UTOPIA: BEER FOR EVERYONE (GLUTEN FREE, GREAT BEER AND FRIENDS!)
This picture is of Richard enjoying one of his last barley beers – at GABS Beer Festival in 2015 – before discovering that he was coeliac.
What was going through Richard’s mind when he was diagnosed? ‘No more beer’. No more afternoons chewing the fat and working through the craft beer menu with family, friends and a lot of laughs – and certainly no more tasting paddles.
Now he owns a gluten free brewery and taproom.
GLUTEN FREE BEER FOR EVERYONE
Coeliacs and those with gluten intolerances do have to make dietary changes but, as Richard found out, that doesn’t mean missing out on great beer.
Despite the ‘glutard’ wisecrack, we can still enjoy the finer things in life; like beer with friends.
Beer that tastes good, smells good, looks good and feels good. Hell – it even sounds good!
And not some substandard replacement, but bloody good beer. Beer that is brewed with the same three ingredients as ‘normal’ beer; malt, hops and water.
DID YOU KNOW THAT THERE ARE MORE GLUTEN FREE GRAINS THAN GRAINS THAT CONTAIN GLUTEN?
In the same way that different wine varieties use different grapes, gluten free beer uses different grains (millet, buckwheat, amaranth, rice, corn, quinoa, etc.) in the brewing process.
All these choices provide a world of flavour to explore, especially when you start throwing in chestnuts, fruit and coffee!
Gluten free brewers still get to have the same fun playing around with the mouth feel, colour and taste... arguably, there is more fun to be had! This is mostly unchartered territory.
BEER THAT DOESN’T DISCRIMINATE – THAT IS THE DREAM FOR RICHARD AND THE TEAM AT TWØBAYS BREWING CO.
The dream is that everyone can enjoy great beer with friends, including coeliacs and those with gluten intolerances.
The dream is that when cans, pots or pint-glasses are charged (cheers!), everyone can join in and nobody has to miss out on that craft beer experience.
Nobody has to go to the bar and ask annoying questions (cue eye-rolling), or try to look happy with cider or wine when really, they just want a beer like everybody else.
Utopia? It’s coming to a bar or bottle shop near you very soon.