For true aficionados , Garrett offers this tasting note : “ Beers brewed with fonio tend to evoke white wine – Sauvignon blanc , gewurztraminer , lychee fruit and tropical aromatics .”
The ingredients for success The ( re ) discovery of the power of fonio has led to a landmark collaboration between Brooklyn Brewery and breweries from seven countries , coming together to create a series of limited-edition beers that will spotlight fonio ’ s qualities .
Brewing for Impact also includes giants Carlsberg ( Denmark ) and Guinness ( Ireland ), household names including Thornbridge ( UK ) – and the tiny Senegalese microbrewery Maison Kalao .
Why work together ? Garrett , who has been at Brooklyn for 30 years , explains that 25 million tons of barley are used in brewing and similarly huge amounts of corn and rice , almost all of it grown with substantial chemical inputs .
He says : “ We can do better than that and make excellent beer at the same time .”
Garrett adds that sustainability has always been a focus for Brooklyn Brewery , from 1996 , when the brewery opened as one of only a few buildings in NYC powered entirely by wind .
Now , though , his focus is on fonio – and the art and the heart of the process is collaboration : the familiar cliche ‘ together , stronger ’.
102 September 2024