Craft beer: more than just a trend

Many view craft beer as a niche culture centred on individuality and a quest for unique taste. However, before the rise of industrial beers—with their singular and bland profiles—brewing methods and flavours were naturally diverse. Beyond the loss of flavour, industrial beer has depleted the microbial diversity that should be present in fermented foods. Alongside other industrial foods that prioritise “standardisation” and “purity”, this erodes our innate immune resilience.

Consequently, “craft” should be more than just a consumer trend. In this episode, we are joined by two guests from the worlds of brewing and baking—Zhang Kai (Fenyu Brewing) and Da Xiang (Mars Elephant Lab)—to discuss their perspectives on craft and baking, and the stories behind their work with fermentation.

Zhang Kai and Da Xiang share how they bridge the gap between brewing and baking, exploring the possibilities of two fermentation arts using the same grain. They discuss the experimental spirit driving their work—from inoculating corn with sake koji to creating a material loop between bread and craft beer, and even brewing a batch of “eco-conscious” beer using energy-saving methods for Earth Day.

What truly defines craft beer and artisanal baking? Is it an expression driven by flavour, or a reimagining of the food system? Is localisation merely about “tracing raw materials”, or is it a more creative practice in dietary ecology? We also explore the evolution of craft beer, the intersection of flavour and culture, and the practical challenges within China’s grain supply chain.

In short, whether you are a beer enthusiast, a baking lover, or a proactive “flavour explorer”, we invite you to tune in and join us as we contemplate the future of food through the lens of taste.

The/Guest/s

Zhang Kai

Brewer at Fenyu Brewing and the Kumquat Project. He advocates for a more sustainable form of hedonism through localised brewing projects.

Xu Xin

Co-founder of me lab (Mars Elephant Lab) and Grain Talker, and translator of the Chinese edition of *The Detail of Sourdough*. He focuses on the logic of flavour from grain source to table, integrating the concept of sustainability into daily research, development, and production.

The/Host/s

Wang Hao

Host of Food Talk

Xiaojing

Host of Food Talk; a daily bread eater and a lover of the occasional drink

Time/line

02:32 The meeting of craft beer and baking: the fermentation experiments behind “Brown Bear Lager”

05:50 What is craft beer? Is it a craft or a culture? What distinguishes it from ordinary beer?

12:27 Why are “sweet drinks” becoming more common in craft beer pubs?

16:51 The “closed loop” between beer and bread: can spent grain from brewing actually be used to make low-sugar biscuits?

22:30 How to brew an “Earth Day Beer” using surplus bread from ten Beijing bakeries?

30:00 Beer is more than one flavour: the unique taste of craft brew created through “zero-waste ingredient cycling”

31:22 Craft brewing and baking in China rely on imported ingredients; where does the difficulty in local supply lie?

37:33 Tomatoes, cocoa, honey… localised attempts at craft beer flavours

44:31 We’ve heard of blended teas, but it turns out wheat needs “blending” too?

45:07 Experimenting with freshly ground local wholemeal flour: for aroma and stability

48:26 Global climate change and falling grain yields: the cost challenges facing craft brewing

57:30 The fermentation journey of wheat: a story of taste, land, and time

The/Guest/s

The/Host/s

Time/line

Published by Foodthink