Andrew Childs says it's time to give Behemoth its own home. Photo / Supplied
Andrew Childs says it's time to give Behemoth its own home. Photo / Supplied
Ever dreamed of owning a bar? Now you can. Well, kind of.
Behemoth Brewing is about to launch an equity crowdfunding campaign on May 30 so all of its big beer lovers can become shareholders (or chur-holders) in the company.
For the past six years, Behemoth founder Andrew Childs hasbeen 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.
Childs 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, currently under construction, 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.
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.
Andrew Childs and Hannah Miller-Childs will run the brewery and restaurant, which will include an on-site butchery. Photo / Supplied
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 Road, 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.
Childs says that, 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.
A taste of our plans for Behemoth's proposed Brewpub on Dominion Road. Set to be in Mount Eden, Auckland, just a 5...
The brewery and restaurant, which will be named Churly's after Behemoth's beloved logo, is set to open in November this year.
Behemoth is currently gathering expressions of interest for the crowdfunding campaign and you can add your name to the list and become a future "chur-holder".
