Before my last road trip to Sydney’s south coast and surrounds, I briefly gathered some bits and pieces for things to do in each stop before heading out. My boyfriend and I both really enjoy tasting beer and wine together, so I thought that if we could find a local brewery tour or brewpub in Canberra, we would be set. Luckily, I found the Wig & Pen brewpub through a web search. Win.
Immediately upon looking at their website, I saw a fantastic quote from the owner:
Double win.
You see, Canberra overall is a very new and sterile looking/feeling city. The wide roads with massive roundabouts near fresh buildings can just be a little uninviting to the traveler.
Enter Wig & Pen.
We were tired from fighting with all of the school kids over at Questacon in order to use the cool exhibits, and let’s face it, that made us thirsty, too. Finding the Wig & Pen in the city was like finding an oasis from the suit-and-tie vibe outside; we simply walked into a pub somewhere in the middle of England. It was lovely.
At the bar, we were greeted by staff that was knowledgeable and helpful to newbies in the pub. She easily explained the ins and outs of each brew, how it’s made and how it’s served. Since we couldn’t decide which ones to choose (we wanted one of each!), she offered us a tasting tray with a small glass of 4 different beers each. It was only $8 each I believe, which was great in my mind.
Then we tasted. With our trays we were given a list of all the beers with a little blurb about how they’re made and served.
We tasted…
pondered…
and even took notes.
The Rumpole’s Pale was probably my favourite of the day. It had a wonderful smell of passionfruit, and the aftertaste was slightly fruity as well. My least favourite, however, was the Wig & Pen Pale Ale. Sorry, guys, but beer that is served at 9 degrees Celsius is a bit too warm for me, and the natural carbonation is just not enough. It sort of reminded me of beer that’s left at the bottom of your bottle if you take too long to drink it. But, some people do enjoy this style of hand pumped beer, so to each their own, right?
What makes this pub even cooler is the fact that they serve traditional pub fare, and it doesn’t cost you much money at all. I’m talking a roast beef roll for just $7, or fish and chips for just $11. That’s not bad for Australia.
All in all, I really enjoyed hanging out at the Wig & Pen in Canberra. If you’re in the city looking for a casual place to spend the afternoon, I definitely recommend checking it out!
Canberra House Arcade
Alinga Street, Canberra
Australian Capital Territory
Australia 2601
www.wigandpen.com.au
>> See other things to do in Canberra
