07/31/2026
We had the pleasure of working on a unique collaboration last week with Jeff Pokorney of the Alexandria High School Ag Department. Jeff has spent the last couple of years cultivating Kernza, a newer perennial grain with deep roots that allows it to produce over multiple years without tillage. This leads to all kinds of environmental benefits. As a newly cultivated grain, growers are exploring markets that can use it. Due to similarities with other small grains used in beer, one of the potential markets for Kernza is in brewing. We decided to put it to the test!
One of the challenges of brewing with Kernza straight from the field is that it isn't malted and therefore doesn't have the enzymes or readily accessible starches to convert to sugar - meaning very little flavor or fermentable sugar contribution. To unlock these starches, we needed to add an extra step called a cereal mash where we mix water with the Kernza and some malted barley at specific temperatures to break down starches. From there it is added to the mash and the brew continues as normal.
We opted to brew a neutral American Style Wheat beer to showcase the flavors of Kernza. We used approximately 15% Kernza in the mash along with pale malts, a light dose of German hops and a neutral ale yeast. The Kernza added a distinct warm, spicy smell to the mash, similar to a subtle cinnamon, nutmeg, or rye spice. This will likely fade a little during fermentation but needless to say, we are pretty excited to see how this shows up in the final product.
We expect to have this on tap in the next week or two, keep an eye on our social media pages!
