If you've ever found refreshment in the bottom of a Canberra-brewed pint, you're not alone — and two of the ACT's brewing buffs say the region's qualities make their beer extra special.

The capital's growing reputation as a beer destination was solidified last week when local breweries took out an impressive 11 spots in the Hottest 100 of Beers.

The Great Australian Beer Spectacular's accolades were split between local icons Capital Brewing Co. and Bent Spoke Brewing, whose brewer Richard Watkins said Canberra punched well above its weight.

"We've got 2.5 per cent of the population and 11 per cent of the beers in the Hottest 100 [beers]," he said.

Mr Watkins, who is Australia's most experienced independent craft brewer, was behind five of the top 25 beers including number three.

Canberra beers punch well above their weight. ( Facebook: Capital Brewing Co. )

When asked what made Canberra's beer so special, he said the discerning tastes of local buyers played a big role, pushing him to constantly improve.

"The thing for me about Canberra is the people," he said.

"Canberrans certainly love their flavours.

They're very discerning, they really like quality things and they like flavour."

For Capital Brewing Co.'s Adrian Graeber, the starting ingredients a place like Canberra offers were just as important as the finished product.

"We're really blessed here in Canberra to have really, really soft water, which means that the water has quite low mineral content," he said.

"As a brewer it's paradise.

"We can change the water to really bring out hop flavours or really bring out malt flavours.

"It's a really blank slate and we're quite blessed because other brewers around the country are having to strip back their water. We get to build on top of it."

A boon for brewing

Mr Graeber said his success was shown in the local interest his beers were attracting.

"The whole brewery's just abuzz at the moment," he said

"The support, particularly locally has been absolutely phenomenal."

While the two breweries are in direct competition, Mr Watkins said each was doing its part to push Canberra's craft beer scene forward.

"We've got two local breweries having their beers all around Canberra, and people wanting to choose something different over mainstream beer," he said.