All or nothing: Behemoth Brewing's final push for equity crowdfunding

Behemoth Brewing has less than two weeks to raise another half a million dollars. Photo / Supplied

Slowly but "churly", Behemoth has been raising the money it needs to open its bar and brewery in Andrew Child's dream premises on Dominion Rd, in Auckland.

It just needs a little bit more money … or it gets nothing.

Behemoth's equity crowdfunding campaign has hit a million dollars but Childs needs to raise nearly half a million more in under two weeks in order to receive any money.

The head brewer is calling on New Zealanders to get behind his campaign and give its award-winning beers a home to call their own.

"We are excited for people to join us in our successes. We have big plans to take Behemoth to the next level both in New Zealand and our growing number of exciting export markets," he said.

"Our new home and more flexible production will really let us show the world what we are all about: Making great beer fun!"

There's just one issue: if Childs doesn't get $1.5 million from investors - his "chur-holders - he gets nothing.

For the past six years, Childs has been brewing award-winning beers wherever he can rent a bit of space to do it. It's not an ideal situation but it sure has been giving the results, judging by the long list of awards he's been accumulating.

Happy Friday everyone! We are just over a week into our PledgeMe Equity Crowd Funding Campaign and so stocked to have...

Posted by Behemoth Brewing Company on Thursday, 13 June 2019

He says having his own space to brew his beer has been a dream in the making for a long time, since he quit his corporate career as an ACC lawyer in Wellington and moved to Auckland to become a full-time brewer.

It's not been a journey without its setbacks. In 2015, a brewing accident left him with burns on 40 per cent of his body. Still, his passion for hops came out intact.

The head of Behemoth, now a duo with his wife Hannah Miller-Childs, found the perfect place where they are building the brewery of their dreams (and possibly yours) on the corner of Dominion Rd and Charles St, in Auckland.

The space will feature a 3000-litre brewery for commercial brews and a 600-litre brewery for keg-only beers, as part of his continued dedication to smaller passion projects. It'll also include a barrel programme for mixed fermentation beers. Childs plans to have 25 beers on tap and, okay fine, even some wines and spirits.

Our PledgeMe Equity Crowdfunding campaign is now LIVE! Click the link below to join us in our beery adventures! https://www.pledgeme.co.nz/investments/360-behemoth-brewing

Posted by Behemoth Brewing Company on Wednesday, 5 June 2019

And then it gets even more special: The brewery will also have a restaurant with space for 140 people, which will be led by Hannah, who is a trained chef and an award-winning butcher. The menu will be all about nose-to-tail cuisine. Showcasing her respect for the animal, Miller-Childs will change the menu depending on where she is up to on the animal, in her on-site purpose-built butchery.

If it sounds like an appealing plan, it's because it is. Childs says there is a lot of potential in that area of Auckland and aims to help it become a little slice of Wellington.

"There is not much going on in this part of Dominion Rd, it needs more entertainment spots. Up the road, you've got Galbraith's, Garage Project, Urbanaut and The Beer Spot in Kingsland ... The Wellingtonian in me wants to do a pub crawl," he says.

However, more than a dream, this brewery is now a necessity. Behemoth grew from two to 11 export countries last year alone and is showing no signs of slowing down.

"We can't quite make the most of the opportunities at the moment," says Childs, who brewed 40 new beers last year.

The brewery and restaurant, which will be named Churly's after Behemoth's beloved logo, is set to open in November this year.

If you're interested in investing in Behemoth Brewing and becoming a "chur-holder", visit Behemoth's PledgeMe page.