So at the Black Oak night at Volo during Toronto Beer Week, I was lucky enough to meet a young home-brewer called Kevin Snow. With his partner, Hirsch Goodman, they make up the brewing team called “Snowman Brewing”, specializing in trying to perfect a gluten-free beer. My wife, Erika, has recently gone (mostly) gluten-free, so we’ve been experimenting in the world of gluten-free cooking, including using a gluten free beer in a batch of Fish and Chips. If you’re in Ontario, the two gluten-free options at the LCBO are Lakefront Brewing’s New Grist (in the cellar for review) made with sorghum, and La Messengere from Quebec made with buckwheat. If you go to Quebec, La Messengere comes in a variety of styles (I have a rousse in the cellar too). But here in Ontario, it’s one of the two, or homebrew. Kevin, a passionate brewer (okay, to be honest, I’ve never met a half-assed lazy brewer), was happy to share what they were doing with gluten-free brewing, both in talk and in bottle. They are making a brew using millet and buckwheat, and have been tweaking the recipe for some time. Let’s be fair and honest for a moment: Beer is nearly always made with at least some barley or wheat. It is one of the defining tastes. Trying to replicate that taste without barley or wheat is difficult at best. My hope as I’m about to open this bottle, is not that it will taste exactly like a beer I’m familiar with, but that it will be interesting, with a good balance of grain to hops, and some nice depth. Fingers crossed, let’s do this
Snowman Brewing Brown Ale
From an unlabelled ISB, the beer pours an opaque brown, with nearly no head. Aroma is quite grainy, with a hint of molasses or rum. Possibly something a little earthy, hops? Taste is less grainy, sweet though. A nice bitterness comes in fairly quickly, not super hoppy tasting, but there is a bit of a sharp/sour note. Not certain if that is hop, yeast or a touch of oxidization (it is homebrew, after all). As it warms a bit, there is a definite yeast flavour with a little spicy and sharp tang, actually quite nice. A bit like a Belgian brown ale. Mouthfeel is actually pretty velvety, surprising for a beer with no barley in it. It is quite drinkable, though it’s differences from a barley-based beer are enough that I want to take it slow to appreciate it. It’s a bit like when I first started drinking things that weren’t macro-lagers. I want to soak it up. There is no doubt this isn’t a “normal” beer, and while many people might be looking for a (near) perfect replacement in the gluten-free category, I think this is a very good alternative. Not identical, but tasty, and something different to enjoy. I’m still looking for a decent gluten-free bread.
Congratulations to Kevin and Hirsch, for making some real progress in the gluten-free beer search. Still some way to go, to be sure, but for two dudes in a garage, they have produced a very respectable beer that can be enjoyed by celiacs as much as anybody else. Keep up the good work lads, I’ll happily sample more as need be.
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