And finally…roll out the barrel – Scots brewer makes beer out of old bread

Glasgow-based Jaw Brew, founded by husband and wife team Mark and Alison Hazell, hit upon the idea after a meeting, organised by Zero Waste Scotland and the Glasgow Chamber of Commerce, to find ways to reduce waste within Glasgow.

Jaw Brew then struck up a partnership with Aulds Bakers to use their surplus rolls for the brewing process.

Alison of Jaw Brew, which was named after the old miller’s cottage where she and her husband live in Baldernock near Milngavie, said: “This fitted in very well with our policy of keeping all our activities as ‘green’ as we can. “Normally beer is made with malted grain, mostly barley but sometimes wheat, oats and rye which is mixed with hot water to create a sugary solution ready for the addition of hops and then yeast which ends up some time later with the finished product.

“We experimented using different quantities of rolls and malt and different varieties of hops, while even non-standard yeasts were tried in the quest for a good, balanced beer. “It became apparent that the inclusion of the bread increased the body of the beer without adding to the alcohol content and therefore focus moved to brewing a low alcohol beer that had some depth which is all too often sadly lacking in that style – many beer drinkers want a light beer that is not ‘thin’.”

Following a process of trial and error, they achieved a suitable brew and once bottled and allowed to condition for a couple of weeks it was given to a select few beer aficionados and who gave it the thumbs up.

Next came the technical challenges of trying to brew a commercial sized batch using equipment designed for malted grain rather than bread.

According to the Kirkintilloch Herald, Jaw Brew has two graduate engineers from Strathclyde and Glasgow Universities (Mark and Alison’s sons) investigating solutions and they hope to be brewing the first batch of the beer in January.