Raw Beer: 100% Unmalted Barley

I legitimately look forward to hearing the opinions about this of people on this site that know exponentially more about the brewing process than I do. Is this a gimmick or something legit?

 

I have no knowledge of the chemistry here. But as a beer drinker, claims of “efficiency” should equate to a lower-cost beverage, right? If it’s not that, is it better tasting? Something else?

 

Well, using enzymes along with the raw barley obviously ‘works’ but a few things to bear in mind:

From the Forbes article: “Cool Cousin beer is loosely in the style of a German-style Kolsch.” It would seem that the process at Cool Cousin can produce a pale beer like Kolsch. But what about a beer style like Marzen (Amber Oktoberfest)? In the production of malted barley the final step is kilning the malt as the last step of the overall malting process. The manner and temperature selected during kilning will impact the color and sensory aspects of the final product. For example, in the production of a beer style such as a Marzen there is a need for a darker malt (i.e., Munich Malt) to be all (or part) of the grain bill. Can the equivalent of Munich Malt be produced via the Cool Cousin method? I wonder?

Will the Cool Cousins beer taste like the equivalent of a Kolsch made with malted barley (e.g., Von Trapp Kolsch)? Well, this would be a subjective exercise. And maybe the Cool Cousin beer should be judged on it own terms and simply whether you enjoy drinking that brand (or not)?

Cheers!

 

I think the goal is to make it more environmentally friendly. I'm not sure if they are achieving that or not, but I think that's what the push for efficiency is in this scenario.

 

If it tastes good at a good price point then it will do good. I don't see a mention of price in the Forbes article. My guess is that it will be priced high and have an average taste so people might try it once and then not buy it again. This seems more like a marketing gimmick. If they really are doing this to make it environmentally friendly then they should also donate some of the profits to organizations that promote environmental concerns.

 

Shouldn't it be that breweries that aren't prioritizing environmentally friendly practices who donate profits to organization that try to protect the environment?

 

Ideally yes, but in this case the brewer is marketing themselves that way so should do more if that truly is the reason they are doing this.

 

A silly gimmick, cutting corners, whatever they want to call this, I could care less and have no desire to try it. Is this a use of buzzwords or a real commitment to make beer eco friendly because I don’t see anything about only selling on site, using recycled brown water or a solar energy powered brewery.

 

A bit pricey at $9 a pint:

“Hops Hill Atlantic

533 Atlantic Avenue, Brooklyn, NY 11217

Bar · Menu Updated: 09/10/2023

16oz Draft $9 · 32oz Crowler (can) $14”

https://www.beermenus.com/beers/500820-cool-cousin-raw-lager?user_type_survey=1

But maybe that is ‘standard’ NYC pricing?

Cheers!

 

$9 pints are an unsustainable practice from my experience but are, however, an efficient way to spend $ quickly. $7 pints are so incredibly old school and are such an inefficient way to throw money down the shitter. Meh.

 

It’s $14 for a “pint” can of Surly Furious at First Avenue, nowadays. That’s not saying that you can’t still get a cheater (“Libbey”) pint at a local bar for less, but that price has been creeping up faster that the rate of tuition at the U of M.

To the ideas set forth by Cool Cousin in the OP, I’d say that they’re on to something if and when they can bring the product to market, and furthermore, expand it stylistically while maintaining a price which the market will bear.

 

Crazy prices! I paid $7.50 for a bottle of SNPA the other day and was like :-0 I agree. If CC can be less of an energy sponge with their process AND keep a good price point AND the product tastes good then it is of course a good thing. Anything's worth a shot these days.

 

Maybe they can sell it at ballparks.

 

I know nothing about the science here either, so I’ll defer to others on that—but how often does increased efficiency actually result in lower prices for consumers? More often the company just charges the same amount (or even charges more under the guise of environmental responsibility—see “organic produce”) and pockets the difference, using it to boost profits, pay staff more, offer better benefits, or just give bigger salaries to owners/executives. Not that any of these are necessarily bad, as they contribute to a company’s competitiveness. But I’d be shocked if beer made using this process was actually priced significantly lower.

 

Isn't that process more or less how sake is made, where koji supplies the enzymes? (It's been about 40 years since I looked into sake making, so...).

The TTB doesn't regulate some beer-like alcoholic beverages that don't use hops or malted barley - those are regulated by the FDA with different and sometimes stricter labeling rules.
TTB Ruling - Number: 2008–3 July 7, 2008
Classification of Brewed Products as “Beer” Under the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 and as “Malt Beverages” Under the Federal Alcohol Administration Act

 

They could use roasted barley or toasted / kilned raw barely to make darker beers. Of course this would still require natural gas to heat the barley but would not use any additional water that the malting process requires.

I never thought malting as being resource intensive, maybe it is or maybe this is just another gimmick beer? Hopefully this brewery is doing everything possible to save water in the brew house which does require a lot of water, otherwise this would definitely appear to be a gimmick to me.

 

Water is used during the steeping process step and then some is used later for the germination step.

Yes, maybe?

Well, most breweries purchase their malt so water usage as regards malting is a non-issue at the brewery. The Cool Cousins folks can 'advertise' that on a planet level they are saving the water that would have been utilized at the Malting Company(s).

Cheers@

 

Wow another idea that could add new flavors (potentially) to the beer scene and perhaps save appreciable amounts of water and energy, which would make it attractive to people concerned with how their lifestyles affect our habitat. It is a win/win idea, let's see if it ends up to be a win/win product on the brewery's balance sheet.

 

Germinating seeds doesn’t seem to take much water compared to keeping a brewery clean. I think New Belgium and some other breweries have a “grey water” capture and reuse system which seems like the best way to save water during the entire brewing process.
I would like to try this beer to see what it tastes like, my first thought was that it would it be full of proteins but I guess a filter could take care of that.