Gluten-free no longer means beer-free at new Calgary brewery

Calgarians who suffer from celiac disease or a gluten intolerance now have a way to enjoy something they may have assumed wasn'tin the cards a trip to a local craftbrew house.

Heathen's Brewing, a gluten-free brewery, opened in Calgary this past weekend.

Co-founders Wes Maxwell and Jeff Silzer had a basic and understandable reason for opening the brewery.

"I had some family members that were celiac and missed drinking beer," said Maxwell.

Some of the key ingredients in beer wheat and barley can't be safely consumed by those with celiac disease. And while many foods come in gluten-free varieties, Silzer said beer is not always availablein a palatable form.

"We worked on the flavours to make sure it tasted like it wasn't a gluten-free beer," said Silzer. The co-founder also said Heathen's is the only gluten-free brewery in Canada located west of Montreal.

The founders hope the new brewery will give people who can't risk consuming gluten somewhere to go where they can safely "enjoy a beer that they actually enjoy," as Maxwell put it.

"[They can] partake in that activity that maybe they haven't been able to do for a while after being diagnosed," said Maxwell.

For now, the beer is only available at theHeathen's Brewing tap room in the north-east of Calgary.

Canning the beer for sale at liquor stores is planned for later this summer, according to both co-founders.