First look: Canberra’s newest brewery Cypher Brewing Co
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It was over a few beers that Jeff Wilson Shipley, Rachelle Loosen and Benn Masters uttered the words that so many others do after a few drinks: we should start a brewery. But unlike most people, they’ve gone and done just that.
Cypher Brewing Co will be the newest addition to Canberra’s exciting craft beer scene, with a brewery and brew pub opening in early 2023.
Along with other friends, the Cypher Brewing team have been keen home brewers for some time, and kept expanding by growing their own hops, sharing kegs, and doing bigger and bigger brews. After talking about it for a while, they decided to do things for real and start their own brewery.
They searched all over Canberra to find the perfect space to brew, finally settling on the north side.
“This great spot popped up right in the centre of Gungahlin on the light rail, with big, beautiful windows, and that kind of sold us,” says Jeff.
Cypher will be the very first tenant in the space, which is on the ground floor of the new building at 35 Hinder Street.
Their beer will all be brewed onsite, and the 400 square metre venue has plenty of room to fit the brewery, plus a brewpub, kitchen and dining area. They also hope to add in some outdoor tables to make the most of the afternoon sun.
As for the beer, they have some lagers, XPAs, pacific ales and stouts ready to roll. From there, they hope to grow the range with plenty of feedback from those who will be drinking the beer.
“We want to basically build it with the community. We’re brewing for the people,” says Jeff.
“We want people to give us feedback. Do you like extra hops? Do you like extra bitters? Do you like something a bit plainer? Or do you want something a bit punchier? And then we can start to brew it and grow with the community.”
They’re currently fitting out the Gungahlin venue, and hope to be ready to host a few Christmas parties later this year. Then the plan is to open Cypher Brewing Co to the public in February.
Initially, a small range of their beers will only be available on tap at the brewpub, with plans to start canning not long after.
For the non-beer drinkers, they’ll also have some wines—including a non-alcoholic option—cider, and spirits behind the bar. They’re in the process of hiring a head chef, but expect the menu to feature food that pairs well with the beer, and is easy to eat and share.
And as for the name, it actually came about by accident.
“We were talking about names over a Zoom call, and we were mostly going with general puns around brewing and beers, malt and grain, and seeing what we could come up with. Then someone said, ‘Side Bar’, and I thought they said Cypher. I couldn’t hear them very well,” laughs Jeff.
“Then we got into a debate over what Cypher was, and someone said, ‘it’d be like cracking the code or unlocking the secrets to great beer’. So the tagline was kind of the thing that cemented it.”
