Media Release

Young Henrys and Afends launch ‘Hemp Beer’ and the rise of the hemp revolution

Young Henrys & Afends have joined forces to create one of the first legal hemp beers in Australia, and the first to use brand new water soluble hemp oil technology.

An ode to the Afends Hemp Revolution, Young Henrys & Afends new Hemp IPA reinforces Afends’ initiative of promoting sustainability amongst industries and consumers alike on the benefits of hemp and its many uses. The naturally brewed beverage is just one of the many partnerships Young Henrys has been involved in.

The Young Henrys & Afends Hemp beer is a collaboration between two organisations built on the same values and ethos, supporting sustainability, the environment and the creation of eco-friendly products. With hemp incorporated in food, clothing and now beer, the Young Henrys & Afends Hemp IPA is a nod to the rise of the hemp industry and the versatility of this incredible plant.

Of their exciting new beer, Young Henrys co-founder, Oscar McMahon said, “It’s been a really fun and challenging road to releasing this beer… and 12 months since we first started experimenting with hemp in beer! We’re stoked to be sharing a brand new way of using hemp in beer that tastes bloody incredible.

“Neither Afends or Young Henrys claim to have all the answers. We’re like-minded souls from different games who see that things should be and could be different… in both our industries and in the world in general.

“We wanted to shine a light on the positivity of hemp as a health food, as a textile, as a building material and as a beer ingredient. We have made this beer together with the help of some incredibly intelligent heavy hitters from the hemp and science world to show there is more substance to this concept than just some middle finger rebellion,” said Oscar.

“If we can get a few more people interested in hemp, its uses and products and start more people questioning why this incredible plant is not more widely used in our society, then this beer will be a success. Question everything. Serve the people.”

With a law that stipulates the label on any hemp product for consumption shalt not contain an image of any part of the hemp plant other than seed, make reference to any psychoactive effect or include the word cannabis or marijuana, the playful police graphic is a dig at the endless regulatory hoops Young Henrys and Afends had to jump through to bring this beer to market.

Inside the label is a crushable, great-tasting hemp and hop high-five. The Young Henrys and Afends Hemp IPA is a big sticky number with an aroma of citrus, tropical and stone fruits with some spice berry. Biscuit and toasted bread flavours bring balance to the resinous vegetal notes from hemp oil and hop hash.

This Hemp IPA is a world first for the beer industry thanks to the Young Henrys brew- crew and Daniel Schultz of Halcyon BioScience. With a burning passion for hemp and years of experience in the hemp industry, Schultz helped create a water soluble hemp oil using 100% natural water soluble technology.

Daniel Schultz explains, “The organic hemp oil used to make this hemp beer has retained all the goodness and character of hemp thanks to an innovative natural process that allows it to instantly dissolve into beer or other beverages, without any chemicals or heat.”

The water soluble organic hemp seed oil is added at the time of ‘dry hopping’ where hops are added into the beer after fermentation to create punchy, zesty, resinous and fruit-forward aromas and flavours.

This is added alongside Hop Hash, a by- product of the pelletizing process and a more sustainable solution to solely using pelletized hops in beer production.

Both of these products are more sustainable solutions to solely using pelletized hops in beer production due to the hardiness and low water needs of the hemp crop and the Hop Hash being a bi-product of the Hop Pelletising process.

The Young Henrys & Afends Hemp IPA will be announced publicly on October 19th and introduced to media, friends and family at the birthplace of hemp; the Organic Hemp Fields of the Byron Bay Hinterlands.

Known to be the largest hemp field in Australia, the Afends and Young Henrys teams have carefully crafted an impressive tribute to the benefits of hemp.

Harvested for industrial purposes such as clothing and food, the picturesque field will also double as the outdoor setting for an intimate, sit-down dinner hosted by Afends and Young Henrys.

Available on tap and in cans, the Young Henrys & Afends Hemp IPA will be rolled out at selected venues and retailers nationwide from 24th October 2018.

Young Henrys was first born in Newtown in 2012 by Richard Adamson and Oscar McMahon. Young Henrys stands behind an unwavering vision to create booze loved by their local communities and likeminded mates around Australia are proud to call their own.

By keeping things local, reducing environmental impact, and collaborating with like-minded, passionate, creative people, Young Henrys helps turn up the volume on diverse (sometime smaller) voices in our community.

Afends was born in 2006 in the small coastal town of Byron Bay, Australia. Declan Wise and Jono Salfield founded the brand off the back of a small screen printing business they owned for printing band merch for punk and hardcore bands.

With the added culture of surfing and skateboarding to the punk and hardcore movement of 2006, the Afends ethos and style moulded into a look many still stand by today. Afends is united by a shared passion to bring the spirit of how they live, with a ‘Question Everything’ philosophy aimed at inspiring people to educate themselves and not to believe everything we hear or see, but to research and find our own answers.