Konchu Sour: Would You Ever Drink Beer Made with Insects and Crickets?
Beer is drunk all over the world. It has always been one of the favorite drinks in Italy. Until a few years ago, beer could only be produced from malted barley.
Since 1998, it can also be produced with wheat or with mixtures of barley and wheat.
Other cereals, such as rice malt, can also be used.
Craft beer is spreading more and more today. A variety of flavors are obtained through the selection and combination of special types of malt and hops that reach supermarkets.
The modern brewing industry is a truly global business.
Over 180 billion liters are consumed every year in the world. Europe has a monopoly on the consumption of beer. The state in which the most beer is drunk per capita is the Czech Republic.
Beer is not a simple alcoholic beverage. It has important nutritional properties. In particular, carbohydrates, vitamins, proteins, and mineral salts are found in beer.
All these properties are found in the main ingredients, which are cereals, yeast, and hops.
The beneficial properties of beer are mostly due to this substance. This is why the beers are different in the hops used.
Why are there bugs and crickets in beer? A few years ago, a well-known Japanese startup launched an insect-based craft beer. In particular, the crickets are fed grass and finally roasted.
They brew and end up with a stout that tastes like toasted caramel. In Japan, there is the Kibidoteshita brewery, which has been producing it for some time. It is made with seasonal fruit, ginger, and chamomile. For some months now, they have been brewing cricket beer.
The new beer produced in Japan is called Insect Sour (Japanese: Konchu Sour). It is said to contain the fruity scent of a giant male aquatic insect from Taiwan. In Italy, there is still no beer with insects. To tell the truth, the realization of it has still not even aired. Of course, the latest decisions regarding the marketing of insects in Europe could push some companies to produce beer with insects. It is difficult to say whether such a drink has a market in our country.
In Japan, on the other hand, beer with insects can also find space because insect-based cuisine exists, is popular there, and is considered by many to be the cuisine of the future in our country too.
Today, there is a “Made in Italy” beer that stands out among new types of beer with chestnuts, fruit, spelling, and one that is linked to our country’s wine world.