El Corte Inglés Develops Sustainable Beer Made With Surplus Bread

The Spanish retailer said that this sustainable project makes it possible to close the circle by using leftover bread, which at the end of the day has not been sold by its bakeries in Valladolid, as an ingredient to develop a beer that will be sold throughout Spain.

Fermentation Process

El Corte Inglés said the elaboration of Mica de Pan requires a different procedure from that of a conventional beer, and although the fermentation and maceration processes are the same, some other processes differ.

The bread used provides the beer with starch and sugar, which, like malt, are necessary elements for proper fermentation.

For the first batch, 72% barley malt and 28% bread have been used, while in the future, the group is confident that a bread quotient of 40% or 45% can be achieved.

Sustainable Benefits

El Corte Inglés said by using bread as one of the ingredients of Cerveza Mica, this programme saves on the use of arable land for grain needed to make beer, while also helping to reduce food waste from its production chain.

Mica de Pan can be found in El Corte Inglés and Hipercor supermarkets throughout Spain, as well as in selected Supercor outlets, the group said.

ESM