The Next Big Grain in Beer? It’s Called Fonio.

Brooklyn Brewery Is Bringing an Ancient African Grain to Mainstream Beer. Fonio is drought-resistant, grows quickly and is full of flavor!

With that kind of history, it’s interesting that fonio hasn’t yet found a home in craft beer. Oliver first learned of the grain in 2017 through Senegalese Chef Pierre Thiam, whose food company Yolélé has helped reintroduce fonio into the modern world. “I met Pierre at an event at Questlove’s home, of all things,” Oliver tells InsideHook. “He told me about the work he was doing surrounding this grain, which I had never heard of in the 30-plus years I’ve been making beer. Obviously, I’m of African ancestry, and I was completely fascinated by what he was telling me. And I also thought, ‘I’m sure you could make beer out of this.’”