Raise a toast: London brewer develops beer made from bread

An East London brewery has launched a novel new ale that “turns leftover bread into beer”.

The new Toast Ale, from the Hackney-based company of the same name, sources fresh, artisan breads that would otherwise be wasted and gives them a new lease of life. The company has said that is slices, toasts and mashes the bread to make its own breadcrumbs, before brewing them with malted barley, hops and yeast.

Each bottle of Toast Ale contains one slice of bread and will seek to help reduce the amount of food wasted in British homes every year. A total of 15m tonnes of food each year is wasted in the UK, across both the supply chain and in home.

The toasted bread, the company added, “adds caramel notes that balance the bitter hops, giving a malty taste similar to amber ales and wheat beers”. The resulting beer, which is available from a number of independent stockists and online sellers, has an ABV of 5% and retails for £3 per 330ml bottle.

All of the profits from the sale of the beer will be donated to Feedback, an environmetal organisation that campaigns to end food waste across the supply chain.

Toast Ale’s Tristram Stuart said: “Tackling the global issue of food waste has taken me all over the world. It was at the Brussels Beer Project where I first found out about this innovative brewing process that turns a colossal global problem into a delicious, drinkable solution. We hope to put ourselves out of business. The day there’s no waste bread is the day Toast Ale can no longer exist.”