The Driftwood Spars Brewery in St Agnes has become Cornwall’s first brewery to make all of its beers officially gluten-free, following a successful period of experimentation and testing.
The Brewery rose to the challenge in response to queries and requests from customers who were coeliac or gluten intolerant and therefore unable to enjoy a good pint.
After successfully creating one gluten-free ale, Unexpected, which won an international Free From Award in 2018, Head Brewer Pete Martin made it his mission to strip the gluten from his entire range of ales without any detrimental effect – and is thrilled to have succeeded.
Pete explains: “Unexpected is really delicious but having just one gluten-free beer available didn’t give our customers much choice. We did our research and found an enzyme which strips out the gluten without affecting the flavour of our beers. The enzyme is completely safe and is already extensively used in brewing, just not specifically for this purpose.”
Louise Treseder, Landlady at The Driftwood Spars, added: “We’re really proud to be able to offer our full range of in-house beers gluten-free, and customers who haven’t drunk beer for years can finally enjoy a pint of their favourite ale.”
No matter what style of beer you prefer, you’ll now find a gluten-free version at The Driftwood; from light and refreshing Lou’s Brew to the rich and warming Alfie’s Revenge, all are loaded with taste and character – minus the gluten.
The move to being gluten-free certainly hasn’t put punters off as they’ve been impressed by the brewery making its beer accessible to a wider audience.
Piers Owen, who is a regular at The Driftwood Spars, commented: “I am so impressed that the team at the pub and brewery have put so much effort into making their whole range of beers available to people like me who have coeliac disease, or others who are allergic or sensitive to gluten. It certainly makes trips to the pub a whole lot more fun!”
Out of every batch made, a bottle is shipped to a research lab to be tested to ensure it meets the gluten-free criteria.
The Driftwood Spars pub also serves cask beer that is gluten-free as Louise has 3 designated lines (the lines can’t be used for other beers which do contain gluten, as they must be free from residual traces.)
Pete’s brews are available at The Driftwood Spars and further afield at pubs across Cornwall and Devon and online at www.driftwoodsparsbrewery.com