CRICKETS? PHOOEY! ..... NO MORE CORONA OR DOS EQUIS FOR ME

Mexican beer makers are using bugs to supplement barley

 

By Marina E. Franco

 

Axios

June 27, 2023

 

 

Mexican entrepreneurs are using crickets to supplement barley in beer.

Details: La Grilla beer is being tested out in small batches in Querétaro by a local craft brewery and a company that makes gluten-free and bread products using insects.

• The creators wanted to prove that insects can become part of our diet even in drinks while maintaining taste, they told the news agency EFE.
• They found that pulverized crickets when lightly toasted have a very similar taste to barley and rye, and began substituting them in the production of a malt/porter beer.
• Climate change has made barley less readily available because of drought and excessive heat, which impede its growth.

Of note: Edible insects have been a source of healthy and ecologically sustainable protein in Mexico since Mesoamerican times.