Australian Home Brewing Conference comes to Canberra

Hundreds of amateur brewers are converging on Canberra for the Australian Home Brewing Conference which starts on Thursday, October 16. Thousands of litres of their best beers have been shipped to the capital and are squirreled away at suburban homes around Canberra ready to be unleashed at competitions and in tastings. Two bars – Transit Bar in Civic and the Durham Castle Arms in Kingston – are running a "tap takeover" from Thursday, pouring a selection of cult beers.

There are also star guests in the form of Steve "Hendo" Henderson, whose BrewCult craft brewery takes beer to the limit – some of his output includes a porter infused with balsamic vinegar. Henderson will be giving a talk on "Extreme Brewing" to show brewers how to push the envelope while still making beers that taste good. Also heading to the conference is Nicole Erny, an American who is just one of four master cicerones in the beer world – making her a certified beer expert and judge. (She's also the youngest and the only woman.) She will also be part of the Brewing Network podcast, an American-based radio chat show that's coming to Canberra to do a show during the conference. The network crowdfunded its trip to Australia.

There'll also be talks from local heroes – cider maker Gary Watkins-Sully from The Old Cheese Factory near Braidwood will discuss a history of cider in Australia while BentSpoke Brewing Co in Braddon will host the Australian Amateur Brewing Championships on Thursday. BentSpoke brewer Richard Watkins will also join a panel discussion about turning pro and how to turn your love of brew into a full time business. On Friday, October 17, there's an awards night and beer matching dinner at University House and on Saturday, October 18, it's Club Night, where brewers and brew clubs break out their kegs and sample beers from around the country. Organiser Kevin Hingston says there'll be lots of tasting, lots of talking and plenty of beer. The conference runs from Thursday, October 16 to Saturday, October 18, at University House at the Australian National University. See anhc.com.au for the full program.