Many of you who follow me regularly know that I do like a drink from time to time and since my diagnosis (going on ten years) my thirst has pretty much been quenched by spirits and wine. Now that is all well and good but you see I actually really like beer. Perhaps it stems back to my high school days in Germany where beer was pretty much a staple of one’s diet which also resulted in me becoming something of a beer snob. Yes, there are other gluten-free beers out there and some of them are actually okay but with New Planet it was love at first sip.
New Planet is based out of Boulder, Colorado and their CEO, Pedro Gonzales was diagnosed with Celiac in 2003. Not only are they committed to making great gluten-free beers but they also donate a portion of their proceeds to ecosystem conservation – nice!
I wasn’t sure what to expect when three bottles from New Planet arrived at my door but I quickly, as instructed, chilled the bottles of Tread Lightly Ale, 3R Raspberry, and Off Grid Pale Ale. Already loving the names I was excited to try a real craft gluten-free brew.
So, over the next couple of weekends I would crack out a bottle and indulge at lunch. First up was the 3R Raspberry. The three R’s stand for Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle by the way (a nod to the companies environmental cause ties). This was a real stand out in my opinion. It was a clean, crisp beer that had just a wisp of raspberry that was perfectly balanced by a very subtle hint of citrus. It is far more complex than any raspberry ales I can remember in my pre-Celiac diagnosis days
Next up was the Tread Lightly Ale. This was a refreshing and light ale where the hops flavor really came through and again it was rounded out with the subtle kick or citrus that was very, very mild but helped to add an ever so subtle flavor undertone to this beer.
Last up was the Off Grid Pale Ale. This was a darker amber beer that that was the perfect balance of spicy and subtle sweetness from the hops and molasses respectively. I have long been a dark beer kind of guy and can honestly say that I have not had anything remotely close to a decent darker brew until Off Grid came along.
I highly recommend that if you are a beer person that you check out New Planet because aside from gluten, the only thing missing is the aftertaste that seems to be so prominent in other gluten-free beers.
You can learn more about New Planet and their beers on their Web site and find out where you can purchase it locally. Unfortunately they are only on shelves in twelve states so far (and mine is not one of them) but fear not my imbibing friends, they are available mail order on Brewforia.
