Bent Beers in Braddon

Bentspoke Brewery is the latest addition to Canberra’s micro-brewing scene. Set just off Lonsdale Street, excellent beers and a great vibe have already made it a popular evening destination. The bar opened on the 6th of June, and has been bustling ever since. Indeed, their first weekend saw so many beers poured that they were in danger of running out during opening week.

Fortunately, the brewery isn’t far away. The brewing starts in the mashers upstairs, with only a glass wall to separate the process from the bar patrons. When Richard and Tracy have worked their wizardry, the beer is piped through the stair’s handrails into a line of 2500L fermenters. Once matured and ready for consumption, it’s served directly out of stainless steel tanks behind the bar without being bottled or stored in kegs. This approach, unique in Australia, is one Richard and Tracy hope will deliver their beers at their very best.

Fermenters line the bar's back wall.

Photo courtesy of Jessica from
Words and Wilds.

While sipping the latest brew, patrons are invited to consider how it was produced. The brewery on show is explained by a wall-sized mural representing the ingredients and each stage of the brewing process. Even the kitchen plays its part, the by-products from the brewery working their way into the food on offer. Spent grain appears in both their chicken wings and burgers.

“They’re all a bit bent.”

The beers themselves are already living up to the high expectations set by Richard’s seventeen years as the head brewer of the Wig and Pen. Five beers and a cider were served up for the opening of the bar, all of distinctly different styles. The beers don’t fit neatly into traditional categories, brewed to showcase the ingredients rather than to meet specific expectations. “They’re all a bit bent” was Richard’s description when asked what types of beer he intended to serve. The cider, too, presents a complex flavour profile, one that might be unfamiliar for Australians accustomed to either over-sweet or completely dry ciders. Although they might be unusual, Bentspoke’s offerings are certainly proving popular. Two beer tanks and one of cider have already been emptied, and the brewery is running non-stop to replenish supplies and prepare new offerings.

Ultimately, there will be eighteen beers and ciders on tap, with a few particularly unusual concoctions in planning. Richard and Tracy have been experimenting with everything from gluten free beer to barrel ageing and even a truffle infused beer for Canberra’s truffle festival. Takeaway 2L insulated flasks also allow patrons to enjoy freshly brewed Bentspoke beers further afield.

But the Bentspoke bar isn’t just about the beer. Unlike most micro-brewery-bars, Bentspoke has gone that little bit further to make the decorations and atmosphere stand out. From the recycled bike part chandeliers and wall-garden to the keg seats and hoppinator lights, they’ve gone out of their way to make the bar stand out as a unique and interesting experience. Half beer-hall, half restaurant, the upstairs bar also provides an unusual view across Braddon and Civic, making an excellent backdrop for the other decorations.

The bar’s popularity has undoubtedly been boosted by the great setting, but ultimately it is Bentspoke’s beer that has made them an instant success. Canberrans have already voted with their wallets and the results are clear. There’s nothing wrong with delivering beers a little bit bent.

"Ring of Fire" in North Hobart

Since moving up to Canberra early in 2013, I've been enjoying the Hobart food scene vicariously through a few friends and a blog. An increasingly common theme from both appeared to be burger restaurants. A few of them had been popping up before I left, but their numbers seemed to be exploding in my absence. I love burgers and was keen to try out some of these new arrivals.

Love is a burning thing

And it makes a fiery ring

So when I journeyed south for a few days, it seemed only fitting that I visit one of them while I had the chance. Catching up with a friend to loiter around some of our old North Hobart haunts, it seemed only fitting to check out The Burger Haus. Now, I'm a big chilli lover so a burger called "Ring of Fire" with optional extra Death Sauce was one that had to be tasted.

Bound by wild desire

I fell into a ring of fire

There's a row of small bottles at home, their contents varying from a few mild sauces barely stronger than tabasco to fiery concoctions made from Trinidad Scorpions that are only to be applied to dishes with great caution. I've been known to apply them liberally and with gay abandon, so the prospect of a burger mild enough to be served to the public didn't worry me in the slightest.

The taste of love is sweet

When hearts like ours meet

Indeed, the delicious burger I consumed proved no great challenge, with a pleasant tingling heat overlaying the array of other flavours. Talking to the staff afterwards, they told me that they make them hotter if requested. Next time perhaps, for I hadn't the stomach space remaining to add another burger just to get a chilli fix. But North Hobart is also home to The Winston, itself home to some reputedly spicy buffalo wings. You can get various heats of them, the hottest being "Nuclear" buffalo wings. A plate of nuclear wings sounded perfect to gnaw on over a game of pool, but for rumours of a hotter option not listed on the menu. My friend (and fellow chilli-seeker) had been listening to these rumours for months and was keen to find out the truth. A dish not listed because it's too hot for most people to handle? He was right; how could we refuse?

I fell for you like a child

Oh, but the fire went wild

Before we could have the chance to refuse, we first had to convince the bartender to let us order Death Wings. Negotiations, wheedling and pleading were all required before an order could even be placed. A plate of Death Wings had been out of the question, but we'd each be permitted to try one, with a few merely nuclear wings to fill the rest of the plate. Roughly the size and appearance of a medjool date, the Death Wing looked innocent enough when it arrived, but its appearance drew the intention of every bar regular and member of staff. I took a careful bite. It was certainly hot, but unbearably so? Not at all. I finished pulling the last of the meat off the bone and licked off some sauce. To be honest, I was a little disap-

I fell into a burning ring of fire

I went down, down, down and the flames went higher

The Death Wing sauce, it seems, has a delay before the real heat kicks in. When it did hit, it was an intensity of burn I'd never even come close to experiencing before. Mouth and throat seemingly afire, I gulped at the pint of milk the bar staff thrust at my face. They'd been prepared but milk wasn't enough, not even close. Always before when I'd eaten chilli, it ended. Eventually there was a barrier that I could push through and the pain would start to fade beyond. This burn kept building. Pins and needles were assaulting my arms and lips. Fire was spreading everywhere. Dimly through the burning fog, I saw my left arm curling up against my will.

And it burns, burns, burns, the ring of fire

The ring of fire

I had thought myself strong in the face of chilli. I had thought myself capable of tackling any spicy dish set down before me. As the fire stretched out to half an hour before the first hint it might be about to peak, I knew that I had met my match in the Winston Death Wings. An hour of sculling pints of milk in a bar and I could think clearly. Eventually I felt like I might be able to drive. Of course, any night like this would usually end with me and my friend dueling at midnight. But we'd been defeated already, struck down by a few teaspoons of sauce.

The ring of fire

The ring of fire