There is a category of Canberra resident — and I count myself among them — for whom winter is not the off-season. It’s the main event.
The city quietens down. The light gets long and low. The breweries lean into stouts, porters, dark lagers, and cask-aged everything. Bentspoke runs a winter beer festival. Capital releases its annual oyster stout. BadEnd does an unholy barrel-aged Imperial stout that is genuinely worth the trip on its own.
If you’ve only been to Canberra in summer, you’ve missed the better season.
The cold is a feature
Yes, it gets to -5°C overnight. Yes, the lake occasionally freezes at the edges. Yes, you need a real coat. None of this matters once you’re inside a brewery taproom with a stout in front of you and a wood-fired pizza on the way.
The breweries themselves get cosier in winter. Bentspoke turns on the wood-burner. Capital fires up the open kitchen. BadEnd is, as ever, the warmest room in Mitchell because it’s lit entirely by string lights and the heat coming off the fermenters.
What to drink in July
- Capital’s annual oyster stout, dropped every June and gone by August. Pair it with — yes — actual oysters at the Taphouse.
- Bentspoke Sprocket, their house stout, on nitro. The best version of itself between May and September, when the cold-side conditioning takes longer.
- BadEnd’s current barrel-aged release, which rotates monthly. The Imperial stout aged in ex-bourbon barrels is the one to remember.
- Anything from Pact Beer poured fresh at the brewery. Their winter range leans into Belgian dubbels and quads — uncommon in Australian craft, beautifully done here.
A practical note
Winter tours run at 11:00am or 12:00pm rather than 4:00pm. Daylight is short and we want you finishing the day with the sun still vaguely up. Pack a coat. Don’t pack heels.