A Canberra brewery may well be on the way to becoming an Australian icon - at least in the eyes of the Prime Minister's Office, and quite possibly in the United Kingdom as well.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Bentspoke Brewery, based in Braddon, had two products featured in a hamper filled with Aussie products that Prime Minister Scott Morrison presented to his UK counterpart Boris Johnson at Downing Street, London on Tuesday.
The distinctive Bentspoke cans, beloved of craft beer enthusiasts around the country, were nestled beside Bundaberg Ginger Beer, Penfolds wine, Tim Tams and Vegemite, alongside a similar hamper filled with British products, in a photo posted on Mr Johnson's Twitter account.
"The deal is done!" the caption read.
And for Bentspoke owner and head brewer Richard Watkins, some new deals may well be ahead of the popular product that is already selling well in other Australian cities.
He said it was a "total surprise" when his phone started pinging with Twitter notifications on Tuesday night after the photo of "Boris' little gift pack" went live.
"It was just the Crankshaft and the Rednut among so many other great Australian products like the Penfolds wine, so, you know, pretty humbling to think that we were chosen as the beer option for the little package," he said.
And he said exporting Bentspoke to the UK, while already on the cards, could well be one step closer.
"I think we've always had that in the back of our mind," he said.
"Once we do a few upgrades in the brewery - we've got a new packaging line going in later this year that'll allow us to increase production - exporting is something that we certainly want to look into.
"We've had a lot of inquiries from overseas, especially the UK, for our beer and the UK is an amazing beer market, it's probably got the most breweries per capita in the world at the moment, so it's got a really knowledgeable consumer over there.
"And if people are asking for our beer, then we've got to deliver."
So, in such a crowded market, what would Bentspoke offer that the average British craft beer might not?
"That's a good question. I mean, there's so many great breweries in the UK making fabulous beer and we focus on making sort of hop-forward beers here in Australia," Mr Watkins said.
But he was uncomfortable with the idea that Bentspoke could be called an "icon", despite its inclusion alongside some deadset classics.
"Let's not get too far ahead of ourselves - icon's a pretty big word," he said.
"I mean, it's certainly been a great opportunity to get our brand out there for sure. Our beer's now available all around Australia, for Australians to enjoy, so having it pop overseas will certainly will give us a little kickstart."
It remains to be seen what Mr Johnson thinks of the beer, although if he's anything like his countrymen and women, he will already have an idea of what to expect.
"We've actually, funnily enough, sent beer to quite a few craft beer reviewers over in the UK because they really keep hassling us for our beer, so it will be interesting to see how Boris goes," he said.
Our journalists work hard to provide local, up-to-date news to the community. This is how you can continue to access our trusted content:
- Bookmark canberratimes.com.au
- Download our app
- Make sure you are signed up for our breaking and regular headlines newsletters
- Follow us on Twitter
- Follow us on Instagram