Canadian Gluten Free Homebrewers

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brucegodin

Well-Known Member
Joined
Oct 17, 2016
Messages
46
Reaction score
12
Location
Chilliwack
Hi,

Just interested if finding out how big the gluten free beer/home brewing scene is in Canada. And how many fellow gluten free home brewing Canadians there are out there.

How many of you are Canadians in this forum?

Cheers,

Bruce
 
Hey I am in the Ottawa region. Just getting into brewing. I am attempting some gluten reduced beers (had some from micro breweries in Halifax and my system handled them well). As I get more into this my long term goal is to be able to replicate a Glutenberg beer.
 
Thanks for responding. I love Glutenberg! The gold standard of GF beers I have tried. Will check in to see how you progress with cloning it.

Groundbreaker from Portland is my new GF fave. I assume you can't get them in Ontario.
 
I am in Spokane. Not quite Canada, but close ;) We venture up north for the mountain biking and the best snow :)

My wife and I had lunch at Groundbreaker in Portland in August and it was awesome place for food and the beer is even better fresh from the source.

Also, Ghostfish just landed here in Spokane. I have a bottle of the Double IPA in my fridge. Will probably post up a review once I crack it open.
 
Living in Montreal. I'm American (if you haven't guessed) and my partner is Quebecoise and has celiac's. We're just starting to try this homebrew stuff out.

Hello to you all.
 
I am in Spokane. Not quite Canada, but close ;) We venture up north for the mountain biking and the best snow :)

My wife and I had lunch at Groundbreaker in Portland in August and it was awesome place for food and the beer is even better fresh from the source.

Also, Ghostfish just landed here in Spokane. I have a bottle of the Double IPA in my fridge. Will probably post up a review once I crack it open.

I love Groundbreaker too! Love their IPA # 5! Really expensive up here though! I really hope to make it to Portland someday to visit Groundbreaker. Really intrigued by their use of lentils.

I also need to make it over the border to get some Ghostfish! Really want to try their beer!
 
Living in Montreal. I'm American (if you haven't guessed) and my partner is Quebecoise and has celiac's. We're just starting to try this homebrew stuff out.

Hello to you all.

Welcome to the world of Gluten Free brewing! Lots of great info and help in these forums!
 
I love Groundbreaker too! Love their IPA # 5! Really expensive up her though! I really hope to make it to Portland someday to visit Groundbreaker. Really intrigued by their use of lentils.

I also need to make it over the border to get some Ghostfish! Really want to try their beer!

Chilliwack might be closer to Seattle than Spokane! Let us know if you go to the brewery and tell us what you thought. I should have written up my Ground Breaker visit as well (if I can find the pics I will).
 
Chilliwack might be closer to Seattle than Spokane! Let us know if you go to the brewery and tell us what you thought. I should have written up my Ground Breaker visit as well (if I can find the pics I will).

I will post for sure if/when I make it to Ghostfish. I would love to see your pics and a post about your Groundbreaker visit.
 
Just starting to look into gluten free brewing for a family member. I'm in northenr BC (Fort St John) but grew up in Chilliwack.

Jenn
 
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Thanks for responding Jenn. Always good to here about other Canadians interested in Gluten Free Beer. Especially a fellow British Columbian from Chilliwack! What are you planning on brewing?
 
Hey all!

New to the forum, but a gluten free home brewer from Maple Ridge, BC!

I`m exploring the idea of starting an online store for Gluten Free Grains, specifically for Canadians. I`ve been in talks with two suppliers in the US who are excited about opening Canadian Distribution. These suppliers would initially allow me to offer malted and unmalted Quinoa, millet, buckwheat, Oats, Maize and Rice.

Would love to hear if this would be something people would be interested in!
 
I've become more intolerant to gluten lately and it occurred to me that I really should stand up to the industry and protest the presence of gluten in foods. Some friends and I are in the process or organizing a protest, have any of you guys done anything similar? Our voices need to be heard... Naturally occurring gluten is bad enough but the way its being introduced into other foods is just sickening. All corporate greed!
 
Where do you get your grains from currently?


Currently I am using clarity ferm and regular grains. I want to move into 100% gluten free grains though because I don't know if there is a cumulative effect from clarity ferm. There is a Canadian website who said their supplier of GF grains hasn't sent them any or been in contact with them.
 
Hey all!

New to the forum, but a gluten free home brewer from Maple Ridge, BC!

