We all got there during lockdown, didn’t we? Distracting ourselves from the insanity of being stuck at home by pretending we were somewhere else.
I created a hipster café in my back courtyard, and a winter pub scene in my living room (complete with YouTube fireplace). Some people went further and set up entire vacation scenarios in their house.
If this video’s anything to go by, the Young Henrys crew fit into the latter category. Their new Brewers B-Side release, From Where You’d Guava Be captures this sense of being transported somewhere else.
While head brewer Jesse Searls had to deal with all the work that went into creating this beer – “It was a pretty complex brewing process, with multiple fruit injections and intricacies in order to achieve the flavour and aroma we wanted” – we’re not interested in that harsh reality.
Guava and passionfruit fill the air with the potency of a beachside cocktail bar with a thatched roof. The laid-back sourness floats in the front of the mouth, with a buoyant malt bill keeping this four percenter light and breezy throughout.
If, like me, you pour it into a glass, you might be surprised to see it’s a cloudy lemon yellow, with none of the pink blush we often associate with guava. (Turns out not all guava varieties are pink! You learn something every day.)
But, since we’re using our imagination, let’s pretend we’re on an island where there are no beer glasses available. Throw on a Hawaiian shirt, rub some salt water in your hair, crack a tinnie, and smash a couple of Guavas on a make-believe beach.
Mick Wust
Published November 20, 2020 2020-11-20 00:00:00
