(Portland, OR) – Ground Breaker Brewing, the first dedicated gluten-free brewery in the United States, is very excited to announce a partnership with family-owned and operated Artisan Distributing of California. The first shipment will head to California at the end of this week to be exclusively distributed in the Bay Area and Central Valley. Counties include Alameda, Contra Costa, Marin, Monterey, Napa, Sacramento, San Benito, San Francisco, San Joaquin, San Mateo, Santa Clara, Santa Cruz, Solano, Sonoma, and Yolo counties.

“We have been working tirelessly for the last four months to bring our unique beers to California and we’re happy to finally announce this partnership with Artisan,” said James Neumeister, Head of Research & Development. “They are a company who share our values and were highly recommended to us by other breweries we respect. We are thrilled to be expanding into California, it’s something we’ve wanted to do for three years. Artisan is the perfect partner to bring our vision to life."

Expanding availability of their beers wasn’t the only exciting news for Ground Breaker Brewing this week. With their fourth entry in four years, Ground Breaker took home the Silver Medal from the 2015 Great American Beer Festival® in the Gluten-Free Beer category for their IPA No. 5.

Four years, four medals. From left to right. Harvester Brewing Pale Ale (2012 GABF Bronze, Gluten Free), Harvest Brewing IPA No. 1 (2013 GABF Gold, Gluten Free), Ground Breaker IPA No. 5 (2015 GABF Silver, Gluten Free), and Ground Breaker Dark Ale (2014 GABF Gold, Gluten Free).

“American brewers continue to create innovative, flavorful high quality beers. That was on full display at this year’s Great American Beer Festival,” said Chris Swersey, competition manager, Great American Beer Festival. “The Great American Beer Festival continues to showcase the best this country’s brewers have to offer, with the competition growing and becoming ever more competitive. Congratulations to all participants and especially this year’s winners.”

Presented by the Brewers Association, GABF is the largest national beer competition that recognizes the most outstanding beers produced in the United States “It’s fitting one of our first beers to be put in a 12-ounce can package brought home a medal this year,” Neumeister remarked. Ground Breaker launched 12-ounce package in cans for IPA No. 5 and Olallie Ale in June. “Winning four medals in four years means we have a consistently good product, we are staying ahead of our competition.” Ground Breaker Brewing has won twice as many Great American Beer Festival medals as any other brewery in the Gluten-Free Beer category.

Last weekend Ground Breaker made their annual trek to Goschie Farms in Silverton, Oregon to pick up 150 pounds of fresh Meridian hops. Most of the brewery crew cut their Labor Day weekend short to take advantage of this once a year opportunity, and we thank them.

The fresh hop version of Ground Breaker’s Pale Ale is unlike anything else the brewery offers. Fresh Meridian hops add an herbal character and brings their lemon-candy characteristic forward in a far different way from brewing with kilned hops.

Fresh Hop Meridian Pale Ale will be available in bottles and on draft Wednesday, September 16th, in the Ground Breaker Gastropub. Bottles and a few kegs will be headed to retailers in Oregon and Washington later the same week.

We are pleased to announce the release of Johnny, Ground Breaker’s latest Experiment Ale. Johnny, an ale and cider hybrid, is a light, golden-style ale that finishes at 5% ABV and 27 IBUs. This beer was built to be enjoyed during the hottest days of summer.

“By blending beer and cider we can accentuate the aspects we most appreciate in each,” explains James Neumeister, Ground Breaker’s head of R&D. Johnny begins with a fermenter filled with apple cider and ale wort. The wort has been custom tailored to bring out the best in the blend by emphasizing the hop flavor and body. Once fermentation is complete Johnny is generously dry-hopped with Sterling hops.

Johnny is an homage to all of Ground Breaker’s favorite Johnnies: Johnny D., who built the brewery; Johnny Galecki, considered by many of us to be the best Russ Griswold; Johnny Cash, whose soothing baritone often accompanies a brewday; and Johnny 5, star of one of Oregon’s greatest films.

Johnny will be released in the Ground Breaker Gastropub on Thursday, July 9th on draft and in bottles on July 10th. Bottles of Johnny will head to retailers the following week.

Ground Breaker Brewing, the nation’s first dedicated gluten-free brewery, is pleased to announce the release of their first canned beers. The cans will be available June 13th at the Ground Breaker Gastropub in southeast Portland. The first to be released, Olallie Ale and IPA No.5, will both be available in four-packs of 12 ounce cans.

Head of Research & Development, James Neumeister, has made canning Ground Breaker’s gluten-free beer a top priority. “Since we started the brewery, the number one request has been for a 12 ounce package. We are happy to finally give our customers what they want,” he said. Canning Ground Breaker’s beers was made possible by the generous support of fans through a crowdfunding campaign this past winter. They would like to extend a large thank you to everybody who pitched in to make their dream a reality.

Ground Breaker Brewing is especially excited to offer their newest beer, Olallie Ale, in a 12 ounce can. Neumeister explains, “Olallie Ale was designed from the beginning to be served in a can and on draft. Olallie has been kept light and dry while maintaining a pronounced hop aroma. The rose hips provide the bridge between the hops and the blackberries making it all work.”

While the award-winning dedicated gluten-free brewery is successfully launching their 12 ounce products, they’re also seeking help from their gluten-free fans in California. The brewery has been unsuccessful in finding a distributor willing to offer their beers in the state. “We have been trying to establish a relationship with a craft beer distributor since last year with no success,” Neumeister said. “The craft beer distributors in California do not seem to believe Californians would want our delicious gluten-free craft beer.”

Ground Breaker Brewing has decided to appeal to the masses by urging individuals in California to ask their local stores, restaurants, and pubs to please carry their beers. They hope to generate enough interest so distributors will decide to sell their award-winning offerings, especially now that Olallie Ale and IPA No. 5 will be available in an easy to transport 12-ounce package.

Ground Breaker Releases Luella April 8th
 
Ground Breaker Brewing is pleased to announce the release of Luella, a Belgian-style pale ale. Luella was brewed to be enjoyed as spring transitions into summer. In the tradition of a Belgian pale ale, Luella finishes dry but offers a perceived candy sweetness with aromas of grape and bread, spice from a late addition of Sterling hops, and a bit of Belgian funkiness to round it out. Luella finishes at 5.7% ABV with only 22 IBUs.
 
The idea for Luella began with the simple question of what kind of beer we would want to drink this summer. We knew we wanted to make something very different from what we already offer, but we weren’t sure what that should be. On bottling days we discussed aromas, flavors, and ingredients until we settled on something we liked the sound of, a Belgian pale ale. It’s a first for us, and it’s something we’re very excited to share. The name Luella comes from Luella Love, who started Love Farm with her husband John in 1905.
 
Luella will be released in our pub on Wednesday, April 8th, with a Belgian-inspired menu. During the release, Ground Breaker Gastropub will be offering a Belgian-style beer flight featuring Luella, our last keg of St. Denny, and two variations of Luella, one aged with apricots and one aged with currants.