I`m exploring the idea of starting an online store for Gluten Free Grains, specifically for Canadians. I`ve been in talks with two suppliers in the US who are excited about opening Canadian Distribution. These suppliers would initially allow me to offer malted and unmalted Quinoa, millet, buckwheat, Oats, Maize and Rice.

Would love to hear if this would be something people would be interested in!

Excited to hear from a fellow BC/lower mainland GF home brewer!

Great idea, I had the same idea, just wondering if the market in Canada is too small to support a worthwhile/profitable business.
 
Build it and they will come!

I have tried to get a homebrew store here in florida to do it and they just wont commit. For a business that is already established for internet sale of barley grain, i would think it would be easy to add a little inventory and be the only regional supplier.

If it were easier to get grain, i think a lot more would try it, decide they like it and the sales would increase. I don't think you can count on solid initial sales though.
 
Hey Bruce, I just started my first GF brew in December. Use the Brewers Best Gluten Free Ale kit. It actually turned out super good. Right now I have an all grain Robust Porter in the Primary and transferring to secondary today.

On the Ground Breaker and Ghostfish topic, I have bought and tried both of their range of beers and visited both locations. I really like the Ghostfish product. Their Russian Imperial Stout is awesome but pricey. $29 US per bottle. But very delish.
 
Excited to hear from a fellow BC/lower mainland GF home brewer!

Great idea, I had the same idea, just wondering if the market in Canada is too small to support a worthwhile/profitable business.
So far I have bought my Grains from Glutenfreehomebrewing in Oregon but I do know Ghostfish, Ground Breaker and Gutenberg all get their grains from an outfit in Colorado. I have actually been seriously thinking of starting my own brewery. I have spoken to Ghostfish and a few Vancouver breweries about start up. Maybe I'll set up in Maple Ridge.
 
So far I have bought my Grains from Glutenfreehomebrewing in Oregon but I do know Ghostfish, Ground Breaker and Gutenberg all get their grains from an outfit in Colorado. I have actually been seriously thinking of starting my own brewery. I have spoken to Ghostfish and a few Vancouver breweries about start up. Maybe I'll set up in Maple Ridge.


Wow, awesome! If you start a Gluten Free brewery in the lower mainland I totally want in! I suggest starting it in the Fraser Valley somewhere, like Chilliwack! :) I really want to start a gluten free brewery as well, just don't have the finances to do it. BC/Canada really needs another Gluten Free brewery to compete with Glutenburg. Keep me in mind and keep me posted please.
 
Hey Bruce, I just started my first GF brew in December. Use the Brewers Best Gluten Free Ale kit. It actually turned out super good. Right now I have an all grain Robust Porter in the Primary and transferring to secondary today.

On the Ground Breaker and Ghostfish topic, I have bought and tried both of their range of beers and visited both locations. I really like the Ghostfish product. Their Russian Imperial Stout is awesome but pricey. $29 US per bottle. But very delish.

I will have to try the Brewers Best kit, I was considering trying it and the OBK gluten free kits.

I have been getting the Groundbreaker IPA No 5 and love it, but unfortunately haven't tried Ghostfish yet. They are going to start distributing in BC this year, hopefully by summer! Next time you go down, would you consider picking some up for me?
 
I have been to Ground Breaker as well, I do very much like their product as well. Ghostfish is going to start distribution in BC? When I talked to them in the Summer they had no plans as they can't keep up with Seattle.
 
Yep! I have been emailing with their sales and marketing coordinator and she confirmed they are launching in BC in 2017. Hopefully in the next few months and before summer. Great news eh! Can't wait!
 
Not good for me opening a brewery though. LOL but good for getting good stuff in the stores. Would you happen to want to share her email address?
 
Hi,

Just interested if finding out how big the gluten free beer/home brewing scene is in Canada. And how many fellow gluten free home brewing Canadians there are out there.

How many of you are Canadians in this forum?

Cheers,

Bruce

Roll call, Vanbrewer here.
 
I haven't been on this forum lately. It seems like a lot is happening. I'm in Victoria. I've been brewing gluten free for about four years. I'm all alone over here. I do all-grain too. And I malt my own grain, out of necessity. I built my malting machine out of plywood and screen doors. I'm working on a new one that won't be so ridiculous.
Nice to hear there are other GF brewers nearby. Here in Canada, western Canada maybe, we have a poor selection of beers to chose from at the liquor stores. And I prefer mine fresh and straight out of my keg than anything commercially made. Except Green's, that's a decent beer. I haven't made my way over the border yet to try all the ones you're talking about. Anyway, I now feel less alone.
 
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