With the epicentre of the Coronavirus emerging in Wuhan, China and the city was the first to go into  76-days of lockdown, Wang Fan – founder of  No. 18 Brewery –  resorted to commemorate these troubled times through beer. 

Life is just starting to get back to normal in Wuhan, But Fan’s business took a big hit when the lockdown kicked in on January 23 until early April, including having to dump approx. 12,000 litres of stock. That traumatic period was expressed in a beer made by Wang and his team called “Wuhan Jia Ha Zi You”, or “Wuhan Stay Strong,” released in April 2020.

The cans are designed where beer drinkers can peel back the label 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 alongside a quote, “If I can shine, don’t be afraid of darkness; if I am so beautiful, then all fear can be dispelled.”

“Wuhan Stay Strong” is a sweet, seasonal “sakura beer” inspired by the cherry blossom that gives parts of Wuhan a pink hue in spring.

As most parts of the city were hit hard, Wang expresses what it was like: “That time was devastating. We nearly collapsed. All of our bars were closed for more than three months,” said Wang.

But, when the summer months rolled around, things turned around, “It sold out the minute we released it because everyone wants to support Wuhan in some way,” said Wang.