For the second year in a row Ground Breaker Brewing is starting the spring by releasing two lager beers. The Portland, Oregon-based gluten-free craft brewery released Fête à Têff, coinciding with the 11th annual SheBrew Beer and Cider Festival. A lager brewed with whole grain teff and Lórien hops, Fête à Têff, is a creation of Head Brewer Gloria Zeiger. Czechia Later, a Bohemian-style Pilsner, is set for release on Wednesday, March 25th.

Group photo from the 11th annual SheBrew Beer and Cider Festival

On March 7th, the SheBrew marked its eleventh year celebrating women in beer. This was the fourth SheBrew entry that Zeiger has submitted. “It’s a really whimsical beer,” said Zeiger. “Its teff base brings a full Graham-cracker-like maltiness. The hop aroma… while subtle, is reminiscent of wildflower meadow.”

Fête à Têff

A boundary-pushing lager brewed with whole grain teff & Lórien hops

Czechia Later returned to the 2026 Ground Breaker release calendar, having been released for the first time in March of 2025. The beer was an immediate success and finished the year as the highest-selling release of the year for the brewery. “It’s one thing when you love the beer,” said Jesse Bufton, Manager of Ground Breaker Brewing. “But when our customers love a beer as much as we do it’s a great feeling. Especially when it’s not an IPA.”

Czechia Later

Our Bohemian-style Pilsner returns

At 4.6 percent alcohol by volume, Czechia Later carries with it the complex, grainy maltiness as well as the spicy and floral hop bouquet associated with the style.

Fête à Têff and Czechia Later are available in 16-ounce cans and in kegs at the Ground Breaker Brewing pub and from Ground Breaker’s distribution partners across the country. Cans can also be purchased for shipment to Oregon, Ohio, Kentucky, Vermont, New Hampshire, Virginia and Washington, DC through their online beer store.

It’s a special time of the year in the Pacific Northwest. Fresh hop beers are everywhere. Oktoberfest events are well underway across the region. With the latest releases from Ground Breaker Brewing, gluten-free craft beer lovers are enjoying the seasonal offerings. The award-winning and certified gluten-free craft brewery out of Portland, Oregon, has released three fresh hop beers and an Oktoberfest-style Märzen lager.

Every late summer, the brewers from Ground Breaker make the trek to Goschie Farms to pick up fresh hops during the harvest. It’s a once-a-year opportunity to make special beers that many consider to be the epitome of Oregon beer.

Epoch

Fresh Hop IPA Brewed With Strata Hops

“I think living in this region it’s easy to take these beers for granted,” said Operations Manager Jesse Bufton. “The truth is that they are unique to our region. In my opinion, they are the defining style of beer for Oregon and Washington.”

Epoch, a West Coast-style India Pale Ale brewed with fresh Strata hops, was released on September 20th in 16-ounce cans. Strata, first released in 2018, was developed by Indie Hops in partnership with Oregon State University. It quickly became a favorite at the brewery.

“We loved this hop from the moment our friends at Indie Hops introduced us to it,” said Founder James Neumeister. “It’s perfect to make a fresh hop beer with.”

Gayle

Fresh Hop IPA Brewed With Crystal Hops

Gayle, an IPA brewed with fresh Crystal hops, is set to be released on October 5th. Available in 16-ounce cans, this beer is named after Gayle Goschie, the President of Goschie Farms. Gayle’s family business has grown hops in Oregon for 120 years.

Epoch and Gayle will be on draft at the Ground Breaker Brewpub on Saturday, October 5th, for a special celebration of fresh hop beers. The brewpub will also be pouring a small batch of their flagship beer, IPA No. 5, dry-hopped with fresh Cascade hops from Goschie Farm.

Amber Lager

Bavarian-inspired Oktoberfest Märzen Lager

Not to be forgotten, Ground Breaker has a release for lager lovers as well. Amber Lager, the brewery’s Oktoberfest-style Märzen lager, was released on September 20th.

