big Crankshaft comp, which will coincide with international homebrew day in May next year. 

Christmas Carton Swap

The carton swap is on!! Details are on Facebook and the forum. It’s not too late to register and bring in your brews to the Christmas party. Our sponsors have kindly donated prizes and slabs of their own brews to add to the swap!

brewing equipment including pail fermenters, a pressure fermenter and box, hoses and other packaging.
Mashematics’ contribution to the 2025 carton swap.
A bag of malt, two brown PET mini kegs and a box labelled 'Fermenter King Junior 10L'
The great haul donated by Brew Your Own at Home in Kambah, and Belco Brew Supplies for their contributions to the swap.

Home brewing suppliers

  • Brew Your Own At Home Kambah: 10L pressure fermenter, 8L PET keg, 4L PET keg
  • Belco Brew Supplies: 25 kg bag of Voyager Veloria Malt
  • Mashematics: 30L Fermzilla (including gas and liquid turrets, floating pick-up tube, transfer hose and siphon kit), siphon bottling kit, 2 x 30L pail fermenter kits, 138g packs of simcoe, saaz and ekuanot hops

Brewery supporters

  • Wild Polly: Hop Harvest Ale
  • BentSpoke: Frenzy and Hazee
  • Cypher: Digital Fabric
  • Capital: Good Drop
Cans of beer from BentSpoke, Capital, Wild Polly and Cypher breweries.
Thanks to brewery sponsors of the 2025 carton swap, BentSpoke, Capital, Cypher and Wild Polly for their contributions.

See you at the Christmas Party!!