Join us for Ardent’s first official gluten-reduced release, our Gluten-Reduced Lawnmower! To those with celiac disease or severe gluten allergies, please read our note at the bottom of this event.
At Ardent, we’re always looking for ways to include beer lovers with celiac disease, gluten allergies, and gluten sensitivities. You might know our taproom manager, Lincoln, whose son has celiac disease. You can often find Lincoln experimenting with alternative grain sources to produce small-batch gluten-free beers (like the two featured at our eighth Pilot Night). In addition, many of our customers have also expressed interest in gluten-reduced beers for themselves or their loved ones. If we can offer these options, it just makes sense!
We first brewed our Lawnmower in the summer when we were looking for an easy-drinking, warm weather brew. Because the Lawnmower is light in both body and malt presence, it was the ideal candidate to test Brewers Clarex, an enzyme that breaks down gluten. To be successful, not only would the enzyme have to be effective, but the beer would also have to taste good—more than good, actually, the beer would have to taste consistent with its original flavor. To our delight, the enzyme worked, and the Lawnmower still tasted like a great session ale, with no flavor degradation or reduction in quality. In fact, since this experiment turned out so well, we’re considering testing Brewers Clarex with some of our other sessionable, low-ABV beers.
Tasting notes: The Gluten-Reduced Lawnmower is clear, with a golden straw color and medium white head. Cereals grains on the nose lead to a crisp, light, clean mouthfeel and flavors of biscuit and rye. A refreshing, light-bodied, and easy-drinking ale.
River City Wood Fire Pizza and River City Kettle Corn will be here with plenty of delicious food, and the Break Your Resolution in Scott’s Addition bar crawl will be firing up at 6. Come through the neighborhood for brews, food, and bar crawls!
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PLEASE NOTE: We processed this beer in order to remove the gluten, and then had it tested to verify that it has gluten levels well below the FDA “gluten-free” labeling regulation of 20 ppm (see the 2013 final rule and the 2015 proposed rule). However, we hesitate to label this product as "gluten-free," as it is made in a facility that is far from gluten-free, it is packaged in kegs that have contained non-gluten-reduced beers, and it is served through tap lines that have previously served non-gluten-reduced beers (we will serve it through a freshly and thoroughly cleaned tap line in our own taproom, but we cannot guarantee that a bar or restaurant will have cleaned their tap line prior to serving it). If you have celiac disease or severe gluten allergies, please ask your doctor and use your discretion before drinking this beer. Also note, we will have two truly gluten-free beers (brewed with alternative grain sources) at our Pilot Night on Friday, January 20.