People of Asuwere - John Austin
Meet TwoFold, Parnells newest brewpub, co-founded by Asuwere Member and all round legend John Austin.
Johns fascination with beer began with home brewing, where he found joy in observing the process and the history behind it. He sees beer as more than just a beverage; it's a tool for bringing people together, and he wants TwoFold to be a part of that tradition.
Can you share a bit about your background and what fuels your passion for brewing and hospitality?
I’ve been fascinated by beer since brewing my first homebrew. I used to ferment in glass carboys where you could see the yeast working, and I was always mesmerised by the swirling liquid bubbling away in the corner of my room. The more I brewed and studied up on beer, the more I learned about how this relatively simple beverage has been bringing people together since the beginning of civilization. Ultimately we want to be part of this narrative and use our brewpub as a space for people to get together and have a great time.
You and Bernard both have an incredible amount of experience in the beer industry. What are the key standouts that will set TwoFold apart?
We’ve worked to mix things up a bit at Twofold and create a unique brewpub experience. On the brewery side we’ll focus roughly half of our production towards lagers, and we have sourced some unique equipment suited to making lagers that you may not see at other breweries in NZ. We are also having a bit of fun with our food & beverage on the whole, offering some house cocktails on tap (try the blood orange & amaro highball), wine on tap, champagne by the glass and a menu that features things like buffalo oysters, venison carpaccio, charred cabbage and a steak du jour. We’ll maintain a focus on creating world class beers, but at the same time create a space that all types of people can enjoy.
Starting a business is no mean feat. Can you share some of the challenges you faced during the initial stages?
The biggest challenge to starting this business was finding the right location. Brewpubs are unique in that they require a certain amount of infrastructure for making beer (power, water, gas connections, stud height, access, zoning), and also a certain amount for running a pub (utilities, extraction hoods, kitchen equipment, chillers, toilets). After negotiating and signing a lease, which was it’s own challenge, it was all about design, licensing & planning, which of course all had their own challenges.
As much as we planned there wasn’t a day where everything went to plan, but what kept us going was our shared vision. We knew the type of space that we wanted to create, and we could see it. We celebrated the wins and we pushed through the setbacks and voila - now we have Twofold.
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