Ladies of Craft Beer

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More and more people are adopting a gluten-free diet either because of gluten sensitivities or a diagnosis of celiac disease, an autoimmune disorder in which the body cannot process gluten, a protein found in wheat, rye, and barley. Most beers are brewed using wheat and barley, so those who must adhere to a gluten-free diet must avoid traditional beers. All hope is not lost for these beer lovers though. There are many gluten-free beers on the market that are brewed with sorghum, corn, rice, or sugars. Here is an overview of four popular brands:

Redbridge

This light, golden beer from Anheuser-Busch is a full-bodied lager made from sorghum. However, unlike other beers brewed with sorghum, this beer lacks the bitter finish and carries a rich taste of hops. The beer has a faint citrus taste to it, and there is a hint of Bud Light to it. The beer is moderately priced at $8.99 for a six pack of 12-ounce bottles.

Green’s Triple Blond

This European-inspired beer has a sweet and fruity taste similar to some wines. It is crisp and full-bodied. The beer is made with millet, buckwheat, sorghum, hops, and yeast, and does not have of the common allergens gluten, crustaceans, eggs, fish, peanuts, soy, milk, nuts, or sesame seeds. It is also appropriate for vegetarian and vegan diets. The beer is a bit pricey at $5.99 for a 500 ml bottle.

Bard’s Tale

Made with sorghum, yeast, and hops, this heavy beer has a strong flavor like caramel and molasses. It lacks the bitter finish of other beers made with sorghum and has some hints of fruity flavor. Amber colored and clear. The beer is moderately priced at $9.99 for a six pack of 12-ounce bottles.

St. Peter’s

Reminiscent of a European lager, this light beer has a bitter taste with multiple flavors, including hints of citrus. It also had a slightly nutty, smoky flavor. The finish includes a slight taste of menthol or peppermint. The beer is a bit pricey at $4.99 for a 500 ml bottle.

New Grist

Each batch of this beer is tested for gluten prior to fermentation to ensure quality control. It is a light, sweet beer with a mild fruit flavor. There is not a strong flavor or a strong finish. The beer is made with sorghum, hops, rice, and gluten-free yeast. New Grist is moderately priced at $9.99 for a six pack of 12-ounce bottles.

Have you tried any of these gluten-free beers? Or do you have any favorite gluten-free beers that aren’t on this list? Tell us your thoughts in the comments!

About the author:

Amanda Tradwick is a grant researcher and writer for CollegeGrants.org. She has a Bachelor’s degrees from the University of Delaware, and has recently finished research
on graduate grants and adult college grants.

Posted By: Theresa Carpine

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Most craft beer people have already formed opinions about Stone Brewing. You might love their beer with an unconditional passion. You might think that people who would tell you outright that you probably won’t like their beer are also individuals with the hubris to name said beer Arrogant Bastard, although co-founder Greg Koch opines that the beer was always named this and that they simply stumbled upon its recipe…feeding into to all your preconceptions about what kind of guy Greg Koch might be. He is, after all, known for making this face.

Honestly, you probably think that Stone beer is awesome and that the people who make it are justly self-possessed. A reading of The Craft of Stone Brewing Co.: Liquid Lore, Epic Recipes, and Unabashed Arrogance will both confirm and refute these suspicions.

The book was written by “Greg Koch and Steve Wagner with Randy Clemens” and the phrase “in that order” has never been more appropriate. Koch has always been the front man for Stone while co-founder Wagner brewed the beloved beer. Except for the beer how-to and homebrewing sections, the story is told in Koch’s voice with asides from Wagner, former head brewer Lee Chase, executive chef Alex Carballo, and other key figures in the Stone dynasty. Tasked with putting all of these stories together in a coherent way, Clemens provides much-needed direction and focus throughout the book.

Divided into three parts, The Craft of Stone Brewing Co. is really several books in one. Along with background on the founding of Stone and hints of what we can expect in the future, the text contains your standard “What is Beer?” section and a tutorial on homebrewing. While I appreciate that beer authors want to include readers who are getting in at the most basic levels of beer and beer terminology, how many people will buy this book as introductory text? Most of the people interested in this book are hardcore beer geeks who will flip over these some of these sections to get to the good stuff, which is the beer, in this case.

Documenting every single beer produced under the Stone label, including Heat Seeking Wheat (They were young; they were going through an experimental phase!), “The Beers of Stone Brewing Co.” might be my favorite section of the book. The fact that the story of Sawyer’s Triple made me cry might have something to do with this, but I also enjoyed learning what qualities have always defined Stone beers, how Koch and Wagner made beers that they wanted to make (and discovered that other people wanted to drink), and why Vertical Epic Ales are so epic.

