Ethical brewer Brewgooder has teamed up with Brooklyn Brewery to launch a beer made from fonio.
The beer is a session IPA (4.3% abv) offering “bitter orange, jasmine, lychee fruit, gooseberry and mango aromatics” with a “light finish”, according to Brewgooder.
A four-pack of 330ml cans has launched into Co-op (rsp: £6/4x330ml), while Castle Pubs will stock the beer exclusively on draught.
The innovation aimed to showcase fonio – an ancient West African grain – as “a great-tasting ingredient with great potential to make brewery supply chains more inclusive and less carbon-intensive”, said Brewgooder.
Fonio had “strong sustainability credentials” as it could be grown in nutrient-poor soils without fertilisers or pesticides, it said.
The partnership between the brewers aims to benefit West African fonio farmers, with a portion of the funds also going towards work by The Brewgooder Foundation to support clean water projects in Mali.
“I love the impactful work that Brewgooder are doing, and first approached them several years ago about working with fonio,” said Brooklyn Brewery brewmaster Garrett Oliver.
“The pandemic slowed us all down, but I’m thrilled to see this project finally out in the world,” he added.
Brewgooder founder Alan Mahon added the rollout would help the brewers gather “learnings for more sustainable brewing”.
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