First brewed in 2022, we have been producing English ales here at GWB since opening in 2017. If you hadn’t noticed, it’s kind of our thing—along with various other European styles. We’ve mentioned before that one of our MOs is brewing beer that we would want to drink, to the absolute best of our ability. That’s what our beer list is a curated selection of the beers we love to drink. But why specifically an English Golden Ale, and how did Holographic Heart come to be?

“For me, it’s that same intention behind all of what we are brewing. These classic styles, that are overlooked and rarely brewed,” explains Todd when asked why he wanted to create a house English Golden. “There’s this misconception that flavor happens at this imaginary threshold. Of course, alcohol is a flavor, but to think that a beer must be of a higher ABV to be good or great is kind of silly. I wanted to create something full of flavor and intrigue, but yet incredibly refreshing and very, very drinkable.”

The first beer in a set of four, Holographic Heart is a commentary on projecting love even when it’s not always visible or felt. The four beers—and we’ll get to the other three in due course—are a storyboard that points to our separation as humanity and our connection with one another. In modern society, we excel at trading modern convenience for human touch and interaction. The beers in this series are all simple and a beckon to the past, when times were less complicated, and our attention wasn’t as easily lost. Holographic Heart is a call to remember what is important, and that is the connection—the love we have for one another.

Brewed with a base of Thomas Fawcett Golden Promise, and a big helping of English Goldings hops, the Omega yeast strain that we use also tells a story. “Another reason this is the first in a four-part series is that it’s the same yeast for three of the four beers. We brewed this beer first, then collected the yeast to make Analog Life, and then once again for Quantum Immortality. It’s the rhythm to the playlist.”

The result is a 4.2% English Golden that is sweet on the first sip, with some nice hop expression coming off herbal and light honeysuckle. The bitterness is clean and not long-lasting, which is exactly what keeps you coming back. Undeniably refreshing and easy to drink, it’s exactly the beer to keep you company while you while away a breezy Spring afternoon on our patio. Having the beer engines here at GWB to taste the draft and cask versions side by side is also a real treat. For the most part, cask comes across softer because it’s less carbonated, so there’s less of that carbonic bite, while the draft version is always a cleaner version to me