Available in a 16-ounce can, this malty Bavarian-inspired lager has become a mainstay in the brewery’s late-summer release schedule. It is currently available on draft at Ground Breaker’s Brewpub, located at 2030 SE 7th Ave. in Portland, Oregon.

Ground Breaker Brewing has announced the release of By the Sea, a gose style ale brewed with coriander, lemon peel and a touch of salt. At 4.6% alcohol by volume By the Sea is brewed true to style, lightly bittered, with balanced flavors and aroma.

“As a gluten-free brewer, there are styles you see but can’t have,” said Head Brewer Gloria Zeiger. “This is one of those classic styles I’ve always wanted to experience, and I tried to keep it traditional while also not being able to use traditional ingredients.”

By the Sea Gose

To achieve gose’s wheat-like aspect, Ground Breaker incorporated teff into the grain bill. Teff is a naturally gluten-free grain native to the Horn of Africa, where it is a dietary staple. Ground Breaker sourced the grain from The Teff Company, an Idaho-based company that has been growing it for over 30 years.

“Gluten-free beer is always going to push the envelope in terms of ingredients,” said Head of Operations Jesse Bufton. “Brewing with new ingredients like teff can be a challenge, but it can also be incredibly rewarding.”

By the Sea began to ship out to distribution partners on April 13th. It will continue to hit store shelves in the coming weeks.

Imperial Darkness, an 8.1% imperial chocolate stout, has returned at Ground Breaker Brewing. The award-winning gluten-free craft brewery has released the beer in time for the holiday season!
 
Imperial Darkness is a full-bodied stout filled with the flavors and aromas of chocolate, roast, nut, and caramel. The brewers at Ground Breaker use just enough Oregon-grown Crystal hops to provide a balance to the bold flavors and high alcohol. 

Imperial Darkness is a robust stout brewed with cacao nibs and vanilla

“We brew this stout with 33 pounds of cacao nibs,” said Head Brewer Tyler Kueber. “We put them directly into the mash which really allows the chocolate flavor and aroma to be front and center.”

The holiday season isn’t the only thing Ground Breaker is celebrating with the release of Imperial Darkness. The brewery is marking their 11th anniversary on December 30th. An event to mark the occasion is scheduled for 2-8pm. The brewery’s founder, James Neumeister, will be there offering $20 discounts on mix and match cases of their craft beers, including Imperial Darkness. Salvi PDX, which has been operating out of the Ground Breaker kitchen, will be offering gluten-free fried chicken.

“We’re always excited to release Imperial Darkness this time of the year,” said Head of Operations Jesse Bufton. “We get a lot of requests for this stout and its release is a great way to celebrate the great things December brings.”
 
Imperial Darkness is currently available on draft and in 12-ounce cans at the Ground Breaker Gastropub. It will soon be available in Ground Breaker distributed territories throughout the US and Canada.

The Portland, Oregon based gluten-free craft brewery continues to do their part in the ongoing revival of lager beers with the release of Defiance Dark Lager. Ground Breaker Brewing’s nod to the Schwarzbier style comes in at 5.1% alcohol by volume and is available in 16 ounce cans. 

“Dark Lagers have always been some of my favorite styles of beer,” said Head Brewer Tyler Kueber. “As always it can be a challenge to recreate some of these more delicate styles of beer in the gluten-free world, but after a lot of R&D we are very happy with the results.”

Defiance Dark Lager

This dark lager has a strong malt aroma without being excessively roasty. Toasted bread, caramel, nuttiness, dark plum and hints of chocolate round out the flavor profile. Delicately hopped with noble European hop varieties, this seasonal lager is designed to be enjoyed next to a warm autumn fire.
 
“We have really enjoyed putting out more lager beers in the last couple years,” said Head of Operations Jesse Bufton. “Tyler and I love schwarzbier in particular, and we've always wanted to create a gluten-free version at Ground Breaker. ”

Defiance Dark Lager has already begun shipping out to Ground Breaker’s many distribution partners. Look for it to arrive on store shelves in the coming weeks.