Carlsberg has unveiled Grobund, a new beer made from 100% regeneratively grown barley malt.
Initially, Grobund will only be sold at Folkemødet – a Danish political festival taking place this week – and in limited quantities from Carlsberg’s brewery in Copenhagen.
Currently, Carlsberg had no plans to introduce Grobund in the UK, a spokesman for Carlsberg Britvic told The Grocer.
However, the launch was “the symbol of a much larger movement for Carlsberg”, said Peter Haahr Nielsen, managing director at Carlsberg Denmark.
The brewing giant plans to scale up its use of regeneratively grown barley, with an ambition to produce all of its beer using regenerative grain by 2040.
So far, Carlsberg Denmark has purchased 500 tonnes of barley malt – equivalent to three million litres of beer – and plans to integrate the malt into its recipe for Carlsberg Pilsner in the country this year.
It has also penned a deal with Fuglsang Viking Malt and Danish farming co-operative DLG to secure a further 14,800 tonnes of barley malt, to be delivered from the end of 2025.
“The raw materials we use at Carlsberg Denmark account for approximately 40% of our emissions, and with this regenerative initiative, we can reduce those emissions while contributing to better soil health and increased biodiversity,” said Haahr Nielsen. “We at Carlsberg see a future in brewing with regenerative grain and that we want to contribute to the development of regenerative agriculture not just in Denmark, but worldwide.”
In the UK, Carlsberg Britvic began using regeneratively grown barley malt in Carlsberg Pilsner last year.
“We remain on track to brew 100% of Carlsberg Danish Pilsner with regenerative barley by 2027, and in all our UK beer brands by 2031,” the Carlsberg Britvic spokesman said.
Last month, craft beer brand Jubel announced it was to move to regeneratively farmed barley via a tie-up with Wildfarmed.
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