Denmark: Carlsberg creates fonio beer with no use of barley or bittering hops

Carlsberg has created a brand-new type of beer that uses only fonio grains, without the use of any barley or bittering hops. The grain, which has thrived in West Africa for over 5,000 years and is widely used in African cooking, can thrive in poor soils and is drought-resistant, the Danish brewer reported on July 25.

The world-first brew demonstrates what can be achieved when new brewing techniques and ingredients meet curiosity - an area that Carlsberg is exploring for future crop varieties, using its curious mindset to push forward advancements in this area. The curious mindset has been at the forefront of everything Carlsberg has done since it opened the brewery doors in 1847.

The new Fonio beer was brewed in collaboration with Brooklyn Brewery as part of its ‘Brewing for Impact’ campaign. The campaign was launched by Brooklyn Brewmaster, Garrett Oliver, to celebrate 30 years with the Brewery. Its aim is to spotlight the ancient West African grain and its untapped brewing potential and ability to drive positive change in the industry.

The resulting limited-edition beer, brewed in the Carlsberg Research Laboratory, is clean, with soft aromas of apricots, white peaches, and melon with an underlying sweetness and lingering bitterness giving a vibrant and delicate finish.

The unique Fonio bottle design was created by Kevin Bongang, a commercial muralist, designer and painter who was born in Cameroon, West Africa. The label features his vibrant signature style, awash in bold fun colours, swirling lines and whimsical imagery.

Zoran Gojkovic, Director of Brewing Science & Technology, Carlsberg said, “Carlsberg is constantly working to invigorate curiosity and I firmly believe that all progress in the world starts with a spark of curiosity. When Garrett Oliver, Brewmaster at Brooklyn Brewery, approached me to discuss what we could create with fonio, the first thing I thought was why has no one made a beer that is completely fonio?

“Fonio is an amazing West African grain but it presented several technical challenges for us to learn from and overcome - especially as there are no recipes for a beer like this. However, the extremely clean, crisp beer we’ve made is sure to set curious minds ablaze as we continue to test the potential of fonio in brewing and beyond.”

To launch the new brew, Carlsberg has teamed up with Michelin starred chef, Adejoké Bakare of London’s Chishuru restaurant to create a unique five course tasting menu, showcasing the beer’s impressive pairing capabilities whilst paying homage to fonio’s West African roots.

The five course pairing menu has been created with Carlsberg’s Fonio at the heart, Joké Bakare is familiar with the product having created a fonio ice cream that regularly features on the restaurant menu.

Discussing the menu Bakare said, “I love fonio and so I was thrilled to put together a menu based around it. Pairing our food with a fonio beer - and even using that beer in one of the dishes - was a joy. The beer itself is fruity but with a hint of bitterness, making it as versatile as fonio itself when it comes to menu creation.

Fonio is a hardy crop and a little goes a long way - so it is brilliant to see the crop be put on the world’s stage, especially as this could crucially create valuable second incomes for fonio farmers”.

Carlsberg’s Fonio beer will be available in limited quantities from the Home of Carlsberg in Copenhagen from August.

26 July, 2024