Goose for the sauce
The new beers from a local microbrewery celebrate the city of Lahti as the European Green Capital of the Year and they share an important message of a wasteless circular economy.
Lahti is known for its pioneering environmental action and for its locals’ open-minded co-operation.
Now this open-minded co-operation is being put to the test as the European Green Capital 2021 joins forces with its local microbrewery, Ant Brew, in crafting a new beer series.
The Wasted Potential beers are brewed with wild herbs, local food waste like bread, berries, fruits – and goose droppings.
The goose poop is used in a food-safe way to smoke the malt, creating a unique stout beer (it says here).
The goose droppings are gathered from local parks where geese are leaving ‘behind’ a messy problem. Now the local parks get cleaner and the special-edition Summer beverages make for a perfect picnic in the park – a true two-birds-with-one-stone-type solution.
The beers showcase how all waste can be utilised. Lahti aims to be a completely wasteless circular economy city by 2050. At the moment 99% of the city’s household waste is already repurposed.
A taste of potential that was not wasted
The beer was released this Summer and the first to be released was a wit-style beer inspired by the waste-free circular economy: brewed with Orange peels from a local market’s juice-pressing station and fruit purees that have exceeded their best-before date.
“This series of beers is our way to create important discussions about food waste, utilisation of waste, urban farming and local and wild food among beer enthusiasts,” says Ant Brew’s Kari Puttonen, “We’re constantly developing ways to utilise new ingredients in brewing and are not afraid to think outside of the box.”
Perhaps we should look at our pigeons in a new light?
The Wasted Potential beers are brewed with wild herbs, local food waste like bread, berries and fruits – and goose droppings.
