The Bolt Bar bringing boutique beer to Aranda

Posted on 26 November, 2018

Imagine being a brewer who is suddenly handed the keys to your very own bar.

This is the concept is behind The Bolt Bar’s ‘Pub Takeover’ where a select batch of local and national boutique brewers will be invited to take over the Aranda premises for a month at a time.

It is a link from the backroom and kettle to the tap and customer – allowing patrons to get to know the stories behind each boutique brewery, and to taste its specialties.

The brainchild of Bolt Bar owner Matt Farrah, whose other business ventures include The Royal Albert Hotel in Sydney’s Surry Hills, this month’s pub takeover is by none other than Canberra brewing legends, BentSpoke.

From Thursday, pub-goers will be able to partake of ten BentSpoke brews on tap and some recently released ‘Ale of Two Cities’ which is a collaboration between the Canberra team and Wellington’s Fork and Brewer as part of the sister-city relationship with the New Zealand capital.

Aranda beer lovers are clearly the winners with this idea. But as word spreads of the hip little enclave that has sprouted up at the suburban shops, it might be hard to keep the rest of the city out.

For the last few years, there’s been a concentration of new business to the previously sleepy shops. Not only is The Bolt Bar providing classic pub food and superior beer and other alcohol to locals, but Two Before Ten does a roaring trade from its coffee roastery, the Illeso Yoga Studio has a strong but zen patronage while dedicated designers congregate at Meet Gather Collect.

It has led to a long overdue makeover of the building (designed in the 1960s by Dutch-born architect Dirk Bolt at a time when two-storey buildings were not permitted next to schools, so Bolt created a massive roof down one side of the building, but we digress).

There’s a sunny beer garden to while away the warm evenings and a thriving communal veggie patch that accompanies the Bolt Bar’s strong sustainability ethos. You won’t find plastic straws there as recycling is a serious business and seasonal produce is used on the menu as much as possible. The place is also a haven for families, where kids are always welcome and have space to enjoy themselves.

“It is a bit of a hidden gem, but slowly people are hearing about the atmosphere here in Aranda and coming to experience it. Once they visit they usually want to come back,” said Matt.

He noted the Bolt Bar had a very strong local community following, but the pub takeover would show the rest of the city Aranda’s cosmopolitan credentials.

“Really, it is about sharing as many beers as possible with as many customers as possible, and perhaps converting a few non-beer drinkers along the way,” he said.

“These pub takeovers are a unique opportunity to work closely with Australia’s small-batch breweries to give them a platform to showcase their fantastic brews for an extended period of time…The fact that the breweries have full control to brand the Bolt Bar as their own will help market each brewery and bring their brews to a Canberra venue.”

In the longer-term, Matt wanted to cement a thriving beer community in Aranda. “We will continue to work closely with the small-batch brewery community and develop the beer culture in Aranda. It is a great way to taste what Australian breweries are producing.”

BentSpoke’s Richard Watkins said Bolt Bar would be the only place outside BentSpoke’s Braddon flagship to feature such a range of local product.

And not everyone wanted to fight it out for a carpark in Braddon when it came time for beer o’clock.

Both Matt and Richard believe Canberra is a beer centre of note, with the beer culture now reaching a point of growth and excellence similar to Canberra’s coffee renaissance.

While the Aranda dads group had long ago converted to the delights of a cool ale after a long day, Richard said that mums are just as likely to enjoy a well-made beer. “Beer should be inclusive and bring people together, it’s not seen as just a man’s drink anymore which is great.”

The best part of the pub takeover was having ten beers on tap for tasting and comparison.

“We believe beer is a product best enjoyed fresh, so we can give people a superior beer experience during the takeover,” said Richard.

Thursday night will be the launch date, with lots of celebratory prices (schooners from $7) and free merchandise. And while customers will be encouraged to taste the fresh tap beer, there will be rather a few tinnies given away that night too, with plenty of hearty food to go with the brews.

the essentials

What: The Bolt Bar Pub Takeover by BentSpoke.
When: Launch Party Thursday 29 November from 4pm ’til late.
Where: The Bolt Bar, Aranda Shops, 68 Bandjalong Crescent.
When: For the entire month of December.

This is a sponsored editorial. For more information on sponsored editorials, click here. 

Photography by Iona Halliday