Would you drink beer made from bagels?
NEW YORK - Local brewery Talea Beer Co. has teamed up with Black Seed Bagels and Gotham Greens to create beer that’s brewed with upcycled bagels.
To reduce waste, Black Seed Bagels has been turning their extra bagels into a "reusable bagel meal" and offering them to bakeries and breweries, according to the Brooklyn Paper.
"We always try to have minimal waste," said Tara Hankinson, co-founder of the first woman-owned brewery in New York - with four locations across Brooklyn and Manhattan. "Brewing is a resource-intensive process. We use a lot of water and grain, so anything we can do to cut down on the environmental impact, that’s what we’re going to do."
Hankinson and her business partner were recently approached by Black Seed Bagels - and they decided to collaborate. The idea is fairly simple, mashing up unused bagels to create two beers - including an everything bagel beer using - everything bagels.
Talea Beer Co. isn’t quite done. Hankinson said now they are looking to use their leftover grain to make dog treats. Because, who says other species shouldn’t benefit from up cycling too.
So, how is it made?
When it comes to brewing any beer, the first step is to soak grains like barley. The wheat and oats in hot water create a sugary liquid called wort, which feeds the yeast in the fermentation process.
For the two Black Seed Beers, the equivalent of bagel crumbs has been added to the mix.
They have two different beers:
- The Weekender Lemon Basil: Brewed with upcycled black seed bagels and Gotham Greens basil.
- The Experimental Everything Bagel Beer: Contains everything bagel seasoning on it.
The beers are now on draft at their Williamsburg, Cobble Hill, and West Village taproom locations.