For those who enjoy gluten-free beer but worry whether they can trust the labeling, good news from the United States Department of the Treasury Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau (TTB).

On May 24, the TTB announced that beer, wine, and other alcoholic beverages made from ingredients that contain gluten, such as wheat, rye or barley, cannot be labeled as “gluten-free.” Before this ruling, beers that were labeled as gluten-free could still contain small traces of gluten; some brewers use glutenous ingredients to make their beer, then process it later to remove most of the gluten. Since the FDA and TTB haven’t found a test that accurately determines the gluten content of fermented beverages, beers that are made with ingredients that contain gluten must be labeled with either one of the following statements:

  • “Product fermented from grains containing gluten and [processed or treated or crafted] to remove gluten. The gluten content of this product cannot be verified, and this product may contain gluten.”
  • “This product was distilled from grains containing gluten, which removed some or all of the gluten. The gluten content of this product cannot be verified, and this product may contain gluten.”

Here’s some even more good news: According to the TTB’s new ruling, New Planet Beer remains gluten-free. Our beer is brewed from 100 percent gluten free ingredients such as sorghum, corn extract, brown rice extract, and gluten-free yeast. Each batch of New Planet Beer is carefully processed to avoid cross-contamination, and then regularly tested to make sure it’s in compliance.

So all you fans of gluten-free, rest assured that New Planet Beer had already set the gluten-free standard before the government action. From the time it’s processed to when it reaches your lips, New Planet Beer has always been guaranteed gluten-free.

Fire up the barbecue and break out some ice cold beers, because the Fourth of July is right around the corner! Invite over some family and friends then follow the tips below for a stress-free, gluten-free barbecue.

  1. Purchase gluten-free hot dog or hamburger buns. Some popular options include Rudi’s Multigrain Hot Dog Rolls and Hamburger Buns, Udi’s Classic Hot Dog and Hamburger Buns, Whole Foods Bakehouse Hamburger Buns, and Ener-G Tapioca Hot Dog and Hamburger Buns.
  2. Clean the grill. Gluten-free products shouldn’t be cooked on surfaces that have been contaminated by marinades or sauces that contain gluten, so be sure to clean off your grill before you start cooking.
  3. Grill gluten-free products separately. To avoid cross-contamination, cook gluten-free products first, keep them on one side of the grill, or grill them on aluminum foil.
  4. Top it off with gluten-free barbecue sauce. Make sure that all of the condiments and sauces you use to cook are gluten-free. When you’re shopping for gluten-free products, it’s important to check labels because ingredients are always changing. Some barbecue sauces that are gluten-free as of June 2012 include Randy Jones Gluten-Free BBQ Sauce, Organic Annie’s Original BBQ Sauce, Sweet Baby Ray’s BBQ Sauce, Bone Suckin’ Sauce, Heinz Original BBQ Sauce, and Organicville’s Original BBQ Sauce.
  5. Chill out with an ice-cold New Planet Beer. Pick up a few packs of Tread Lightly Ale, 3R Raspberry Ale, or Off Grid Pale Ale, and throw them in a cooler filled with ice.

Happy Independence Day!

What: Kyle’s Brew Fest 2012

When: Saturday, July 28th 3–7 PM

Where: Outside of Boulder Beer Company, Boulder, CO (2880 Wilderness Place)

Cost: $25

Websitehttp://www.kylehollingsworth.com/   http://www.consciousalliance.org/2012/05/kyles-brew-fest-boulder-co/

Brew Fest Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pazYChsefiI&feature=player_embedded

With consecutive sell-outs of his flagship event, Kyle’s Brew Fest is back again! New Planet Beer has once again been personally selected by String Cheese Incident’s Kyle Hollingsworth to participate in Kyle’s Brew Fest 2012.  Featuring over 60 beers from over 30 breweries hand picked by Kyle this event will again benefit Boulder-based charity Conscious Alliance, a fantastic cause. Do NOT miss this festival as your ticket includes an exclusive performance from the Kyle Hollingsworth Band, a Brew Fest pint glass,a silent auction , and, of course, beer! Come support New Planet in our home town of Boulder and have yourself an amazing Saturday at what is always an incredible festival supporting a great cause.

What: 2012 Denver Summer Brew Fest

When: Friday, July 27th 7-10PM (6PM entry for VIP tickets)

Where: Mile High Station, Denver, CO (2027 West Lower Colfax Ave 80204)

Cost: $30 GA / $40 VIP

Websitehttp://www.denverbrewfest.com/summer/index.html

New Planet returns to one of our favorite events, the Denver Summer Brew Fest at Mile High Station.  Featuring over 125 beers, this fantastic event always delivers the fun in one of Denver’s coolest event venues. Benefiting Swallow Hill Music Association, the Fest will feature excellent beers, food, local vendors, and music from Euforquestra. Right in downtown Denver, this festival is an excellent opportunity for our front-range fans to come support New Planet and sample beers from over 45 other breweries. Come on out and see us, we’ll have all three of our beers, free Glutino GF pretzels, keychains, and high-fives!

 

What: 17th Annual Indiana Microbrewers Festival

When: Saturday, July 14th 3-7PM (VIP Admission at 2PM)

Where: Broad Ripple (Optimist Park and Indianapolis Art Center), East 67th Street at Ferguson Indianapolis, IN

Cost: $40 GA / $55 VIP

Website: http://www.brewersofindianaguild.com/events/month/05/year/2012/17th-annual-indiana-microbrewers-festival

Indiana’s premier craft beer festival is back for the 17th year in a row and this time we’re joining in on the fun. If you’re in or around the Indianapolis area you simply can’t miss this event. Come out and say hi to us and our reps from our awesome Indiana distributors, Cavalier Distributing!

 

What: Pre-Game Party: Gluten Free and Celiac Awareness Night with the San Diego Padres

When: Saturday, July 21st 3-5PM

Where: Tailgating lot of Petco Park 100 Park Boulevard San Diego, CA 92101

Cost: FREE

Website: http://www.glutenfreecalendar.com/index.php?/calendar/viewevent/556

Taking place right at the ballpark, we’re back for another MLB Celiac Awareness Night, this time with the San Diego Padres. This is a super unique and very fun gluten-free event which will include FREE GF hamburgers and hotdogs as well as many other treats from local and national gluten free vendors.  Not only will these vendors be providing product samples and offering their products for sale, but there will be music, raffles and even the opportunity to win upgraded seats to the game. Oh, and best of all, your friends at New Planet will be there with samples of all three of our tasty beers!

 

What: 5th Annual July 3rd Local Celebration

When: Tuesday, July 3rd (beer garden open 7-9PM)

Where: Whole Foods Market (Colorado Blvd/Denver) 870 S. Colorado Blvd. Glendale, Colorado

Cost: $10 donation to Elephant Talk

Website: http://wholefoodsmarket.com/stores/coloradoblvd/    http://www.elephanttalk.org/homepage.htm

Join in the fun at Whole Foods in Denver for this annual pre-Independence Day celebration. Although this is their 5th Annual event, this year marks the starts of the “tasting room” fundraiser.  This year, all of your favorite local Colorado breweries (especially New Planet!) will be participating in a beer garden to provide this tasting room type of experience.  This year, they will be holding this event as a fundraiser, for Elephant Talk. Elephant Talk, a 501C3, supplies 3 food pantries throughout Colorado, and is run by a husband/wife who are currently financing their operation with their own funds. To give you an idea of the work they are doing – they have delivered over 90,000 pounds of food since January, from Colorado Springs to Fort Collins. Come on out for this great opportunity to support a great cause, drink awesome beer, and see the Denver fireworks!