Beer traces its roots back to the times of Mesopotamia… seriously. It’s one of the most tried-and-true recipes in the world, with its emphasis on barley and wheat.
Craft brewers have taken extreme liberties in concocting some wild stuff—from pickle ales to beers that remind you of a hot dog. All of them, though, share the same starting ingredients.
That was until Brew Theory Brewery, a contract brewer, opted for something totally different. In a story on WCVB, Samara Oster, the Meli Beer founder, explained how they are now the first beer in the U.S. brewed entirely from quinoa, straying away from what we all thought was the heart of the beer: wheat and barley.
“I think there is a real opportunity across the states because there is nothing like us,” she told the outlet. He is correct in that notion, because Meli Beer is truly something we’ve never seen before.
Why Make Beer With Quinoa?
With quinoa as the main embodiment of the brew, the organic beverage is filled with nutrients and is classified as gluten-free. To no surprise, they’re targeting health-conscious consumers with this offering.
Oster, you may not be surprised to learn, has a background that includes stops at Harvard and MIT. There were over 100 formulations in a three-year span that he and an MIT team worked on before coming up with the final product.
With traditional machines geared towards working with barley and wheat, the team had to “turn the process at many points along the way on its head” to properly accomplish their end goal.
If you’re wondering what Meli Beer tastes like, just imagine crushing a cold one and not feeling so bloated. Oster wanted to create a beer experience that “feels great in your body and doesn’t feel like you’ve had a loaf of bread.”
Sign me up!
In all seriousness, we’ve seen the craft beer industry take hit after hit over the past year. One of the biggest knocks on the business has to do with people opting for more healthy alternatives, be it non-alcoholic options or simply something with fewer calories, like a hard seltzer.
While quinoa beer may sound a bit odd, it does sound far more appealing to people who still want that beer but don’t want all of the other baggage that comes with it… like feeling like a loaf of bread is in your belly!
The post This Brewery Is Making Beer With Quinoa—Here’s What It Tastes Like appeared first on VICE.
