Brewery Rickoli – Sam Adams Gives A Gluten-reduced Beer National Exposure

It’s rare when one of Colorado’s smallest breweries (especially one that’s known for gluten-removed beers) gets national distribution with a craft beer major like Sam Adams… but some dreams come true because that’s what happened when Brewery Rickoli was chosen to be part of Samuel Adams Brewing the American Dream Collaboration Pack.

Boston Beer’s 12 pack showcases five different American craft breweries, all having participated in Samuel Adams Brewing the American Dream, the brewery’s one-of-a-kind philanthropic initiative.

 But Rick Abitbol’s, Brewery Rickoli has to smallest brewery (only 3bbl) to be included in this collection of up-and-comers, let alone a brewer who’s doing amazing things in the world of “gluten-reduced” craft beers.

So a little on Rick’s ‘gluten-reduced’ process

Under the FDA rule, products labeled “gluten-free” DON’T have to be technically 100% free of wheat, rye and barley and their derivatives. But they will DO have to contain fewer than 20 parts per million of gluten.

Abitbol has reportedly said that most of his beers “contain fewer than 5 parts per million of gluten,” and to accomplish this he uses a special agent from yeast developer White Labs that binds to gluten and drops it out of the beer.

This process allows him to brew with barley as opposed to the sorghum commonly used in ‘gluten-free’ beer. And the result is a full-gluten-reduced beer that ACTUALLY TASTES LIKE BEER.

But to have Brewery Rickoli’s gluten-reduced beer included in a collection of exciting collaborations under the Sam Adams banner, and exposed nationwide on Boston Beer’s platform has got to be exciting for everyone involved.

It’s also going to a wonderful opportunity for beer geeks (and especially those with celiac disease) to sample a serious beer from a brewer they might NEVER have gotten to.

And, oh yeah, the beer…

Abitbol’s collaboration with the Sam Adam’s crew is something he calls Oats McGoats Stout a 6.5% ABV full-bodied yet gluten-reduced American Stout with earthy, spicy tones and tons of attitude.

Sounds like Wheat Ridge, Colorado’s Brewery Rickoli (with the help of Samuel Adams) is well on its way to becoming a new craft beer ‘hottie,’

And especially in the world of ‘gluten-reduced’ beers, a true force to be reckoned with.