Ale from recycled bread makes New York debut

New York

OVERPRODUCTION is built right into the business model of most bakeries. While we devour much of what is made, huge quantities of perfectly good grain are tossed. But Tristram Stuart, an Englishman who began battling food waste 15 years ago, long before it became a popular cause, discovered a way to turn bread, an inexpensive product with a short shelf life, into one that's long-lived and lucrative: craft ale.

After coming across a recipe, he refined it with Hackney Brewery in London and then contracted with Hambleton Ales in North Yorkshire to produce it in quantities. In 2016, Mr Stuart began selling Toast, an English ale with malt and citrus notes, at London restaurants, online and through a growing number of distributors. Using roughly one slice per bottle, his team of three has recycled 3.6 tonnes of bread in its first 15 months.