Thus Let Us Drink Beer - Young Henrys IPA
Breweries are emerging like mushrooms the world over, especially craft beer ones with special brews and idiosyncratic twists and limited releases that keep an ever-expanding audience on its toes and lusting to try the never ending array of new expressions.
Then there’s breweries that have a bit more to offer.
Young Henrys is of the latter calibre as what was initially inspired by a love for beer and music, has evolved into an entity that has not only taken the Australian craft beer scene by storm but slowly and steadily infiltrated mainstream territory and with its innovative initiatives and endeavours that go far beyond the allure of gimmicky marketing, has created a lane for itself.
Based in Sydney’s suburb of Newtown, the DNA of Young Henry’s neighbourhood has had a tangible impact on their endeavours, which not only inspired their credo to “Serve the people” but remains to this day fundamentally the same and serves as the brewery’s solid foundation yet has now geographically transcended into the creation of an Australia-wide following that abides by the core values of the brand, i.e. music, art, culture and community.
The brewery’s independent status allows them to channel their alchemy in whatever way they feel suit to bring the best out of Australian hops and malts with only a fantastic core range but limited releases that allow the brewers to flex their creative muscles - specifically when it comes to exclusive collaborations with local and international bands, for which specific beers are brewed that are then housed in custom-designed tinnies, with the hazy lager that was brewed for The Foo Fighter’s last incarnation on terra australis or local bands like Frenzal Rhomb and You Am I - to this day one of my fave YH’s releases - only being some of many examples.
Given my beer-related preferences, it should not come as a surprise that I am specifically taken by Young Henrys’ hoppier emissions and after quite a few of seasonal IPA releases, including the fantastic Rye IPA, it was fantastic to see a regular IPA to join the core range permanently.
In essence, the YH IPA seems to be the culmination of deliberate experimentation that has been finetuned to marry the best qualities of nine varieties of Aussie and American hops, resulting in a delicately complex blend of aromas and flavours.
Not unlike Young Henrys’ other releases, the IPA is dangerously more-ish as the alcohol is veiled by opulent citrussy notes and tropical highlights that are backed by a piney backbone, only to make one lust for more with the well-calibrated dry finish that hits exactly the right spot in terms of bitterness. I can only hope that the IPA will be as widely available as the rest of YH’s core range at upcoming shows and gigs, which again Young Henrys is actively supporting to return in collaboration and support of bands and venues.
Needless to say that the Young Henry’s spirit pervades every facet of their operation with the common denominator being care and passion for the things they produce, from their HQ in Newtown and the brewpub, to the designs of their merchandise in collaboration with other brands, bands and artists to constantly pushing things to the next level, which saw them e.g. branch out to dabble in spirits and complement their brewing with the distilling of their own gin range, which I hope to be able to feature as parts of our spirits-centric “Water of Life” series.
