Crankshaft clone competition - Canberra Brewers

Pitting brewers’ skills against Australia’s best

Can you brew Australia’s favourite IPA?

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.

And the winner stands to win a $500 cash prize!

BentSpoke head brewer and co-founder Richard Watkins has even opened up the brew log to share the recipe!

How it works

Check out the recipe below and get brewing. Take a photo of your brew day (even post it on social media and tag Canberra Brewers and BentSpoke!)
Register for the competition via registering on our entry page before 11.59pm Wednesday 13 May. Registration is free.
Drop off your entry (at least 500mL) at BentSpoke Brewing Company’s Braddon Brew Pub, 38 Mort St, Braddon, Canberra ACT, before 5pm Saturday 16 May. Entries must be delivered in person and labelled correctly.
On Saturday 23 May from 12pm expert judges from the Canberra Brewers and BentSpoke Brewing Co will announce the winner.
Hang around on the day for brewing demos, chat to club members and enjoy a few of BentSpoke’s finest!

Enter now

Full terms and conditions below.

Prizes

First Prize: $500 cash prize and one year Canberra Brewers Crankshaft membership (worth $60)

Second Prize: Case of Crankshaft

Dates

24 March: Registration opens
13 May: Registration closes
16 May: Entry drop-off closes
23 May: Judging and winner announced

Crankshaft recipe

Brewers are welcome to modify the recipe or substitute ingredients as they wish. The proof of the brewing is in the tasting!

Vital statistics

Final Gravity 1.007–1.009
ABV 5.8%
IBU 35

What about starting gravity and mash temp you say? Since the effects of mash temp can vary depending on the brewer’s equipment, ingredients and process, we have not provided these numbers. It is for the brewer to use knowledge of their system to determine these figures.

Malt

Malt	Maltster	%
Ale Malt	Joe White Traditional Ale	91%
Voodoo Malt	Voyager	4.4%
Chit Malt	Voyager	2.3%
Rolled Wheat	BLM	2.3%

Hops

Timing	Variety	Quantity
Boil – 60 min	Simcoe (or other bittering hop)	Whatever required after calculating whirlpool contribution to achieve total 35 IBU
Whirlpool*	Centennial,Citra,Ekuanot,Simcoe	0.4g/L of each variety
Dry hop – at yeast pitch	Centennial,Citra,Ekuanot,Simcoe	0.6g/L of each variety
Dry hop – 7 days after yeast pitch (when fermentation is near completion)	Centennial,Citra,Ekuanot,Simcoe	2g/L of each variety

*BentSpoke runs a 10-15 minute whirlpool and then pumps out for a total of 35 minutes.

Water additions

0.3g/L Calcium Chloride (mash)
0.3g/L Calcium Sulphate (mash)
0.075g/L Lactic Acid (mash)
0.075g/L Lactic Acid (sparge)

Recent icon water analysis for Mitchell, ACT, lists the following profile:

Total alkalinity 41mg/L
Chloride 2.5mg/L
Sulphate 0.5mg/L as S
Calcium 10.8mg/L
Magnesium 0.99mg/L
Sodium 2.8mg/L
Potassium 0.5mg/L

Yeast

US-05

Fermentation profile: Brewer’s choice! You’ll need to work out the temperature and fermentation schedule that gets the result that best matches BentSpoke Crankshaft. It’s all about knowing your system!

Terms and conditions

Promoter Details

Canberra Brewers Inc (Incorporated Associations number A05110) sponsored by BentSpoke.

Eligibility

Entrants must be aged 18 and above and reside within the ACT and surrounding regions (defined as local government areas Bega Valley, Eurobodalla, Goulburn Mulwaree, Hilltops, Queanbeyan-Palerang, Snowy Monaro, Upper Lachlan, Wingecarribee and Yass Valley). Entrants must be amateur brewers or indicate their professional association on their entry.

Entrants must have brewed the beer themselves, all grain, extract and kit brewing methods are all acceptable as long as the entrant has produced and fermented the wort. Entrants may need to provide a photo of their brew day to help confirm it is their beer. BentSpoke employees are not allowed to enter.

Entry method

One (1) entry allowed per person. Entrants must supply at least 500mL of beer in bottle or can (noting that cans cannot be re-sealed for further rounds of judging). Entries must be clearly labelled with an entry number (the “order number” on your entry ticket) and no other identifying labels. The Promoter reserves the right to disqualify entries that include any other identifying information.

Entries must be submitted at BentSpoke Brewing Company’s Braddon Brew Pub, 38 Mort St, Braddon, Canberra ACT, before 5pm Saturday 16 May. Entries must be delivered in person. Entries sent via post or courier will not be accepted.

Entries and bottles will not be returned.

Competition entry is free but participants are responsible for all expenses incurred in preparing and delivering their entries.

Dates

Registration opens Friday 27 March via the entry ticket website and closes 11:59pm Wednesday 13 May. Beers must be dropped off before 5pm Saturday 16 May.

Judging will be on Saturday 23 May. The winner will be announced from 12pm.

Winner selection

The winner will be determined by a judging panel comprised of representatives of Canberra Brewers and Bentspoke Brewing Company.

The winner will be the beer that the judging panel deems best reflects the characteristics of Bentspoke Crankshaft IPA. Judges will judge the entries blind and consider aspects such as flavour, aroma, appearance, mouthfeel and overall drinking pleasure of the entry.

Judging may take place over one or more rounds at the sole discretion of the organisers.

The judges’ decision is final and no feedback will be provided to entrants.

Prizes

First Prize: $500 cash prize and one year Canberra Brewers Crankshaft membership (value $60).

Second Prize: Case of Crankshaft

Notification

The winner will be announced from 12pm on Saturday 23 May, followed by announcements on Canberra Brewers’ website, Facebook and Instagram accounts.

The winners may also be contacted via phone or email, as supplied via their competition registration.

Liability

Participants enter at their own risk. Canberra Brewers Inc and BentSpoke Brewing Company accept no responsibility for cost or personal injury entrants may incur in preparing for or participating in this competition.

Organisers have no responsibility to accept late, lost, misdirected or damaged entries.

Nothing in these terms limit, exclude or modify or purports to limit, exclude or modify the statutory consumer guarantees as provided under the Competition and Consumer Act 2010 (Cth), as well as any other implied warranties under the ASIC Act or similar consumer protection laws in the State and Territories of Australia.

Privacy

The Canberra Brewers will collect basic contact information through competition registration which may be shared with sponsor BentSpoke Brewing Company for the purposes of running the competition and promoting Canberra Brewers activities. Recipients can unsubscribe to emails at any stage. All details will be deleted after 6 months.