Gluten-free beer a crafty move
STARTING A GF BREWERY MEANT RICHARD JEFFARES COULD ENJOY A COLDIE AGAIN
When craft beer enthusiast Richard Jeffares was diagnosed with coeliac disease in 2015, he was devastated. Like many who suffer from the digestive and immune disorder that can be triggered by ingesting gluten, he was told by his doctor – no bread, no pasta and no beer.
“My wife will say that she got a phone call from me saying ‘my life is over – I can’t drink beer any more’,” says Jeffares with a laugh.
He experimented with drinking cider until his brother Steve, a prominent figure in the Australian craft beer scene who co-founded The Local Taphouse in Melbourne’s St Kilda, The Stomping Ground
Brewing Brewing Co and the GABS Beer, Cider and Food Fest, issued him with a challenge – “why don’t you just start a gluten-free brewery?”
There were already a few gluten free beers in the Australian market, including the long-running O’Brien brand – but none were as “crafty” as Jeffares wanted. So after a “fantastic pub crawl across all the gluten-free breweries in the US”, he started the TWOBAYS Brewing Co on Victoria’s Mornington Peninsula in 2018. The TWOBAYS range now includes a pale ale, lager, session ale, XPA, IPA and the country’s only gluten-free sour, the Pulp Fusion Passionfruit.
In 2020 they also introduced the GFB brand, a “classic, easy-drinking Aussie draught beer that the glutenfree drinkers were asking for”, to cater to the non-craft-beer crowd.
While only 1 per cent of Australians (many who are undiagnosed) suffer from coeliac disease, up to a quarter avoid gluten in their diet either by necessity or by choice, according to a study published in the Australian Medical Journal in 2020. And while many restaurants offer gluten-free options, Jeffares and his team are on a mission to counter the perception that beer is simply not an option for those seeking to avoid gluten.
By brewing their beers with malted millet, buckwheat or rice, rather than barley or wheat, TWOBAYS now has a range that can be drunk by all craft enthusiasts and is pushing to have them available in eateries and pubs as well as their own taphouse and in bottle shops.
“It’s a massive opportunity and restaurants in particular see that in their food choices and menus so we would like them to make a beer offer available as well,” says Jeffares. “We are winning the battle slowly and we see opportunities like this to get people thinking ‘why shouldn’t they have a beer available’?”
Brewing with gluten-free grains comes with challenges, particularly with lighter styles such as lagers and pilsners, but Jeffares chooses to celebrate the differences, drawing parallels with the contrast between a pinot noir and a shiraz in the wine world.
“Our beers are like a pinot noir – they have a lighter mouthfeel and
they are very difficult to make like a pinot noir but they are still bloody good wines and ours are bloody good beers,” he says. “It’s just not going to taste the same as a shiraz. So, if you are drinking a 7 per cent IPA in barley, you will find a fairly heavy beer whereas our 7 per cent IPA will be a much lighter mouthfeel. It’s not going to taste the same, but that’s not necessarily a bad thing, it’s just different.”
GO GLUTEN-FREE
Smart Craft Beer Club’s resident expert Michael Taberner picks the best gluten-free beer options on offer:
TWOBAYS Pale Ale
Australia’s best selling gluten-free craft beer for a reason! In the style of a more American pale ale, it’s more hop forward than Australian pale ales, with more citrus aromas coming through. Pairs incredibly well when served cold, surrounded by mates, with a spicy pizza or a DIY homestyle burger on the barbecue in summer.
TWOBAYS Pulp Fusion Passionfruit Sour
A Sunday favourite for when you want something to bring to a barbecue or mate’s house, without the bloat of your usual go to. Refreshing tropical flavours, a subtle tart finish, and overall balance makes this a really refreshing 3.5 per cent thirst quencher. The tropical and citrusy notes make this a great pairing for seafood, summer salads and grilled meats.
GFB – Gluten Free Draught
Full strength, full taste, and incredibly approachable. In short, this is just a really great beer when you want something after mowing the lawn or when you get back from the beach. It’s clean, refreshing without the bloat. Pairs well when cooking sausages on the barbecue, or when the game is about to start and there are snacks on the go!
Wilde Brewing Co – Ginger Beer
Alcoholic ginger beer tends to be overly sweet, or incredibly bitey with too much spice. This is a great, refreshingly easy balance of everything you want in a ginger beer. Low in sugar, completely gluten free, and with a pinch of lemon myrtle, this is unlike any alcoholic ginger beer you may have tried before. Pairs well with spicy soups, curries, and Asian stir fry.