Sign In / Register
The compressed bamboo bar and tabletops were made by Shoreditch furniture.
8 Wired Brewing opened its new Barrelworks and Tap Room in Matakana this month and locals have been quick to try out their favourite tipple.
Soren and Monique Eriksen moved their 8 Wired brewing operation from Blenheim to Warkworth six years ago and have been searching for somewhere to set up their barrels ever since.
Soren says now that he has the space for his 260 barrels and ten 2000-litre foeder barrels, he will be able to do more of the bold and bizarre one-off beer production runs that he loves.
“We want people to feel that they are part of the brewing process,” he says. “The tasting tap room is set among our barrels and people will see some of the blending and bottling.”
He says his favourite part of the job is when local growers approach them with produce from their garden, which he turns into a barrel-aged beer such as wild feijoa sour ale or gypsy fruits with grapefruit.
8 Wired’s current licence allows for 100 people at the Barrelworks, and Soren and Monique envision the space being used for larger events and even weddings.
To keep the food as interesting as the beer, Barrelworks will host at least one food truck at any time, rotating them every few weeks, starting with Wood-fired Pizza.
The popular moveable feast food truck fiesta will also be held on the premises each Sunday s over summer, starting on December 28.
“The idea is it will be a place where people can try lots of different beers and all kinds of food as well,” Monique says.
The tap room is home to 21 different tipples to taste including two guest taps, which will start with Bohemian Cider.
Switch from biochemistry to brewing
Despite being an award-winning brewer, Soren Eriksen has no formal qualification in the art of making beer – it was simply a passion that bubbled to the surface.
Soren was a biochemist working for a university in Perth when Monique bought him his first home brewing kit 14 years ago.
“It sat there bubbling away in the shower of our one-bedroom apartment,” Monique says.
The couple came to New Zealand where Soren did his Masters at the University of Auckland, while Monique worked as a physiotherapist.
After six months, however, the bug had taken hold and it was clear that their passion was in brewing beer.
“A background in science has helped, but it was more that I just always enjoyed travelling and trying different beers,” Soren says. “As a Dane, I have drunk my fair share.”
Soren and Monique moved to Matakana and collaborated with Zeffer Cider for a time, before setting up their own production in Warkworth.
Today, 8 Wired beers are stocked across NZ and are exported to 15 countries in six continents, including Antarctica.
“All of this is just a hobby that got out of control,” Soren says.
Up-cycled mid-century furniture by E W Spaces.
There’s more than one way to use a 2000-litre foeder barrel.
Homage to Kiwi innovation
The Barrelworks project has been a local effort, with construction by Brackenridge Builders and interior design by Emma Watson.
Even the engineer, Mike Smith, happens to also be Monique and Soren’s landlord at the Warkworth brewery.
Emma says she wanted to reflect the classic idea of ‘No 8 wire’ Kiwi innovation in the interior fit-out.
The standout feature is a wire mesh chandelier, which will ultimately support an 8 Wired neon sign and provide lighting for the menu board.
It has taken 80 hours for operations manager Daniel Rowntree to weld the chandelier together, with guidance from Emma.
Large 2000 litre foeder barrels, formerly used for brewing, have been cut and repurposed for different items including a shelf set to commemorate vintage 8 Wired beers and a seating cubby.
Emma has also up-cycled some mid-century lounge suites by Danish producer, Don, as a nod to Soren’s heritage.
She says a local fencer taught her how to bend a figure 8 tie-off knot with wire, which she has used to accessorise items such as vases on tables.
On the exterior of the building, the 8 Wired signage has been made out of Corten steel, which will weather and transform with age, just like the beer inside.
The intention is also to plant and grow hop vines on the front façade to provide some temperature control by shading the sun in summer.
The Lamponi was released this month.
Fruity touch to new sour beer
8 Wired recently released its latest creation, the Lamponi sour kettle beer with raspberry.
During the brewing process, lactobacillus is added, which is the same bacteria that is used to ferment yoghurt and gives it a sour taste.
Unlike a standard beer, which is made in three to four weeks in a stainless steel vat, the Lamponi has been maturing for more than a year in a wooden barrel.
“The wood breathes and allows oxygen to feed the microbes, and it adds to the character of the fermentation,” brewer Soren Ericksen says.
Once the beer was fermented, Soren added raspberry puree to the mix and allowed it to ferment again, bumping the brew up to a five per cent alcohol content.
Finally, freeze-dried oregano, basil and thyme was added to give the flavour more complexity and depth.
“We called it Lamponi, which is Italian for raspberry, because of the Italian herbs. Once I added the herbs it made the whole brewery temporarily smell like a pizzeria.”
In April, Soren’s Feijoa Sour Ale was among the 30 top tier winners at the New World Beer and Cider awards, hand selected from 630 entries.
8 Wired was also a finalist in the New Zealand Food Awards for its iStout Affogato with roast coffee and chocolate malt that uses lactose in the brew.
