Take-5: Heroes Beer Co
It’s not named for the classic David Bowie track, but Heroes Beer Co. indeed has individually heroic origins. Once again we drop the Stella and sample a local boutique label.
After a long delay (sorry) we’re back to our survey of Hong Kong’s craft breweries and next up is hEROES Beer Co (Instagram: heroesbeerco and henceforth Heroes), founded in 2017 by brewmaster Chris Wong (official title, “Beer Dumpster”) and development manager Jason Lowe. A kinda sorta spin-off from HK Brewcraft, the city’s go-to for DIY home brew supplies and workshops, the duo was inspired by “So many people we met there with passion for beer,” begins Wong. “They may not want to quit [their] job or go all-in on a brewery, but they do have a beer story to tell. ‘What’s your beer fantasy?’ And you can see from our logo, it’s a small ‘h’, that all things start with a humble beginning. That’s how we started this platform.”
Heroes built its core line on stories collected from friends, strangers, artists… whoever, but all real Hongkongers. “The drinkers are in the driver’s seat. Instead of brewing something for ourselves and pushing it to the market, why not brew for someone else?” Wong continues. After lengthy interviews and a deep dive into the lives and cultures of their partners, Heroes realises those beer fantasies – complete with visualisation on the cans. It’s the basis for some creative brews that have more personality than mass market beer and distinguish Heroes from other microbrews. Wong points to Hangry Donut as an example. “This crazy doughnut riding the rocket is the hero, and that becomes the beer. But it’s not just a cartoon figure on the label. There’s thought to it, there is a hero character, there are superpowers. There’re people that the superhero is going to save. Hangry Donut’s superpower is that everything she touches becomes really fun. That’s how we do it.”
There’s been 24 heroes and four-odd villain beers since 2017, and nearly as many collaborations beyond the hero labels. Heroes brews two of its standards in Japan (where Wong learnt about commercial brewing with Hitachino) to tap the regional ingredients, and have something unique and authentic to offer Japanese eateries here. It makes a custom wine barrel-aged beer for Blue Supreme in Sheung Wan (It’s Alive), a special fruit heavy Sangria beer, works with Lok Cha tea, and created a salted fish mead (odd AF and delicious) with artist Kate Chan. As Wong notes, outside of the blood, sweat and tears of brewing here, “The malt is from Germany, the hops are from the US or Europe, the yeast is from Europe and the water is from Dongjiang. This,” he almost exclaims, “Is actually from Hong Kong. The honey is from Hong Kong, the salted fish is from Hong Kong…. Finally!”
Admittedly we’ve missed the prime CNY break, so grabbing a six-pack (get Heroes online, or try Marketplace) of Heroes will now have to wait for a non-special occasion or the next holiday. Lucky for us a probably balmy Easter long weekend is just around the corner. A beach or rooftop surely beckons…
Beer
| Type: Pilsner
If you were to go pretending you’re in a movie, and it’s the scene where you rock up to a bar and ask for “A beer,” 1) you’d look a fool but 2) you might get this. Which is not to suggest this is foolish. Heroes’ golden, floral, tangy brew is a crushable, easy and accessible welcome mat of a beer. Malty but not rancid, crisp without being too “beery” and substantial without leaving you feeling like there’s a kilo of raw ground pork in your belly. You know the feeling. This is a brew to keep in the fridge for sudden bites on the roof. And for the record, Beer works great with spicy food.
Good Trip
| Type: Yuzu Pale Ale
Alert the media: the Yuzu Pale Ale is citrusy. Heroes named Good Trip after the endlessly positive punk pop band and/or a magical troop of mushrooms that can’t figure out humanity. Whatever the case the brew is tropical, and mikan-y, and yuzu-y, intensely so thanks to the fresh yuzu in the beer, not power; it’s brewed in Japan. This is very possibly bad news. For one thing it smells like a dream, making it the default answer to “Which one of these do you want?” for anyone wondering which to pick when staring in the fridge. Well balanced and oddly refreshing, Good Trip finishes dry and clean, it’s not overly fussy, and all that makes it just so easy to grab one more.
Got Rice
| Type: Japanese Rice Lager
Another of Heroes’ core beers not brewed in Hong Kong, Got Rice is made in Japan mostly for logistical reasons; getting the premium Yamada Nishiki rice (used for sake) shavings back and forth would be a waste of time, energy and money. Got Rice has an almost creamy texture despite a relatively light body and hell, yeah. We tried it with sushi, sashimi and some soba noodles. Nice! Got Rice is complex and a little left of centre in the best way – odd is too strong a word but so is average. This goes down fine with anything as well as by it itself. But we’ve got our eyes on yakiniku.
Si L Dan IPA
| Type: IPA
A collaboration with HK Brewcraft, Si L Dan IPA is a close as Heroes gets to an ale, ale. One of its most aromatic, booziest, bitterest, hoppiest and dense, the Si L Dan has a lot of body and colour, and it’s more of a sipper than the rest of Heroes’ body of work. You don’t need a knife and fork to enjoy it, but it is meaty in its way and better nursed than chugged. It’s almost warm; it’s the one you pull out for yourself one evening when you’re settling in to catch up on your favourite Apple show; Plur1bus or Severance. Not Netflix. Way too lightweight.
Hangry Donut
| Type: Hopiscus Wheat
Why is this pink? Wait… Who cares? Cleaving closely to the brand’s mandate of customising brews, Hangry Donut was inspired by a chef, LGBTQ+ ally and overall shit disturber (the good kind) who’s greatest weakness is her need for doughnuts when hungry to the point of hyper-emotionalism. Sweet (not sugary), super-fragrant (duh, hibiscus) and fruity without going overboard (trust us, Newfoundland’s Quidi Vidi has set that insurmountable bar), Hangry Donut is a fun, funky, enjoyable beer that’s been precision engineered for summer.