At a Wuhan brewery: A sip and the whole Covid story
WUHAN: When the coronavirus emerged in Wuhan and the city went into a 76-day lockdown, Wang Fan resolved to commemorate the turbulent time in the way he knew best, through beer.
Wang is a leading figure in the world of Chinese craft beer and the Wuhan native founded one of the country’s first specialised breweries, No. 18 Brewery, in 2013. But his business, which includes four bars and a brewery in Wuhan, nearly folded after the city of 11 million people was forced into a particularly tough lockdown on January 23 that would drag on until early April.
Life is now getting back to normal in Wuhan, where the coronavirus was first detected about a year ago before becoming a pandemic.
That traumatic period is recalled in a beer made by Wang and his team called “Wuhan Jia Ha Zi You”, or “Wuhan Stay Strong”. Released in April, it was a way to “let people know our story” of what the city and its people endured, said the 36-year-old Wang.
The cans have a label that peels back to reveal a chronology of those long weeks with haunting black-and-white photographs. Pictures include medical personnel in hazmat suits, masked community workers and a deserted bridge running over the Yangtze river.
There is also a poem inscribed on the wrap-around label by the popular novelist Wang Xiaobo. “If I can shine, don’t be afraid of darkness; if I am so beautiful, then all fear can be dispelled,” it reads.
“Wuhan Stay Strong” is a sweet, seasonal “sakura beer” inspired by the cherry blossom that gives parts of Wuhan a pink hue in spring.
There are about 30 craft-beer bars in Wuhan and the scene is growing steadily, said brewer Wang.
His No. 18 Brewery is at the forefront locally and nationally, conjuring up beers that often incorporate features or ingredients that are particular to Wuhan and China.