Holy Sh*t! Just when you think craft beer has done it all…
A tasty beer probably isn’t the first thing you think of when you hear ‘goose droppings’, but for Finnish microbrewery Ant Brew, those droppings are a key ingredient in their latest line of eco-conscious beers! Yes - really! We’re not sure how, shall we say, aromatic Goose Poop Imperial Stout (8-10% ABV) is going to be as it’s not yet on the market - but this weird and potentially pongy blend is already causing a stir on the internet.
Ant Brew’s new ‘Wasted Potential’ series was dreamed up after its home city Lahti, Finland was named European Green Capital 2021. Each of its seven planned beers tell a story about sustainability and the circular economy using ingredients such as local food waste, moss, and wild herbs. The City of Lahti aims to be zero-waste by 2050 and is already repurposing 99% of its waste, so this beer seems to be a goose-step in the right direction.
So how do goose droppings fit into this?
Are they even safe to use for beer? Apparently, yes! Ant Brew assures in a statement that ‘the poop is used in a food-safe way to smoke malt to create a unique stout beer’, so we needn't worry about catching any scary goose poop disease. The droppings are lovingly gathered from local parks, which I’m sure was an interesting job advertisement for Ant Brew to put out - WANTED: NIMBLE HANDS, ANIMAL LOVER, BAD SENSE OF SMELL, GOOD KNOWLEDGE OF CRAFT BEER. It does mean, however, that the parks of Lahti will be the booziest, cleanest and greenest in Europe.
If the thought of drinking poop beer gives you goosebumps, you’re not alone - but perhaps zero-waste alcohol is something we should be looking to take a gander at in the near future. Innovation is essential to improving how we consume products in an environmentally friendly way, and what better product to start with than everyone’s favourite summer beverage.
Goose Poop is still in production at the moment, but Ant Brew has already released two of their seven beers from the range. The first, Dumpster Diver, is a wit-style beer brewed with expired fruit purees and orange peels from a local juicer’s stall; the second, Boreality Check, is a sour beer made with local moss. The Wasted Potential beers are currently only able to be purchased in Ant Brew’s pub, however zero-waste beers are popping up worldwide - so keep your eyes peeled and your nose peg on!
If you happen to come across a zero-waste or eco-friendly beer, please let us know on our Instagram, Twitter or Facebook at @thethreedrinkers!
We’re always on the lookout for the next big thing when it comes to inventive drinks and we’d love for you to get involved in the process!
For more weird and wonderful beer flavours make sure you check out Prawn Cocktail Crisp Beer or Vagina Beer!