Waste charity Feedback has launched the UK’s first surplus bread to beer ale.
Brewed in Hackney Brewery, Toast Ale uses fresh surplus bread, otherwise thrown away by bakeries, delis and sandwich makers with the aim of significantly reducing the scandalous 24 million slices of bread currently thrown away by UK households.
Across the country we waste about 15 million tons of food with bread being the worst offender. Toast Ale not only aims to put surplus bread to good use but all profits go straight to food waste organisation Feedback.
The charity was founded by Tristram Stuart who has committed to open sourcing the recipe in a bid to kick start a global brewing movement to turn surplus bread into beer.
Stuart is encouraging individuals to brew their very own version by making the recipe widely available, and hopes to partner with breweries across the globe to make Toast Ale.
The fresh, surplus bread is sliced and mashed to make breadcrumbs, then brewed with malted barley, hops and yeast at Hackney Brewery to make a quality ale with a distinctive taste profile.
Each bottle of Toast Ale uses one slice of fresh, surplus bread and celebrity fans already include food waste champions Jamie Oliver and Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall.
Tristram Stuart, founder of Feedback and the man behind Toast Ale 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.”
Jon Swain from Hackney Brewery said: “We absolutely jumped at the chance to join Feedback’s fight against food waste. The important thing for us, as brewers, was to create a beer that tasted good and stood up against other craft beers. We worked hard to brew a beer that wasn’t just a fad but something that people could enjoy time after time and would have a significant impact.”
Toast is available to buy at ToastAle.com form the 22nd January with an RRP of £3.00.
