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.

Oktoberfest season is upon us and Ground Breaker Brewing’s Amber Lager has arrived in time for the party. The Portland, Oregon based gluten-free craft brewery is releasing a small batch of their Märzenbier-inspired lager on September 14th.

“We’ve really enjoyed playing around with lager beers the last couple of years,” said Head Brewery Tyler Kueber. “This is the first one that kicked off our deep dive into lagers and we love bringing it back every year.”

Amber Lager, an American Tribute to Bavarian Lagers

Elegant, malty and with a restrained bitterness, Amber Lager is 5.4% alcohol by volume and 20 IBUs. First released in spring 2020, Amber Lager has seen small releases in spring and autumn since 2021.

“Inclusivity is at the core of Ground Breaker,” said Founder James Neumeister. “We’re pleased to be able to provide the Oktoberfest experience for our gluten-free customers.”

Amber Lager will begin hitting store shelves in distributed territories across the United States and Canada. “As always you can ask your favorite stores to bring this beer in through our distribution partners,” remarked Operations Manager Jesse Bufton. “You can find a list of distribution partners and the territories they cover on our website.”

Fresh Hop releases are coming earlier and earlier every year. It’s no different at Ground Breaker Brewing, the first dedicated and most decorated gluten-free brewery in the United States. The Portland, OR based craft brewery is set to release Epoch Fresh Hop IPA on September 8th. Epoch is brewed with 200 pounds of fresh StrataⓇ hops from Goschie Farms and Indie Hops.

“It’s an exciting time of the year for us, we’re always happy when we get to share fresh hop beers with our customers,” said Head Brewer Tyler Kueber.

Ground Breaker’s second fresh hop release will arrive on September 21st. Gayle Fresh Hop IPA is named after Gayle Goschie and brewed with 200 pounds of fresh Crystal hops sourced from Goschie Farms. “This is our tenth year working with Gayle Goschie,” said Founder James Neumeister. “It’s always a pleasure to go out to the farm and see her. We look forward to it every year. She really grows the best hops in the Pacific Northwest.”

Gayle Fresh Hop IPA, made with fresh Crystal hops

Ground Breaker’s fresh hop releases will soon begin hitting store shelves in distributed territories across the United States and possibly as far as British Columbia and Alberta, Canada. “We do our best to ensure every one of our distribution partners has the opportunity to bring in at least a few cases,” said Operations Manager Jesse Bufton. “If you’re a Ground Breaker customer and you’re having trouble finding Epoch or Gayle in your area, reach out to us, reach out to your local distributor. We’ll do our best to get the beer to you.”

Ground Breaker Brewing, the Great American Beer Festival® and World Beer Cup® winning dedicated gluten-free brewery, released their latest seasonal beer this week. At 5.1% alcohol by volume Luella is a Belgian Pale Ale with pleasantly complex notes of bread, toast, biscuit, and caramel. Fruit and spice characters provided by Belgian yeast round out this sessionable ale.

Luella is a namesake for Luella Love of Love Farm. Love Farm is a family-owned community-supported agricultural farm nestled in the foothills of the Oregon Coast Range. Luella Love founded Love Farm in 1905 with her husband John where for over 100 years the Love family has been dedicated to growing fresh produce and berries. Ground Breaker Brewing’s Gastropub at 2030 SE 7th Avenue in Portland is a drop off location for Love Farm CSA members.

“Most of the beers we produce at Ground Breaker start with ‘what do I want to drink right now?’” said James Neumeister, Founder and Head of Research and Development at Ground Breaker Brewing. “A Belgian pale ale is an any time of the year beer but with a lower ABV and its fruity-spicy yeast character, it is well suited for a late summer to fall transition beer.”

Luella was first released by the brewery in early 2015. “With the many new ingredients available to us, it is very exciting to revisit a style like Belgian pale,” remarked Head Brewer Tyler Kueber. “We’re really happy with how it came out.”

Luella is currently available on draft and in 16 ounce cans at Ground Breaker Brewing and Gastropub. It will begin shipping to distribution partners in the coming weeks.

Front Loader IPA, a 7.4% West Coast style IPA, is the latest release from the 100% gluten-free craft brewery. Brewed with rice, millet, buckwheat, flaked quinoa and over two pounds of hops per barrel. Ground Breaker is billing Front Loader IPA as a spiritual successor to IPA No. 4, a beer whose production ceased when the brewery made line up changes in 2015.

“People ask about IPA No. 4 constantly,” said Founder and Head of R&D James Neumeister. “It was a beer with a small but dedicated following.” Neumeister pointed out that Front Loader is not simply a carbon copy. “We’re always learning new techniques, honing our craft, experimenting with new ingredients. It’s really an improved No. 4 with a new identity.”

“We’ve been overwhelmed with hype beer the last few years, for lack of a better term,” remarked Head Brewer Tyler Kueber. “It’s been a long time since we’ve had a classic Northwest style, high IBU IPA. There is a growing nostalgia for this style right now.”

Front Loader IPA will be available in a 16 ounce can package and on draft at the Ground Breaker Gastropub. It will be distributed to Ground Breaker territories in the coming weeks.