Brews and tunes on the menu as Canberra breweries celebrate Local Beer Day

Two Canberra brew pubs are putting on a full day of events to celebrate the first Local Beer Day.

An initiative of online beer publication The Crafty Pint, Local Beer Day is a way for beer lovers to get behind independent brands in their community.

“It’s an opportunity to bring beer lovers and local communities together with local businesses for a day of joyous celebration, good times, and delicious local beer,” the Local Beer Day site explains.

“It’s also about raising the profile of the local industry by showing that, while individual businesses might be small, together the industry is a mighty one.”

BentSpoke in Braddon and Cypher Brewing Co in Gungahlin have signed up to run Local Beer Day events on 24 February.

The BentSpoke Brewpub will be offering $10 pints all day to anyone sporting merch from any ACT brewery, and they’ll also be releasing a new beer on the day. They wouldn’t say what it is, but they promise it will be a crowd favourite.

“Local is at the heart of what we do. It’s been our mission to promote local, independent beer at every opportunity,” BentSpoke Hospitality Manager Simon Buchanan told Region.

“International companies control a lot of the Australian beer industry, so it’s really important for us to promote the local industry.”

They will also feature their Bent Steak Sandwich on the menu, made with Claystone beef. BentSpoke sends their spent brewers grain to the Claystone farm as cattle feed, so this sandwich is a full-circle meal! Three Mills Bakery will also be baking some spent grain ciabatta.

Music will be provided by a participant from the Braddon Busking Festival, which was held late last year. BentSpoke sponsored the event and committed to providing performance opportunities for participants at the brewpub.

Cypher Brewing Co is offering beer lovers a peek behind the curtain, with head brewer Matt Thiele running tours of the brewery throughout the day.

“Obviously, I’m super passionate about brewing, so I could talk for hours about our process,” Matt told Region.

“I’ll open up for questions, and hopefully, we’ll get some keen brewers in. It will be an in-depth rundown on unlocking the secrets to great beer!”

Cypher opened its doors in Gungahlin in April 2023, and they’ve quickly become a local favourite. Matt explained that the vision for Cypher was always to be embedded firmly in the local community.

“We’re trying to imprint ourselves in this community. I’ve been in Gungahlin for a long time, and we’ve never had a space like this before: somewhere you can go for a good beer but also bring the family down. It’s important to us that we can be that kind of space. We don’t want to be just another bar.”

Cypher will also be offering $10 tasting paddles to give punters the opportunity to taste a selection of the 12 beers on tap. There will be live music, merchandise giveaways throughout the day, and specials on takeaway tinnies.

Local Beer Day will be on 24 February. Visit the Local Beer Day website to see all events.

The BentSpoke Brewpub is located at 38 Mort St, Braddon. Find out more on their website.

Cypher Brewing Co. is located at Unit 3 & 4 of 35 Hinder St, Gungahlin. Reserve a free place on a brewery tour on their website.