{"id":20767,"date":"2022-06-22T10:20:31","date_gmt":"2022-06-21T22:20:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/forkandbrewer.co.nz\/?page_id=20767"},"modified":"2022-08-10T12:14:43","modified_gmt":"2022-08-10T00:14:43","slug":"about-us","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/forkandbrewer.co.nz\/about-us\/","title":{"rendered":"Our Story"},"content":{"rendered":"
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A FORK-ING GREAT STORY<\/h2><\/div>
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At the time planning started on the Fork and Brewer, there were no breweries in Wellington!<\/p>\n

The brewery in the corner was designed in New Zealand and constructed in China during 2011. It was custom built for the Fork & Brewer and allows Fork brewer Brayden to brew around 1,000 litres of fresh, beautiful beer at a time.<\/p>\n

Fork and Brewer opened for the Rugby World Cup 2011 but we didn\u2019t start brewing until a year later. The location, considered perfect due to its proximity to the old Malthouse, proved a challenge in the wake of the Christchurch earthquakes. No one wanted to sign-off on the engineering specifications for a brewery built upstairs.<\/p>\n

“We have one piece of advice for anybody starting a brewery \u2013 don\u2019t do it upstairs – ever\u201d.!!!<\/p>\n

Overseeing the development and installation was experienced brewer Dion Page (ex-Tuatara Brewery) \u2013 who now tinkers away with maintenance jobs to keep the tanks and pipes in good nick. There are stories abound about our team\u2019s sizable and strong mates helping haul the brew kit up over the balcony and wheel it through the bar on skateboards! One consequence of the building challenges is that Fork and Brewer is one of the safest (and best) places to be in an earthquake. Let this be a point of note to all in Wellington during our next big series of quakes!!!<\/p>\n

From our first brew in 2012 until now, a goal has been to have a broad range of beers on offer \u2013 to cater for a diverse clientele and a range of tastes. Our very first Fork & Brewer beers were the Gold Medal Famous Golden Ale and the Base Isolator APA.<\/p>\n

Fork & Brewer allows everyone to test the adage that\u00a0\u201cbeer is best drunk in the shadow of the brewery\u201d.<\/strong> After all, you can see the brewery from most seats in the house. Forget about food miles, our beers are travelling mere metres to reach you \u2013 it does not get fresher than that.<\/p>\n

Drinkers can expect 41 taps of regular Fork & Brewer beers as well as special collaboration brews with visiting brewers, seasonal beers and special occasion offerings.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div>

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Our Brewer<\/p><\/h2><\/div>

In January 2021, the Fork & Brewer welcomed Brayden Rawlinson on-board as Brewer<\/p><\/h6><\/div>

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Brayden brings more than 20 years\u2019 experience to the mash tun, including stints as head brewer at both Tuatara Brewing and Choice Brewing, brewing in Italy for Nomad Brewing, helping start up a Sydney brewpub, still running his own wild brewing side project, and, of course, a lot of homebrewing from a young age.<\/p>\n

Back in 6th form (when 6th form still existed), Brayden\u2019s science class was making organic wine. He was, unsurprisingly, very good at it but thought \u201cI don\u2019t really want to wait around for six to nine months for something that is palatable when I could make a beer in two weeks.\u201d<\/p>\n

He made exactly two beers from cans before switching to full grain brewing and has never looked back. \u201cI found there was so much more to beer, so many more facets such as your grain selection and hop selection.\u201d However, grain was not easy to come by in those days and he used to drive up the coast to visit one of his brewing mentors, Carl Vasta, to buy malt for his home brew.<\/p>\n

It seems to have been worth it. \u201cBy the time I was of legal age to buy beer, I was probably making better beer than most of the ones you could buy at the time,\u201d he modestly recalls.<\/p>\n

In 2003, he completed the brewing course up at Massey University. Brayden could not afford the course at the time but was sponsored by a group of beer lovers, including the Fork & Brewer. That investment certainly paid off now that he is in charge of the brewery.<\/p>\n

When asked about his brewing philosophy, Brayden says, \u201c I am open to anything\u201d and he means it. At Fork, he has made his first hazy IPAs which he explains are actually technically harder than crystal clear beers. Off site, he makes wild fermented beers in cool ships which then sit in barrels for years. Brayden is a \u201cmassive fan of sour beers\u201d so they will continue to feature on the Fork beer list.<\/p>\n

His personal favourite styles feature Lambic, imperial Belgian ales, and malt focused beers. \u201cI love malt backbone and malt balance. My style is definitely more European influenced than American, but I will be making beers that customers want.\u201d That includes the hoppy ales Fork has become famous for.
\n\u201cParliament of Owls\u201d was his first Fork beer, a low alcohol but high flavour beer recognizing his love of owls. \u201cI know everything about owls,\u201d he laughs. He intends to run a beer menu of around 20 beers brewed on premise.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe are producing fantastic beers. The staff are great. It always makes it easier working with people you enjoy and get along with.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI am home here, and I am here to stay.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div>

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