Craft beer has never been more accessible in the Okanagan, with more and more breweries popping up across the valley over the years, and they all have one thing in common: gluten.
Kelowna, B.C.’s newest brewery, Grey Fox Brewing, however, has left gluten out of the recipe.
“Currently we’ve got five on tap, and I am just finishing up a stout,” said Chris Neufeld, brewer and owner of Grey Fox Brewing.
“I have a few others planned. I want to have some seasonals so there’s always something new to try.”
Since opening in December, Neufeld only uses certified gluten-free ingredients like millet and rice and doesn’t allow gluten on the premises so that he can be 100 per cent sure that there is no cross-contamination in his product.
“The challenge is, first of all, to find these grains that aren’t already contaminated,” said Neufeld.
“So it’s a little bit more complicated process. There’s a lot of chemistry involved in getting that starch to produce the sugars you need to make a good beer.”
Celiac Canada reports that the North American gluten-free food market is the fastest-growing food intolerance category, and that Canada is the country with the greatest increase in celiac disease in the past decades.
The organization also reports that one-third of Canadians are now shopping for gluten-free foods.
Having celiac disease himself, Neufeld sought to create a beer that doesn’t sacrifice flavour.
“Right now we are doing about 1,000 litres a week. I want to double that, hopefully by summer,” said Neufeld.
“We have the capacity to do three times that amount but I think that if we can get to 2,000 by summer we will be doing quite well.”
Right now, the gluten-free brews are being sold at breweries around the Central Okanagan and you can pick them up direct from Grey Fox Brewing in Kelowna.
In the meantime, Neufeld is working on attaining his certified gluten-free status.