A really nice place in Taranaki

We’ve lined up the taps with three beauties from Karamu Barrelworks, the Waikato outfit where patience is practically an ingredient. Daryl Bryant brews farmhouse and lambic-inspired beer the slow way: a nod to Belgian tradition, wild fermentation, and time in oak until the liquid tells him it’s ready. It’s the kind of project you’d expect to find down a tree-lined drive on a lifestyle block — hand-built sheds, barrel rooms, and the quiet conviction that complexity is worth waiting for. TANK 4 is their saison-shaped anchor: a traditional Belgian-style farmhouse ale, bone-dry where it matters, with fruity esters up front and a lean, quenching finish. It’s as happy in the middle of a lazy afternoon as it is when you’re winding down later — classic, alive, and built for another sip. Pinot Gris is Karamu’s grape ale — beer meets barrel, meets wine country fruit. Pinot gris folded into a tart, aromatic pour: layers of fruit, acidity, and funk that keep revealing themselves as the glass goes down. Cherries is lambic-kriek territory — refermented on sour cherries for that deep blush, almond-pit whisper, and a refreshingly dry finish. Dessert in a glass it is not; it’s appetite-whetting, conversation-starting, and dangerously moreish. We’re stoked to have the full trio on tap — stop in for a pour (or three) and see why Karamu’s patience-first approach is worth seeking out.