小米和高粱是nutrient-rich grains, high in protein and antioxidants. And they’re drought-resistant, making them reliable crops in dry, hot conditions. But over the past 50 years,国际作物研究学院半干旱热带(ICRISAT)估计,由于越来越多的农民优先考虑玉米,小麦,大米和大豆。现在,一个不太可能的行业正在利用小米和高粱:无麸质精酿啤酒。
小米和高粱都不含麸质,并且具有正确的食谱和风味组合,这些谷物可以成为全球美味,无麸质啤酒的关键要素。从本地农民那里采购小米和高粱为地方经济和赋予社区成员的能力提供支持。他们也有帮助保护环境,因为小米和高粱所需的水比小麦需要少得多,并且需要更少的肥料和农药。
While millets and sorghum still have a vast, untapped, commercial potential, there are several breweries around the world who have already recognized their unique capabilities and are brewing gluten-free beer. Nakul Bhonsle, Founder ofGreat State Aleworksin Pune, India, tells Food Tank it was an “eye opener” when he found out “large commercial breweries in Africa use unmalted sorghum in large quantities in their beer recipes.” He explains how he then realized there was no need to source malted millets, and instead, Great State Aleworks “started our experiments with raw, unmalted millets such as sorghum and bajra, both so widely grown in the state of Maharashtra where we are based.” Now, Bhonsle is able to support local organic farmers by sourcing locally grown ingredients, supporting both the economy and the environment.
In Ghana, Clement Djameh and Fash Sawyerr are the founders of Ghana’s first ever microbrewery,内陆啤酒厂。类似于大州Aleworks,内陆“代表可能成为西非新行业的东西:可以为种植高粱的当地农民提供所需收入的精酿啤酒。”
In Milwaukee, Wisconsin,Lakefront Brewerywas the first brewery in the United States to package a government approved gluten-free beer. Russ Kilsch, founder and president tells Food Tank that “when we started you couldn’t make beer with just sorghum. Beer had to be made with at least 25 percent malted barley to be called beer.” So, he reached out to the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, wrote a “statement of process,” and six weeks later, the new category of beer was approved andNew Grist, the country’s first gluten-free beer was created.
New Grist, Lakefront Brewery’s gluten-free beer is made from water, rice, sorghum, hops, and gluten-free yeast grown in molasses. Back in Pune, India, after almost 18 months of research and trials, Great State Aleworks is launching their first big-batch millet based beer, brewed with 65 percent organic pearl millet, 20 percent barley, 10 percent oats and five percent wheat malt.
Pearl millethas twice the protein of milk and sorghum is rich in vitamins, minerals, protein, and fiber. With these health benefits, gluten-free beers are expected to be a rising trend this year, and Bhonsle hopes to help launch the movement forward. He explains to Food Tank how from his experience, there is a lack of knowledge and information available, especially for a craft brewer like him who has no formal education in brewing. He emphasizes how “at the end, it was trials and experiments that led us to be here.” However, “taking the challenges we faced, we are making our Millet Beer program at Great State an open source one. We will be sharing our recipes and our network with fellow brewers in the city/state to share our knowledge and encourage more of us to take up millets.”