Fonio is a West African grain has thrived for over 5,000 and is notable for its drought-resistance and ability to thrive in poor soils. But it is relatively unknown outside of the continent.
Carlsberg's beer was created in collaboration with Brooklyn Brewery as part of its ‘Brewing for Impact’ campaign. The aim of the campaign is to spotlight the potential of fonio in more sustainable brewing and drive positive change across the industry.
'Apricots, white peaches and melon'
Brewed by the Carlsberg Research Laboratory, the limited-edition beer gives ‘soft aromas of apricots, white peaches and melon with an underlying sweetness and lingering bitterness giving a vibrant and delicate finish’.
That creates a beer that's half-way between a beer and a sparkling wine. It has been created using Carlsberg’s lager yeast, and the strong brew comes in at 7.5% ABV.
What’s distinctive about the brew is that it is clear in color: with an appearance akin to champagne or sake.
The bottle was created by Kevin Bongang, a commercial muralist, designer and painter born in Cameroon, West Africa.
The label features his vibrant style: with bold fun colors, swirling lines and whimsical imagery.
What makes fonio such an interesting crop is that it has a strong resilience to varying climatic situations and can thrive in less fertile soils.
Consequently, it requires little in the way of irrigation, fertilizers, pesticides or other chemical inputs.
Despite these advantages, fonio has not been considered competitive against commodity crops in mainstream agriculture. But that could be starting to change.
Earlier this year, US craft beer superstar Brooklyn Brewery's brewmaster Garrett Oliver stepped up his efforts to propel fonio into the limelight: creating an industry-first collaboration with breweries from around the world.
Carlsberg is just one of the breweries involved: with Guinness and Jing-A among the breweries set to release collaborations.
Carlsberg’s Fonio beer will be available in limited quantities from the Home of Carlsberg in Copenhagen from August.
To launch the new brew, Carlsberg has teamed up with Michelin starred chef, Adejoké Bakare of London’s Chishuru restaurant to create a unique five course tasting menu.
The restaurant has already explored using fonio in a variety of ways - including with a fonio ice cream.
A five-course pairing menu will showcase beer’s impressive pairing capabilities whilst paying homage to fonio’s West African roots.