Order #1 unloaded

Watershed day today. On a gloriously sunny late winter's day in Wellington, 75 cases of the finest output of Nøgne Ø, Meantime, Flying Dog and Rogue were lovingly de-palleted and hand carried down the stairs to their home for the next three or so weeks. We also started making a few of the minor alterations to the interior that we think will make the bar more spacious and comfortable. Please excuse the grainy camera-phone picture.

Beervana Sponsorship

Hashigo Zake is one of two major sponsors of Beervana, along with Regional Wines and Spirits. As a result we will have a presence at Beervana and will be open for business after each session (and forever afterwards). We'll be at Stall 11, next to Renaissance.

Location

The sale and purchase agreement has gone unconditional. So I can finally let on that the location of Hashigo Zake will be the basement at 25 Taranaki St. At the moment it is the home of Vintage Bar, and over the years it has variously been known as Cell and Monkey Bar.

It's close to Courtenay Place but not in its noisy centre, which is something I always wanted in a location. It's also very atmospheric and already fitted out in a fashion that's compatible with what I wanted to create. It can hold 120 people, which should be plenty.

I take possession next week and have a few changes to make before opening later in August.

First Import Order On Its Way

Hashigo Zake's first import order is on its way. It's not big and it's not cheap, but on opening night we're guaranteed to have at least one pallet of rare and exciting beer sourced from North America, the UK and Scandinavia.

Milestone

A sale and purchase agreement has been signed (although it's still conditional) and I'm very close to being able to announce a venue.

Website

hashigozake.com (or hashigozake.co.nz) is up and running. Give it a go.

News

It's been a while since I posted. Lots of stuff in motion, not many results. Here's something at least - some artwork done by Sean Golding. Part of a pile of work he did including interior design concepts, branding and even a T-shirt design.