CRACKING OPEN A COLDIE IN CANBERRA! Where to Find Canberra's Best Home-Brewed Beers

It's no secret that when it comes to home-brewed beer, Canberra has a lot to offer.

In 2017, seven Canberra-brewed beers made the nation's top 100 whilst a year later in 2018 a whopping 11 out of 100 were from the nation's capital.

The notorious Bentspoke Brewing Co. was established in 2014 and has been crafting beers in Braddon ever since their opening day. Their most notable competition, Capital Brewing Co.opened up two years later, and have continued to use natural ingredients when crafting their beverages.

So that means that you've got to ask yourself one question. Do you know which Canberra beer is best and where to find them?

WELL I'M HERE TO HELP!

Whilst everyone has extremely different preferences for their favourite beers, I sat down and compared some of the best craft beer Canberra has to offer. In the spirit of a true university journalist, I've ranked the top five in what I believe are the tastiest and most refreshing, to help figure out which Canberra beer you should drink next.

Obviously, you can most likely find a majority of these beers in your local pub, club, and bottle-0, however, each different brewery has a lovley atmosphere that should be explored next time you head out!

5. Trail Pale Ale, brewed by Capital Brewing Co.

We start the list off with a Capital Brewing Co. classic - their Trail Pale Ale.

This is an extremely balanced beer, the citrus notes help counter-act the bitterness of the beer as well as making it refreshing to drink not just one, but possibly two.

It ranked 27th in the 2018 GABS Hottest Beer 100, yet although being the ranked the ACT's eighth-best beer, I've placed it at number 5 due to its unique inspiration and natural taste.

Capital Brewing Co. is located in Fyshwick and is every brewer's dream. Do yourself a favour and set yourself a night, head out to Capital's headquarters hereand treat yourself to one of their fine beers in such a fine atmosphere.

Whilst the only down point is the very bitter after taste the beer leaves, Trail Pale Ale is definitely a beer for both Canberra locals and tourists to try when in search of a new found craft beer to try.

4. Mount Tennant Pale Ale, brewed by Pact Beer Co. 

Just missing out on a podium finish, you would classify this beer as an underdog compared to both Bentspoke and Capital. Pact Beer Co. has been running operations since 2015 and has continued to grow since then, easily taking the bronze medal in Canberra's favorite breweries.

Their best by far is their Mount Tennant Pale Ale, which they have described as being "inspired by the picturesque mountain and the legend of its bush ranger namesake".

The joy of this beer comes from its aftertaste, which is surprisingly sweet but extremely enjoyable. Once the beer hits your taste buds it's a very sharp sort of taste, yet the sweet citrus and thoughts of a "possible treasure" in the ACT remind you why this beer came 50th in 2017 beer rankings.

Mount Tennant is one of those beers that you can drink whole-heartedly while you're feet are up and you're enjoying the Friday Night Football.

Sadly, in April of 2019, the Pact Beer Co. said via their social media they'd be taking a hiatus for an indefinite period of time. Fingers crossed on their immediate return, as Mount Tennant will sadly be missed.

3. Crankshaft American IPA, brewed by BentSpoke Brewing Co.

Taking the bronze medal is BentSpoke's treasure, with their famous Crankshaft American IPA.

In both 2017 and 2018, this beer was ranked 3rd by GABS, and I can see why.

Inspired by the US "orange" IPA, the Crankshaft doesn't disappoint when it relates to the concept of orange. The drink comes in an orange whilst also being a rustic orange colour itself, as well as having a very bold hint of orange in its taste.

BentSpoke Brewery is located in Braddon and is one that most hipster's and beer enthusiasts would love. Located in the heartof the Canberra nightlife, BentSpoke is a lovely place to add to your Canberra Pub Crawl.

Tropical and elegant are the two words I'd use when describing this beer, you feel like you should be sitting in a chair on the beach listening to the waves crash.

A truly wonderful beer.

2. Barley Griffin Pale Ale, brewed by BentSpoke Brewing Co.

The silver medal goes to another BentSpoke classic, with the pun-tactically named Barly Griffin Pale Ale.

Described by the boys at BentSpoke as "cloudy but fine", Barley Griffin gives off a taste of a newly-mown lawn - and it's amazing. Mix this with a slight sense of tropical-ness, and finish it off with a crisp but light bitterness will refresh any beer lover.

Ranking 11th in the Hottest Beer 100, it also won Gold at 2019 International Brewing Awards held in the United-Kingdom, with the event attracting over 1,000 entries from 50 countries.

Like mentioned before, the joy of BentSpoke's physical brewery is the placement in Canberra, being found in Braddon at the heart of the nightlife. Whether you're enjoying a crankshaft, barley griffin or any other of their beers the ambiance of the brewery itself is lovely.

Coming back on topic, the herby hoppy treat of BentSpoke's Barley Griffin Pale Ale is extremely delightful and easily makes for a 'sessionable' beer, the perfect treat on a Friday night after a long working week.

1. Coast Ale, brewed by Capital Brewing Co.

Taking the gold medal and ranking first place on this list is Capital Brewing Co's very own Coast Ale.

Absolutely nothing to fault. With a fresh and revitalizing taste, there is a fine balance between the sweetness and the light bitterness that makes it entirely enjoyable. There is also a slight hint of spiciness hidden throughout, along with some notes floral and pine flavours.

Like stated earlier, the joy of this beer is further highlighted by Capital's brewery in Fyshwick. The venue is lovely for any sort of social event as they have a small Brodburger truck inside for food, whilst they themselves supply their freshments.

Coast Ale, however, is the one that everyone and anyone should be drinking. The 15th placed ale was inspired by the California Common Ale and does it justice.

The crisp and clean beer is perfect. in every way, ranging from rich and zingy to a smooth rounded off finish - it tops this list with ease, as well as landing itself my personal favourite beer.

Whichever way you prefer your beer, whether that be citrus-y, bitter, hoppy or tasting like a newly-mown lawn, Canberra surely has an amazing range of beers to choose from, with many more specialties to come in the future.

Do yourselves a favour and head out into Canberra's unique city and treat yourself to, what I call, a 'hidden beer secret'. Whether that be spending a night in fashionable Fyshwick's Capital Brewing Co., Braddon's bonkers BentSpoke Brewing Co. or trying to get your hands on one of Pact Beer Co.'s last possible beer, heading out for a beer in Canberra should never be boring again.