I just received an email here at work with an invite to attend a presentation from the folks at Toast Brewing. I've never heard of brewing beer with bread. Very interesting. I'm no "tree hugger" but I do appreciate the sustainability aspect of this. Here is a little blurb from their website: https://www.toastbrewing.com
It's been done before (and still is). From Google AI: Making beer with rye bread usually refers to brewing Kvass, a traditional fermented Slavic beverage, or creating a "bread beer" by substituting malt with toasted rye bread. The process involves toasting rye bread, soaking it in boiling water, adding sugar and yeast, and fermenting it for 3–7 days. Traditional Rye Bread Kvass (Simple Recipe) Ingredients: 300-500g dark rye bread (stale is fine), 4-5 liters of water, 1-1.5 cups sugar (or honey), ~10-15 raisins, 1 tsp active dry yeast (optional, for faster fermentation). Preparation: Toast: Slice the rye bread and toast it in an oven or toaster until very dark/golden brown to ensure a toasted, caramel-like flavor. Soak: Place the toasted bread in a large pot or glass jar and pour boiling water over it. Let it sit for 4–24 hours to create "bread tea". Sweeten & Ferment: Strain out the bread solids. Stir in sugar and yeast (if using) once the liquid is cool (around room temperature). Ferment: Cover with a cloth or airlock and let it sit in a warm spot for 1-3 days. Bottle & Carbonate: Strain the liquid, add a few raisins to each bottle (for carbonation), seal in plastic or swing-top bottles, and let them sit at room temperature for 1-2 days before refrigerating.
This falls under the "Just because you can doesn't mean you should" heading. Not that I think that you can't make good beer with bread, but malt and adjuncts aren't THAT expensive and I'd rather buy a product that is made with solid technique and ingredients rather than something that's looking to "save the planet" (and save the brewer money). That said, I'd give it a go. I just wouldn't set the bar too high, expectation-wise.
Prisoners have long known how to make alcohol using bread. And anything with sugar in it. I’ve seen and smelled prison hooch. It’s worse than it sounds. And brewed/fermented in a garbage bag. Yum.
This was a little before my beer drinking time, but I’ve read the story enough times over the years to remember it. Anchor brewed a beer,Ninkasi, that was supposed to be based on a 4000 year old beer recipe from ancient Mesopotamia that used 1000 loaves of bappir bread. Did any of the other old timers here get to try that one?
That’s actually a really cool concept—Toast Brewing has been getting a lot of attention for turning surplus bread into beer instead of letting it go to waste. It’s a smart way to replace part of the malt and reduce food waste at the same time. I’ve seen a few brewers experiment with similar ideas, and it’s surprising how well it works without compromising flavor. If you end up attending, it would be interesting to hear how they handle consistency and recipe formulation. On a related note, if you ever want to break down things like ABV or recipe calculations, I’ve been using this tool lately—it’s pretty handy: Curious to hear your thoughts after the presentation!
I’ve had Kvass and thought it was fine. BA lists 125 Kvass beers, including a couple from Jester King.
Not the Anchor beer, but I have had Ta Henket, brewed as part of Dogfish Head's ancient ales series, with bread as one of the ingredients. This tasted straight-up like freshly baked bread from the deli. https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/64/64604/
