University of Bayreuth, Press release No. 107/2023 - 21 July 2023
Species conservation through the art of brewing: research shows suitability of the rare whiskered brome for beer production
The whiskered brome (Bromus grossus) is an ancient cereal species that is known to have been cultivated and used as a food resource as early as the Bronze Age. Today, however, it is threatened with extinction. In joint research work, the University of Bayreuth, the Bezirkslehrgut Bayreuth and the company IREKS in Kulmbach have investigated whether the grain from this grass species is suitable for brewing beer. The result is two tasty beers: a Farmhouse Ale and a Hefe-Weizen. The beers were sampled on the campus of the University of Bayreuth on July 20, 2023, at the successful conclusion of the project funded by the Upper Franconia Foundation. Beer production could offer a way to preserve the whiskered brome in the future.
Spikes of the whiskered brome.
Pedro Gerstberger.
The new beer celebrates its premiere on the premises of the Process Biotechnology research group, from left to right: Stefan Seewald, Managing Director of the Upper Franconia Foundation; project manager Dr. Pedro Gerstberger, Plant Ecology at the University of Bayreuth; Dipl.- Ing. Matthias Hansen, IREKS, head of the malt production laboratory; Thomas Steiner, doctoral student at the Process Biotechnology research group of the University of Bayreuth (Chair: Prof. Dr. Ruth Freitag); Thomas Steiner, 2nd chairman of UniBrauTechnik e.V.