8 Wired Barrelworks, the New Zealand brewery’s Matakana taproom, will close on Saturday, Nov. 28, 2026, because its landlord is redeveloping the building. The venue’s departure comes as 8 Wired scales back its barrel-aged sour beers, owner-brewer Soren Eriksen told Pursuit of Hoppiness in a Nov. 6 report.
This is a taproom closure and a smaller sour program, not an announcement that 8 Wired Brewing is shutting down. Eriksen said Wild Feijoa will continue at a reduced scale, and the brewery may make more whisky-barrel stouts.
8 Wired Barrelworks plans a final-night farewell
Barrelworks opened in December 2019. In a brewery Facebook statement reproduced by Pursuit of Hoppiness, 8 Wired recalled quiz nights, comedy, food trucks, community events and fundraisers at the space. It plans a farewell party on the final night, with further details to follow.
Eriksen told the publication the large Matakana venue had been roughly a break-even operation, with most income arriving on Saturdays as visitors came from Auckland. He said 8 Wired was not immediately looking for a replacement taproom.
Less space needed for barrel-aged sours
The taproom also housed barrel-aged beer. Eriksen said the brewery needs less storage as that program winds down, pointing specifically to sours such as Fistful of Raspberries, Desperate Glory and Hellhole of the North.
He described stronger sales for big stouts than sours and said the brewery would probably do more whisky-barrel work.
Wild Feijoa will continue at a smaller scale
8 Wired skipped a Wild Feijoa vintage this year. Eriksen linked that decision both to a failed crop from its usual feijoa supplier and to stock from the previous batch not having sold through. He told Pursuit of Hoppiness that the beer will return, but with production scaled back.
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