Our Gluten Schmuten series didn’t start with a marketing plan. It started with Peter.
Peter is our Brewmaster, and he has a gluten intolerance. For someone who has spent his career crafting beer, that’s a reality that sits with you. It meant paying attention to something a lot of people in the industry weren’t talking about: just how many people out there are navigating celiac disease or gluten sensitivity, and just how few great options exist for them when they walk into a taproom.
The more we looked at it, the clearer it became. A lot of people are dealing with this, and the choices available to them haven’t kept up. We wanted to change that, and we wanted to do it properly.
A Personal Story Behind Every Pint
When Peter first brought the idea forward, it resonated immediately. Not just because of his own experience, but because we kept hearing it from guests too. People would come in hoping for something they could actually drink, and too often we didn’t have the answer they were looking for.
“There’s a growing awareness around gluten intolerance and celiac disease,” says Scott. “A lot of people are dealing with it. We kept noticing how few real choices there were. If you walked into most taprooms with a gluten sensitivity, you were pretty much out of luck.”
So we set out to build something we’d be proud to put in front of anyone, whether they have a gluten sensitivity or not. That became the Gluten Schmuten series.
How We Make It Gluten-Free
You might have come across beers labelled “gluten-reduced” before. Most of those are brewed with traditional barley and then treated with an enzyme that breaks down gluten proteins. It can bring the gluten level down, but the base ingredient is still a gluten-containing grain, and for people with celiac disease, that distinction really matters.
We do it differently. Every beer in the Gluten Schmuten lineup is brewed with sorghum as the base grain, replacing barley entirely. Sorghum is a naturally gluten-free grain with a long history in brewing, and it gives us a genuinely clean foundation to build real flavour on.
We also send every batch to a certified third-party laboratory for independent testing. The Canadian standard for a gluten-free designation is fewer than 20 parts per million (ppm). Every Gluten Schmuten release we’ve sent to the lab has come back at 3 ppm. We share that number because we want you to feel completely confident picking one up.
“We wanted people to be able to trust it completely,” says Scott. “Not just take our word for it. That’s why we test every batch through an independent lab. The number speaks for itself.”
The Lineup, One Beer at a Time
The series has grown one release at a time, each one exploring a different style and expanding what gluten-free beer can be.
Gluten Schmuten Citrus Pale Ale (5.1% ABV, 25 IBU)
Our first release, launched in April 2025, and the one that started it all. Light, approachable, and genuinely refreshing, it took home Gold at the 2025 BC Beer Awards and Bronze at the 2025 World Beer Awards in the Canada category in its very first year. We were proud of that.
Gluten Schmuten Harvest Blonde Ale (5.0% ABV, 17 IBU) — Seasonal Release
Our second release brought a softer, warmer character to the lineup. Golden in colour, with biscuity malt notes and a gentle sweetness on the finish. The kind of beer that feels right on a warm afternoon, easy-drinking and quietly satisfying. A seasonal favourite that showed us just how much variety we could bring to the Gluten Schmuten family.
Gluten Schmuten IPA (6.1% ABV, 45 IBU)
IPA is the most-loved craft beer style around, and we felt strongly that gluten-free drinkers deserved a proper one. Ours delivers a bold hop presence, resinous bitterness, and real depth. At 6.1% and 45 IBU, it stands confidently on its own.
Gluten Schmuten Fruited Sour (4.9% ABV) — Limited Release
A one-off release that came from a place of pure curiosity. Sour beer is one of the most exciting styles in craft brewing, and we wanted to explore what it could look like in a gluten-free format. Tart, refreshing, and endlessly crushable, with subtle BC blueberry notes and just a hint of sweetness for balance. It was a limited run, and the response it got was something we won’t forget.
Meet The Dry Hopped Sour
The newest addition to the family, and officially the third core beer in our growing Gluten Schmuten lineup.
Gluten Schmuten Dry Hopped Sour (4.5% ABV, 11 IBU)
Bright, refreshing, and pleasantly tart, this one showcases the tropical and citrus hop character of two varieties we love: Mosaic and Riwaka. Mosaic brings complexity and depth; Riwaka, a New Zealand hop, adds a vivid passionfruit and grapefruit brightness that makes this one feel alive in the glass.
The acidity is clean, the finish is crisp, and it drinks with just the right amount of zing.
Released September 25, 2026, the Dry Hopped Sour isn't just another seasonal experiment. It's here to stay, joining our year-round Gluten Schmuten lineup as we work toward offering four permanent gluten-free beers.
Turns Out, It’s Not Just for Gluten-Free Drinkers
One of the things that has surprised and delighted us most about this series is who’s been drinking it.
“Honestly, some of my favourite beers we make are the gluten-free ones,” Scott admits. “I don’t have a gluten intolerance, but I notice the difference. That heavy feeling you sometimes get after a few regular beers just isn’t there. They’re easier on you.”
Demand has grown steadily, and a lot of the people reaching for a Gluten Schmuten have no dietary restriction at all. They just like how it tastes, and how they feel after. That’s exactly what we were hoping for.
Where We’re Headed
The goal is to build out four permanent, year-round gluten-free beers, a core lineup that you can count on whenever you visit, in any season. We’re not far off.
Each release has been a step in that direction, and each one has reinforced something we believe pretty firmly: gluten-free beer doesn’t mean lesser beer. Brewing without barley doesn’t mean brewing without character. It just means finding a different way to get there, and caring enough to do it right.
“We want everyone to feel like there’s something here for them,” says Scott. “The gluten-free lineup is part of that. We’re not making it as an afterthought. It gets the same attention as everything else.”
We’re glad you’re here for it.
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Story by Dean Douglas (Douglas Marketing) in collaboration with Scott, Nicole & Peter at Abandoned Rail Brewing Company.