Another Run at Gluten Free Beer

I've been waffling about penning this post for weeks. Part of me feels like it'll just come across shilling for BMC while the other part of me, the part of me that started the post all that time ago, feels there is still some merit to it. The latter half has won so here we go.

On a random Tuesday night in June I went to a macro beer dinner as the +1 of a friend. Yes, you read that correctly. I accepted free beer and food from the evil empire. In return I got three good things: 1) A fun evening with beer friends 2) Great food and an introduction to a new-to-me restaurant in a part of town I don't frequent 3) A gluten-free beer that isn't bad if you are GF.

The dinner was part of the promotion of Coors Peak Copper Lager, a beer that is currently only available in the Seattle and Portland metro areas. The beer is naturally gluten free, being brewed with brown rice, brown rice malt and pure pea protein. As an adjunct brewer Coors is no doubt well versed in the use of rice to make beer so I not that surprised that they've done a darn decent job with this. Or maybe it's the pure pea protein (if anyone has a lead on more information on that let me know).

Gluten content is a big deal these days and Coors ensures the glutenlessness of Copper Lager by doing their own internal testing and having the FARRP Lab at the University of Nebraska test every batch of packaged beer. Apparently those tests consistently show that Coors Peak gluten protein level falls far below the FDA regulated 20ppm, coming in at 5ppm. Interestingly enough, it's also GMO free.

But the taste, what about the taste, right? I haven't done a blind testing, mostly because I'm lazy, but I'd reckon that if I were handed two glasses of copper lager - one with gluten and one without - I wouldn't be able to tell the difference. And while it's still an amber beer, this IPA drinker probably wouldn't mind throwing a few back. I wouldn't go so far as to say that I'd take it over Groundbreaker's gluten free beers (they use hazelnuts instead of grain), mostly because they DO make IPAs, but it's a far sight better than the few other gluten free or gluten-reduced beers I've tried.

I don't know if there are enough celiac disease sufferers still looking for a beer they can drink to make this a nationally viable product line. Perhaps the product will just quietly go away instead of having its market expanded. Or perhaps it'll gain some traction for the simple fact that it tastes better than most BMC products, gluten-filled or gluten free. If you've tried it I'd be interested to hear what you thought.

Grand Opening: Harvester Brewing

Harvester Brewing, one of the new kids on the Portland brewing block, held their belated grand opening last night. You may have already seen some of their bottles around town but my favorite part of the grand opening came out of a tap, not out of a bottle. Until now their line up consisted of Pale, Red, Dark and Raspberry Experimental. Last night they treated folks to a taste of their newest brew, an IPA.

Before we go much further, in case it has escaped your attention one of the things that sets Harvester apart from other breweries is that their entire line up is gluten-free. There are other gluten-free beers on the market, probably the most widely known in these parts is Widmer’s Omission. In place gluten-containing grain Harvester is using locally sourced chestnuts that are roasted in their Persian coffee roaster. Just like grain that varies from a lightly toasted blonde to a deep chocolate, so are the chestnuts.

For someone who doesn’t have a gluten intolerance drinking gluten-free beer isn’t high on my radar. However, just like organic beers, they’ve come a long way since they first hit the market and as long as it’s a tasty, well-made beer I’m happy to drink it. So in case you’re wondering, here’s my quick take on their five beers, all of which are approximately 5.8% ABV.

Pale – It’s just what it says it is. It’s not a NW pale packed with hops. It’s an easy drinking brew that’s great for warm weather.

Red – Most reds don’t do much for me. One exception is Coalition’s King Kitty Red due to the unusually high amount of hops. Harvester’s is another exception but instead of being hop-forward it’s the pleasing flavor of sorghum, reminiscent of molasses, that sets it apart from the average red.
Dark – I know, dark is not a style but that’s part of the point here. This isn’t a porter or a stout and it’s appearance might make you think you’ve been mistakenly poured a red. But you would be mistaken if you didn’t give this a try. It has that great, lingering roasty flavor one might find in a stout or porter without being heavy.
Raspberry Experimental – Fruit beers have been popular of late, with a whole, wonderful festival devoted to them. Many of those beers have a pale or wheat base whereas Harvester has wisely used their red. It plays very well with the raspberries, one of the harder fruits in my opinion to do correctly.
IPA – I’m a hop head and while this isn’t a knock you over the head IPA it is nonetheless a nice representation of the style. Cascade hops are used throughout the brewing process as well as Horizon, Willamette and Meridian.

Harvester is currently only open for dock sales on Thursday afternoons. Only cases are for sale but if you’re unsure what you want to buy they’ll happily oblige you with a sample. Gluten intolerant or not they’re worth a try.