Michigan’s First Gluten-Free Brewery Opening Summer 2021
It's basically a well-known fact at this point that Michigan knows beer, our very own Grand Rapids was just labeled the number-one beer city in America by USA TODAY "10 Best"!
Well, aside from the many breweries and beer-related accolades Grand Rapids, Michigan boasts, there's another one to add to the list. This summer, good ol' "Beer City, USA" will also be home to Michigan's very first, fully gluten-free brewery.
Brewery Nyx, according to MLive, will be opening as the very first brewery in Michigan dedicated to being completely gluten-free. A feat that other breweries have come close to with low or reduced-gluten beers. However, Brewery Nyx will be making sure their facility and all of their beers are truly, fully gluten-free.
MLive reports Brewery Nyx is the product of Jessica Stricklen, who has been gluten-free for ten years taking over the business side of things while experienced brewer Sebastian Van Bommel is in charge of the beers.
“What we’re looking to do here is to create beers that are on par. We’re trying to compete on quality, and offer something to people who used to go to Founders, or Vivant, or wherever, and now just can’t," Stricklen told MLive. "And for people who have never been able to, but have always come to Beer City, and were like, ‘Oh cool. I’ll just have a cider.’"
As both Stricklen and Van Bommel are both beer lovers, they knew they wanted to make gluten-free beer that was safe for even "true celiacs" which MLive explains why other breweries that have tried to lower gluten counts in their beers couldn't achieve that.
Basically, these breweries are able to lower gluten counts by brewing beer the "regular" way and then add an enzyme that "eats up" some gluten in the beer. However, there are still trace amounts which can be dangerous for those with celiac, or simply allergies or intolerances.
Brewery Nyx, Van Bommel explains, will be using different types of grains and will have to come up with creative solutions when it comes to the "science" of it all.
The team, who hopes to be open by mid-June, is ready to do whatever it takes and told MLive they not only want their beer to be a great option for gluten-free people but for beer drinkers everywhere!
"What I want people to do when they come here, the naysayers or otherwise, is for them to ask for an IPA, and if they didn’t know any better, and somebody just grabbed them a beer, they would say, huh, that’s a good beer.”
If you want to make sure to get your hands on some of the gluten-free goodness, here's a look at some other things to get familiar with in Grand Rapids:
A Virtual Tour of Downtown Grand Rapids
While we're at it, you'll probably be hitting up a few other bars so here's a guide on the kind of people you will likely meet:
If Grand Rapids Bars Were Grand Rapids Girls
Of course, all that beer will work up an appetite so here are some great food options that are not so expensive you won't be able to afford more beer...that's what you're going for right?
Five Out-Of-The-Way, Inexpensive Grand Rapids Restaurants