Beers. Burgers. They’re both delicious.

If you agree, why not take Dad along to Canberra Centre for an evening of food and drink hosted by local beer aficionado, Dan Rayner. One of the leaders of the Canberra Brewers’ Club, Dan is bringing his passion to The Hub on Friday 29 August from 6.00pm

What started your love of beer?

It’s pretty simple, actually. I was working as a geological technician in about 1994 when I cracked my first can of VB. It went down so easily and so smoothly there had to be something in it.

I started brewing for myself at the end of university after somebody gave me a home brewing kit – totally out of the blue. I was so intrigued by the process, and it was just at the time that Little Creatures was coming on the market. I realised there really was something with it. My adventure began right there!

What can we expect from your Burgers and Beer evening at Canberra Centre?

I just want to walk people through the pleasures of discovering beer. We’ve all got our favourite brews that we go back to – whether attending a barbeque or looking for something to fill the fridge – but I really want to show people that there is as much excitement and adventure in beer as in wine.

With so many variations and styles, and the real ability to match beer with food, we’re going to check out the characteristics of different styles. I also want to teach people the tricks that big breweries are employing to convince those looking for true craft beers to consume their products.

It’s all part of the mystery!

What’s new in the market that has you really excited?

The Ballast Point ‘Boat Rocker’ from San Diego. I just love West Coast IPAs at the moment. In England, an IPA is a strong beer and comes in around 5.0%, but in America they have to be over the top with everything. As a result this has an incredible nose of hops and comes in at 7.0%. It’s amazing. You can pick it up for about $70.00 a case – which is fantastic given a case of Little Creatures is about the same.

What makes a great beer?

A great beer? Well, there are so many ways of looking at that.

If you’re judging a competition, there are distinct aspects of a style that you are looking for to prove its authenticity – the things that tick all the boxes. But does that mean that you’ll enjoy it as a consumer? Perhaps not.

For a drinking beer, we’re looking for balance across the key characters. Between the hops, yeast and malt, no one aspect should overpower the others. It all comes down to balance… and as soon as you taste it, you’ll know.

Where are the best places in Canberra to go looking for interesting beers?

Plonk at The Fyshwick Markets is THE place for craft beers. It’s the biggest range in NSW, due largely (I think) to the high-disposable income of Canberra. It’s perfect, too, because as you’re picking up your weekly groceries from the great little stores, it’s right there and there’s almost always something awesome on offer to taste.

On tap, check out The Durham and Transit Bar for a good range of craft beers. Even Temporada restaurant has some really amazing brews appear on their tap. Then there’s the obvious ones such as the legendary Wig ‘n’ Pen and the incredible, awesome Bent Spoke. Those two are the places to go if you want to try something that rarely makes it outside the ACT border.

Grab Dad and join Dan Rayner for Burgers and Beers at The Hub in Canberra Centre on Friday 29 August. Taste beers from Prickly Moses and Cavalier Brewery, as well as enjoying the tastes of Burger Edge. Tickets are $60.00. Click here for more information.