#TBT: Brewery Suggests Beer Therapy to Overcome Anosmia

One of the most common (and sometimes, earliest) symptoms that indicate the presence of the SARS-CoV-2 virus in the human body is the loss of smell. Up to 80% of people who get the COVID-19 disease discover how vulnerable their olfactory receptors are in the face of the virus. While some patients get their smell sense back fast enough after they have recovered from the infection, others are not that lucky and continue to struggle with this sensorial impairment for a longer period of time.

However, studies revealed that, with a bit of “nostril workout,” people can regain their sense of smell. It works pretty much like a gym — but for the nose — where anosmia patients get to exercise their sense of smell using a different kind of equipment: familiar scents. Experiencing an odor that is well known by the patient can help ease the severity of the olfactory dysfunction, eventually restoring the sense.

Inspired by these findings, craft brewery Paname Brewing Company joined forces with communications agency L’Associé to support the patients throughout the recovery process. Designed with beer and anosmia patients in mind, the brand revealed its line of exceptionally aromatic ales sufferers can use to overcome the condition.

During this week’s #ThrowBrandThursday column, we invite you to discover the aromatic side of beer via the “Beer Therapy” initiative, a limited-edition range of alcoholic drinks specially tailored to COVID-19 patients’ olfactory needs. To brew the limited-edition line, it was the agency the one that briefed the company. “Usually, the brand briefs the agency but this time it was the agency briefing the brewers. We really pushed them to make the most aromatic beers possible,” explained Gilles Rivollier, Founder of L’Associé.

Accepting the challenge, the brewery developed three beers, each with a specific aroma: For the DDH Session NEIPA flavor, the company combined orchard and tropical fruit with a touch of lemongrass; the Pineapple Peach Sour Gose includes key ingredients such as pineapple and peach aromas with a slight lemon bite. Lastly, the Imperial DDH Fruit IPA stands out thanks to its blood orange and kalamansi, with citrus and pine flavors.

Each can of beer comes with a “coach” to make sure that anosmia patients’ efforts pay off. Visible under the form of a set of instructions, the drinkers are informed about the steps that need to be followed in order to reawaken their sense of smell. “Simple instructions on the cans themselves tell the drinker to pour the beer into a glass and then inhale the aromas while imagining what they represent. That’s the underlying idea of scent reeducation,” explain Creative Directors Mark Forgan and Jamie Standen.

“Aromas are very much a part of appreciating a beer. We wanted to help. Other beer lovers get the sense of smell back, so they can enjoy all the facets a well-brewed beer has to offer,” adds Michael Kennedy, CEO of Paname Brewing Company. Yet, “Everyone can enjoy our Beer Therapy range, whether they’ve lost their sense of smell or not. The aromatic style is very popular at the moment and rightly so,” he adds.

A similar initiative was made by mortierbrigade for De Morgen, only this time, the focus was on taste. When the sense of smell is affected, the way people experience food is different. Thankfully, the flavor is perceived in three ways: Using the nose, tongue, and oral sensitivity. In the event that the sense of smell is lost, people can still rely on the other two to recognize food. Inspired by this and with Christmas just around the corner, the duo invited top chef Marcelo Ballardin and a taste expert to develop a recipe that allows patients with COVID-19-related anosmia to experience a tasty dish.

While the recipe is still available, the beers are sold out. Still, you can find out more about the Paname Brewing Company’s Beer Therapy and what were beer lovers’ reactions to this initiative in the video below.