BREWERY // 8 Wired began on Christmas day when Søren Eriksen's future wife, Monique, gave him the gift of a Coopers malt extract brew kit. A few successful home-brews later, he decided to jack in his career in biochemistry and landed a job at at a brewery. A few years later they created a brewery of their own in beautiful Warkwork. A wide range of traditional and innovative styles are being constantly released by 8 Wired and their barrel ageing programme is one of the largest in our hemisphere with 7 huge foedres and hundreds of wooden barrels. Their brewpub & distillery in Matakana - 8 Wired Barrelworks - is a must-visit destination.
BEER // Farmhouse ales have a long and noble history slaking the thirst of the working class folk of Northern Europe for centuries. Saisons were first brewed on Belgian farms in small breweries that provided refreshment for the workers throughout the Summer using the grain they harvested. As you might imagine, every farm had their own different recipe, technique and house yeast strains so the style has a pretty wide catchment. What they all have in common is a light body with wheat, spritzy carbonation and dryness to make for an extremely satisfying and refreshing beer. Quatre Saison is reminiscent of some of those from Belgian masters such as De Ranke and Dupont - splendidly crafted with a delicate balance. There's a herbal noble hop character and touch of bitterness which complements the slightly spicy aroma and flavour from the yeast. OK that's enough beer chat, time to get back to work...
BREWERY // 8 Wired
BEER // Quatre Saison
STYLE // Saison
ORIGIN // Warkworth, Auckland
ABV // 5%
TEMPERATURE // Cool. 7-10C
FOOD MATCH // Dim sum. Fish Tacos. Lemon Chicken. Beetroot & Goat Cheese Salad. Pineapple Sorbet
VESSEL // Goblet. Wine Glass