The recipes from Stone Brewing World Bistro and Gardens sound pretty amazing too, although they inspired me to start planning my San Diego road trip rather than start planning meals in my own kitchen. While I merely skimmed through the homebrew section, I’m sure that many avid Stoners are chomping at the bit to get some of these beer recipes into their carboys at home.

Beyond the diehard fans of Stone Brewing, this is a must-read for anyone who is thinking of opening a brewery someday. It’s an excellent example of why takes a lot of different people with many different talents to grow a business into one of most popular craft breweries in the nation.

The Craft of Stone Brewing Co. is available on Tuesday, September 27, 2011 from Ten Speed Press.

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Posted By: Theresa Carpine

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As if you needed another incentive to plan your Northwest beercation, Lisa Morrison, the Portland-based Beer Goddess and host of the weekly craft beer radio show Beer O’Clock, recently published Craft Beers of the Pacific Northwest to help visitors and locals track down the all great beer offered in this little corner of the world.

“There really hasn’t been a guide to Pacific Northwest beers in over a decade,” Lisa said, when asked what inspired her to write this book. “And so much happens here, it’s hard enough for those of us living here to keep up- much less visitors.”

Having lived on both sides of the Cascades, I have to agree. A week in Portland alone is hardly enough time to explore the 35 brewing facilities within the city, not to mention all the alehouses, beer-friendly restaurants, and bottle shops. But after two and a half years of research and travel, Lisa offers this book as a compass rather than a hard-and-fast road map, hoping to give readers and beer drinkers some direction as they set out on their own beer journey.

The subtitle is “A Beer Lover’s Guide to Oregon, Washington, and British Columbia” and Lisa devotes a chapter to each, dividing the states and province by region, or sometimes by city, as metropolises like Portland and Seattle house a high concentration of craft beer destinations. The distance is great between breweries and pubs in less populated regions, but these areas are not lacking in craft beer opportunities. Each of these destinations—from Beer Valley Brewing in Ontario, Oregon’s easternmost brewery, to Tree Brewing in Kelowna, a rare Canadian brewery that has embraced the hop revolution with their Hop Head IPA—are adding their creativity and innovation to the world of craft beer.

While educating me about unfamiliar breweries in isolated regions of the Northwest, Lisa also managed to school me on places that I’ve already been. I knew that you could get married at the wedding chapel at North Fork Brewery on the Mount Baker Highway, but I didn’t know that its two barley wines, Hair of the Frog and Spotted Owl, are among its best-selling beers. No matter how well you think you know your favorite watering hole, Lisa has done a great job by providing insight about brewers, publicans, owners, awards, and history, rather than simply noting what’s on tap.

Craft Beers of the Pacific Northwest includes 18 maps for pedestrian-friendly pub crawls and “Don’t Miss” summary notes with drinking recommendations when you’ve reached your destination (Cannery Brewing, I will dream of your Maple Stout until the blessed day when it is finally in my mouth). The back of the book also includes a City Guide, Best Bottle Shops, and Index for easy reference along your travels. And while this might seem like a strange “feature” to include, I really appreciate the wide margins in this book. They’re great for recording notes about your visit or placing a Post-It next to a brewery that you must remember to try.

With a Beer 101 chapter at the onset, Craft Beers of the Pacific Northwest is a great primer for the craft beer novices in your life, whether they’ve lived in the Northwest for years or are visiting the area for the first time. Even if they’re reluctant to set out on a beer pilgrimage specifically, there are plenty of restaurants within these pages where they can eat an amazing meal that is only improved when paired with a good craft beer.

There are all kinds of tidbits about important craft beer revolutionaries of the Pacific Northwest in Lisa’s book, but here are a few “Ladies of Craft Beer” highlights that I enjoyed while reading.

• Fort George Brewery + Public House in Astoria named its Cavatica Stout after the arachnid heroine of Charlotte’s Web.

• The Thirsty Woman Pub of Mosier is named after a local myth about a group of “thirsty women” who burned down a nearby men-only tavern. Once upon a time, the building was a YWCA.

• Bend Brewing brewmaster Tonya Cornett is one of the few female head brewers in the Pacific Northwest.

• Naughty Nellie Golden Ale of Pike Brewing is named after Nellie Curtis, who ran a Seattle brothel at the LaSalle Hotel, Pike’s initial location.

• Crannóg Ales, Canada’s only Certified Organic farmhouse brewery, is owned by Rebecca Keen and Brian MacIsaac.

Craft Beers of the Pacific Northwest is available at Timber Press and Amazon.com.

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