Lifestyle & opinion

Background to a brew for the Orangutan Foundation

Freddy tells us all about new beer, the OrWanguTang Mandarin Gose, and our role in this collaboration by Phil Wang and Bermondsey brewers Anspach & Hobday, brewed in support of the Orangutan Foundation.

The Orangutan Foundation
Paul Anspach, Freddy Bulmer and Phil Wang enjoying a well-deserved glass of A&H London Black

The Wine Society has collaborated with our friends Anspach & Hobday, outstanding Society supplier and one of the original craft breweries of Bermondsey’s famed Beer Mile; as well as award-winning comedian, actor, author and podcaster Phil Wang to create a delicious, limited-edition beer and raise money for Phil’s charity of choice, the Orangutan Foundation.

The OrWanguTang is a crisp, refreshing and lightly tart Gose beer brewed with Kölsch yeast, with a delicate mouthwatering, gently tangy salinity and a delicious juicy twist of orange zest and mandarin. It’s perfect for summer sipping and at a reasonable 4% alcohol. What’s more, 50p of every can sold will be donated to the charity, helping to fund their work to save orangutans by protecting their tropical rainforest habitat, working with local communities, and promoting research and education.

Having grown up in Kota Kinabalu in Malaysia, Phil is well placed to appreciate the importance of looking after the flora and fauna there:

‘As a son of Sabah, the natural beauty of Borneo and our furry orange friends who call it home, have always held a special place in my heart. The Orangutan Foundation has been working for 30 years to protect them and their habitat. I’m thrilled to have my face on a can of lovely beer in support of them.’

It’s not just Phil’s face which he brings to the mix here but as a serious foodie and appreciator of fine drink (he is a Society member after all!) Phil has played a key part in steering the style and flavour of the finished product.

Orangutan Foundation – Providing a future for orangutans, forests, and people

Orangutan Foundation’s approach goes beyond that of purely protecting critically endangered orangutans. It recognises that orangutans are essential to their habitat, which is unique in its rich biodiversity and is crucial for local communities, who are as dependent on the forest as the orangutans.

The Foundation runs its own programmes in Central Kalimantan, Indonesian Borneo to save orangutans by protecting their tropical forest habitat, working with local communities and promoting research and education.

Discover more and make a difference at Orangutan Foundation

Together with Phil and Anspach & Hobday’s Head of Production and Co-Founder Paul Aspach, we put together a plan over a pint (as all good plans are), to create something delicious for this excellent cause. Steered by Phil’s passion, taste in beer and the opportunity to be illustrated as an orangutan on a can, and Paul’s brewing knowledge and expertise, the result is an original, delicious, worthy and superbly executed beer.

The Wine Society and Anspach & Hobday have committed to working on the lowest possible margins on this project to ensure that proceeds from the sale of this beer go to charity. So do please give The OrWanguTang a go – it’s a delicious limited-edition, small-batch beer, which helps a truly wonderful cause. The donation from just four cans of this beer will be enough to sponsor a whole acre of crucial forest habitat in Indonesian Borneo, for the benefit of orangutans and countless other vital species.

The official launch of the beer will take place at Anspach & Hobday’s Bermondsey site with a Q&A with Phil Wang and Paul Anspach, on Wednesday 25th May. Doors will open at 5pm with the discussion beginning at 7.30pm. Tickets are limited and offered on a first-come, first-served basis, so don’t delay. We hope to see you there.

Freddy Bulmer

Society Buyer

Freddy Bulmer

Freddy joined the Buying Team in September 2015 and is responsible for Austria, Eastern Europe, Australia and New Zealand as well as being buyer for beer and cider.

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