As UK Pubs Reopen Marmite Shortages May End

American Craft Beer|April 22nd, 2021|

(Courtesy Marmite / Twitter)

Which brings us to the more pressing question, “What the hell is Marmite and why is everybody freaking out about it in the UK?”

Here’s the deal…

Maybe you have to be British to understand Marmite, and the salty spread is even polarizing over there.

People either love it or hate. But those that love it (they spread it on their toast) can’t live without it and they’ve been losing their minds as Marmite shortages swept the country.

Turns out brewer’s yeast, a by-product generated when beer is brewed, is a key ingredient in Marmite. And the prolonged shutdown of pubs in the UK due to COVID-19, has led to less beer production, and as a result, less of Marmite’s most essential ingredient.

According to MSN, Marmite production just starts at the brewery….

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The yeast by-product is collected from breweries across the country and transported to the factory in 26-ton tankers.

It is pumped into vats, along with water and salt, before being heated to 122F (50C).

The yeast then undergoes a process called autolysis – where it ‘digests itself’ as enzymes present in the cells break down its other components.

It is cooked for several hours before being pushed through ‘evaporation towers’ that turn the mixture into a thicker paste.

It is then blended and flavored with vegetable extracts before being packed into sterile glass jars.

Any alcohol in the yeast evaporates during the Marmite-making process. [/box]

According to The Guardian Marmite has a very distinctive flavor…” The taste is so unique as to defy description, but think of a yeasty, salty, soy sauce-flavor with the consistency of old engine oil.”

And it’s so divisive that Unilever, the Dutch food conglomerate that now produces Marmite, has built several marketing campaigns around the slogan: “Love it or hate it.”

But the good news, at least for those who love Marmite, is that with UK pubs reopening brewers are producing more beer and the great Marmite drought will soon be ending.