Wartime riveting Rosies inspire craft brewery
A rooftop bar and brewery is replacing a charity store on a busy Wellington street corner.
The four-storey building, which once housed a Salvation Army Family Store, is located at the intersection of Ghuznee and Taranaki streets. It is being given a new lease on life following November’s 7.8-magnitude earthquake.
The brewery, called the Whistling Sisters, has already started brewing, while the bar and restaurant will open early in 2018.
Once work is complete, patrons will be able to see the brewery through a floor-to-ceiling glass window from the bar and mezzanine dining area.
Co-founder Russel Scott, who also owns Ombra, Avida, The Featherston and Belgian-themed Leuven, said a lot of effort had gone into getting the project off the ground.
‘‘For me, it’s the accumulation of 41 years in the liquor industry; it’s kind of a swansong, I guess,’’ he said. ‘‘And for Bede [Roe] it’s the fulfillment of a passion.’’
The Whistling Sisters name is a nod to Scott’s two daughters, one of whom passed away in 2015.
Scott and Roe will use some of the profits from the business to help fund a foundation set up in the name of Scott’s late daughter, Karen Louisa, which supports research into secondary breast cancer.
‘‘It’s a little bit of homage to her [Karen] … It’s about adversity that we all have in life. We’ve got to learn from it and move on and be positive and get on with things.’’
Scott said the theme of the brewery and bar was the riveting Rosies of World War II, because ‘‘women can do anything’’.
The building had been strengthened by its owner, Primeproperty Group, and the multimillion-dollar project is now in full swing.
The bar and restaurant, excluding the rooftop, will seat about 140 people. Roe said the brewery was a not a large operation, holding up to 1200 litres.
The first batch of beer was expected to be ready in a few weeks and would initially only be sold by the keg to on-site bars.