This has to be one of the best new gluten free beers to hit the market in a while … well, at least the most unique.   Jelly Belly is one of the few gluten free candies on the market and they have just released a craft beer bean which I HAVE to try!

New Planet Brewery started out as a gluten free brewery and for the last three years they have stood toe to toe swinging AND winning!!!  I did my first review of New Planet in March 2011 and the three beers I reviewed then; Tread Lightly Ale, 3R Raspberry Ale and Off Grid Pale Ale have stood the test of time.  This year, New Planet has a new look, new packaging and two new beers … so far.  Come back for my reviews of New Planets two new offerings.  I can’t wait to share!

Harvester Brewing brings the DUBBEL Gluten Free Beer!!!

I just got this today from John Dugan of Harvester Brewing.  I cannot wait to get my hands on this new product seeing as Dubbels are probably my personal favorite style of beer!!

Harvester Brewing Releases St. Denny Dubbel Style Ale April 12th

Harvester Brewing is pleased to announce the latest release out of their dedicated gluten-free brewery in the Experiment Ale series, a Dubbel style ale made with Belgian candi syrup.

Similar to Harvester’s other beers, the Dubbel is made using roasted chestnuts but is differentiated by the addition of dark Belgian candi syrup. It’s lightly hopped with Styrian Goldings, and fermented with a blend of two gluten-free Belgian yeast strains.

When Harvester founder James Neumeister was starting out as a homebrewer, he contacted homebrewing legend Denny Conn and asked him where he could learn to brew using the batch-sparge method that Denny advocates when homebrewing. Denny invited James over that weekend and after a day of brewing under Denny’s tutelage, his word quickly became the rule when James was homebrewing, prompting his other brewing partners to start referring to Mr. Conn as ‘Saint’ Denny. This background, combined with the common practice of Belgian style beers having ‘Saint’ names, led to the name St. Denny for this beer.

St. Denny Dubbel style ale will be released at Harvester Brewing this Friday, April 12th at an event from 3:30 to 7pm.  A very limited amount of the St. Denny Dubbel will be available on draft, only at the brewery.  Bottles will roll out to store shelves next week and are available to order through Harvester’s online store now for shipment starting April 15th.

About Harvester Brewing

Harvester Brewing is a dedicated gluten-free craft brewery founded in 2011. Harvester Brewing’s facility is entirely gluten-free; no gluten is allowed on the premises. Their beers are distributed in OR, VT, WA, Northern ID, and online at http://store.harvesterbrewing.com/

715 SE Lincoln St. Portland, OR 97214 – www.harvesterbrewing.com – www.facebook.com/harvesterbrewing

TTB Labeling Guidelines

In a recent ruling by the TTB (Department of the Treasury: Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau), a definition has been outlined for what can be labeled as gluten free when it comes to alcohol.  This ruling of course covers what can be labeled as a gluten free beer.  Per the TTB guidelines, only alcohol made with non-gluten containing ingredients can be labeled gluten free.  This ruling will have an affect on several gluten free beer brewers such as Estrella Damm Daura and the new Widmer Brothers Omission beer.  Although the Omission beers are great beers and beer that anyone, gluten free or not, can and would drink; they can no longer be labeled as gluten free.  At the Gluten Free Beer Association, we are much more interested in finding a 0 ppm test then what the product is made from.  If you are truly Celiac, 1 ppm is 1 too many in our opinion and experience.  Here’s to a good beer that doesn’t make us sick!
Cheers!

As I have mentioned before, low gluten beer is not gluten free beer. I am of the opinion that any standard other than 0 gluten is only to allow corporations to produce an almost gluten free product and call it gluten free. There is a group out of Australia that has been studying this fact, especially when it comes to gluten free beer, CSIRO Food Futures National Research Flagship. They recently published a copyrighted report that I wanted to read, unfortunately they are not at liberty to share the report at this time because of the copyright laws. I did get a response from the organizations Communications Director that told me:

“Dr Matthew Morell, Theme Leader for the Future Grains, Grain-Based Food and Feed Theme within CSIRO’s Food Futures Flagship, is the best person to answer your question about the study.

This new method is good news for coeliacs and people with gluten intolerance as it provides a new, higher sensitivity method to confirm that beers claiming to be hordein-free do not contain hordein. Our analysis found that non-barley based beers labelled as gluten free did not contain hordeins.”

If this research can be repeated at other facilities, this testing could revolutionize the gluten free beer industry and I and my wife would welcome the change. Certainly not that we want to see fewer gluten free brewers, but we want to have fewer questions about what is really gluten free and what is not. Most of the brewers in the US will easily meet the standard that even Dr. Morell and his team have developed.

Gluten free beer availability is growing rapidly. Could it eventually become mainstream? I think it’s possible. Recently, my mother was visiting Colorado Springs and took the picture you see here. Although more places are carrying gluten free beer, there are very few that have gone to the effort to advertise it like The Olive Branch has. I tip my hat to you, Olive Branch!

As you know, our goal at the Association is to increase availability of gluten free beer worldwide. We have been working on a secret, sister project that will help facilitate this goal, along with creating overall gluten free beer happiness and goodwill. Our secret project is a gluten free beer guide designed to be an online and mobile resource to help you find gluten free beer in your neighborhood and around the world. Stay tuned for more details and be part of the first to join us and find your favorite gluten free beer!

