By the time I was getting a taste for beer I was just getting diagnosed with celiac disease. As a result, I don’t have much of a background knowledge or experience with beers. I’ve tried RedBridge and don’t like it. I pretty much gave up on gluten free beers. However, since around the holidays of last year I have been able to try several different beers from Ground Breaker Brewing. Ground Breaker Brewing is a dedicated gluten free brewery & gastropub that is 100% gluten free! They are located in Portland, Oregon.
Recently I was able to catch up with the owner and founder, James Neumeister, to learn about his story and the creation of GBB. Like all great ideas, he started brewing beer in his garage in 2009 after a friend was diagnosed with celiac disease. Said friend would bring gluten free beers over and James was shocked at the quality. He took this as an opportunity and a challenge. “I’ll make you a better beer,” James claimed to his friend. James apparently didn’t quite understand the task he was undertaking and quickly realized it wasn’t so simple. But his interest was spiked and it became a mission. He set out to learn more about celiac disease in order to feel like an expert. Every celiac needs a James in their life!
Turns out, James’ wife, Angela, had been dealing with some health issues that included some difficulty with pregnancy. After hearing about the benefits of the gluten free diet, James suggested this to his wife. Pretty soon after going gluten free her health issues cleared up and they are now proud parents of a 12 year old girl and a 9 year old boy.
Meanwhile, James got to work on creating actually good tasting gluten free beer. He faced a serious problem though, products weren’t readily available for this type of beverage. He literally had to invent ingredients. He started out using chestnuts to roast and brew, things evolved from there. Fortunately for us, the availability of malted gluten free ingredients has progressively improved since James started over 10 years ago. Don’t let the word “malt” trip you up, it’s entirely gluten free! Unlike many companies out there, they never use ingredients where they have to chemically or enzymatically remove gluten. This means that you can trust in that gluten free label. They are also oat, corn and GMO free! You can find more information on their ingredients used here.
Ground Breaker Brewing construction began in early 2011 and they shipped their first beer in December of 2011. At their actual taproom they do everything they can to have no gluten on premises. Their kitchen is run by a Salvadoran family, the business is called Salvi PDX. Their entire menu at GBB is gluten free, including an occasional gluten free hotdog using a bun from New Cascadia. They seem to have some dairy free options available as they also cater to a large dairy free population. Unsurprisingly, over half of their customers are gluten free and about 1/3 of them are dairy free.
These days, James is barely involved in the brewing and recipe process because he has a whole team behind him. According to him, they have beautifully taken the reins and brought the gluten free brewing to a whole new level. If you follow them online you will see they are frequently coming out with fun new gluten free beers. At the brewery, they have 6 beers that are year round, 1 seasonal beer that changes every 2-3 months and special release beers that include Roll-Up Door and Brewer’s Delight. I’ve definitely had at least the brewer’s delight, several of the year round brews and some of the seasonal ones. Such a treat! The pandemic helped with this need for variety. Before, retailers wouldn’t allow anyone to put out the same variety. There was a drive toward packaging in the pandemic because people couldn’t go out so that created a new need. I’m sure this need allowed GBB to branch out from 4-5 beers to their current 9 listed above. They bring something new and fresh every two months.
Groundbreaker Brewing is the first dedicated gluten free brewery and the most decorated! They have entered the World Beer Cup twice for the gluten free beer category and was awarded Silver for IPA No. 5 in 2018. They also won a medal in the gluten free category at the Great American Beer Festival seven of eight years. Very impressive! Their Dark Ale, is the most award winning gluten free beer on earth. They also have pale ales, IPA’s, light beer, and as I mentioned earlier, they do seasonal beers. They even partnered with SheBrew to celebrate women in the brew industry. They brought in Kim Hilpot, a well known gluten free brewer to make their S’more Stout, made from marshmallows. I got to try this beer and was delicious! James actually got the mashmallows donated and helped to roast them with a blowtorch. Innovative!
With such a variety of gluten free beers I had to ask about where the inspiration comes from. James really champions his team in this area. Typically, one person will come up with an idea and advocate for what they want to do in house. Then, they get brewing and taste testing in the tap room. Anyone can come get a free 1-2 ounce taste test on anything. Interestingly enough, only 1 of 5 staff members in the brewery has celiac disease, and another has a different set of autoimmune disease. I was curious to know why someone who doesn’t have to be gluten free chooses to be involved in the gluten free brew world. One of their brewers, Tyler Kueber had something to say about that: “The real joy that I get out of making gluten free beer is seeing the look on people’s faces when they come in and try our beer. Sometimes we’ll have people come in that haven’t even had beer in decades. It’s not unheard of to see tears of joy in our pub. I don’t think there are many craft breweries where you can have that sort of experience with your customers.” As a celiac I can certainly relate to getting tearful at gluten free options.
With all this information on their beers, you are probably wondering where you can find them. They ship to Oregon, Washington State, Idaho, California, Vermont, Maine, Rhode Island, Michigan NYC, Long Island, New Jersey and Colorado. They have a list of distributors on their website. If you want their beer, the best thing you can do is mention it to the place you like to hang out at or buy your beers. Places are more likely to acquire new products if the customer asks. You can talk with the Beer & Wine Steward. Here is a link with more information on where to purchase. Thankfully, if you can’t find it locally you can order online from Craft Beer Kings and Craftshack. I should probably mention the prices. Like most gluten free things, they may seem a bit more expensive. While it’s frustrating for us, there are understandable reasons for this. A big one being that many gluten free ingredients are 8x the price of glutenous ingredients. While GBB doesn’t charge 8x the price to us, they still have to set a price that is reasonable for them. Another cost for them are the expensive gluten free tests for every batch and following time consuming and challenging guidelines for gluten free certification. They take gluten free labeling very serious, as a celiac it’s a relief to hear. I’ll happily pay the price for quality and gluten free assurance.
Huge thanks to James and his team over at Ground Breaker Brewing for givings us gluten free folks some beers to look forward to! Don’t forget to check them out at www.groundbreakerbrewing.com and follow them on social media.