So, let’s get back to the fact the gluten free beer market is growing. Recently, I was talking with the president of a gluten free beer company about sales numbers in the last 5 years. I expected to hear modest gains in this “down” economy. What he told me was a bit of a surprise. His sales have seen roughly a 50% increase over the last 5 years. This is exciting news, don’t you think? (Interestingly, this is contrary to what is preached in the gloom & doom news, by the way.) With your help, his gluten free beer company can increase another 50% over the next 5 years.

Here’s to you and to Gluten Free Beer.

Cheers!
Joey

If you are gluten free and live in Utah or know someone who does, then you’ll want to know what’s in this report about gluten free beer in Utah. Utah is one of 18 states that is a control state. The term “control state” means the state takes physical responsibility for the control of the sale of alcohol within their state. In Utah, that means that all alcoholic beverages with an alcohol content of over 4% by volume is sold by the state of Utah through state owned and operated stores. So, if you want to purchase an alcoholic beverage with the alcohol content above 4%, there are only 2 options: buy from the Utah state store or through special order. The special order is the part that I want to address in this post.

Utah has a board that approves new liquor offerings with a rather involved process. This board uses the following criteria, in no particular order:

• Quality vs. Price
• Need for the product (substantially different from what is already available)
• Performance in surrounding states of the product
• Awards
• Planned advertising expenditure by the brewer in the state
• Requests by purchasers through special order

Once a product passes these criteria, the next step is to prove that the product will be a profitable seller. This issue is the same issue any brewer, distiller or wine maker faces with any distributor, in any state. Distributors, state run or not, want to put product on their shelves that will sell quickly and in great quantity. This part of the process may upset some people, but it is a natural course of business. The way I see it, distributors, state owned or not, want product that sells well and does not require marketing or advertising on their part. The only way that Utah will recognize demand is through special order sales, period. Constituent contact or other types of communication will not insure sales and that folks, is the bottom line.

As of this writing, there are only two gluten free beers available in Utah, Redbridge and Bard’s. Redbridge is under 4% alcohol, so it is not subject to the above requirements. Bard’s, having an alcohol content above 4%, is the only gluten free beer that has been approved by the state at this time.

So, where does that leave those of you who live in Utah and want to choose from a variety of gluten free beers? This is where the special order process becomes vital to your access to gluten free beer. You can special order any alcoholic beverage through the state and it will be delivered to the closest state store to you. However, be prepared to sock over the cash for at least a case of your gluten free beer, as that is the minimum order. (Since I’m only reporting on gluten free beer, I am not sure of the process for other forms of alcoholic beverages).

As I understand it, there are quite a number of you gluten free beer drinkers in Utah. If you want access to more gluten free beer, it will take a coordinated effort by you and your fellow Utahns. Some ideas include:

• Share a case with a friend if you don’t want to foot the bill for a whole case
• Get the word out & tell your gluten free friends about the special order option
• Organize your local gluten free group for a gluten free beer tasting & order a few different cases to try
• Contact us here at the Gluten Free Beer Association & we’ll work with you to develop a local group to coordinate purchases.

These special orders are the best way to show the state you’re serious about having access to gluten free beer. The state will monitor these special order sales and these numbers will give them a reasonable expectation of future sales, which in turn is vital to the approval process.

For the gluten free brewers, I recommend advertising your product in Utah and include how Utahns can special order your beer.. We have to work collectively, as a group & as individuals, to bring more gluten free beer options to the shelves. We must be willing to give special attention to and navigate the system that the state has established.

Here is a list of the 18 states that are control states (as I understand it, only 9 operate like Utah):

New Planet brewery, which is in and only sells to Colorado at the moment, has just completed a customer survey. You will not be surprised, I don’t believe, by what they were told.

The biggest answer is, it is all about taste! This is not just something that New Planet has been told, but Joe Lipa, National Sales Manager for Merchant du Vin (MDV) has also heard from customers that most Gluten Free Beer drinkers want their beer to taste like the beers they were use to before going gluten free. Both New Planet and MDV are committed to this (MDV is the importer that brings us Green’s). In New Planets survey, over two-thirds said it was all about taste. We aren’t willing to sacrifice taste for gluten free, we would rather do without is the general consensus.

For New Planet, here are some of the important points about their offerings:

* Superior Taste
* Refreshing
* Local
* Sustainable
* Tastes like beer
* And Fun!

Another thing that New Planet has found is that your word of mouth is one of the most important factors in people knowing they exist. This is true for all Gluten Free Beers and is one of the motivating factors for this Association. Not only do we need to share with each other what beers are available, we need to let the industry know how strong we are. How do we let them know how strong we are, by adding your name to this Association’s mailing list and completing our survey. The more people that are on the list and the more surveys we have filled out, the more the brewing and distributing industry will listen. I know of several breweries that are no longer making a Gluten Free Beer because of lack of demand. I don’t believe it is lack of demand, it is either that not enough of us knew they existed or it simply was not a good beer. This Association is how brewers and distributors can insure that we know they are available. Word of mouth is the most effective form of advertising and information for us today, add your voice to this word of mouth Association.

Follow the Gluten Free Beer Association on Twitter @GlutenFreeBeer and on Facebook.