When I was in high school one of my friends discovered she had celiac, an autoimmune intestinal disorder aggravated by eating gluten. After being diagnosed, she changed her diet and was able to manage her symptoms, but on the downside she was unable to have traditional gluten filled foods like bread, pasta, and brownies.

More and more Americans are being diagnosed with the disease. In a recent story, USA Today reported that there are currently 110,000 diagnosed cases of celiac disease in the U.S., up from 40,000 cased in 2003. (You can see the complete article here.)

Because traditional beers are made using malt and barley, beer has long been considered one of the main no-nos of a gluten free diet.

Well, Deschutes Brewery is planning to change that. The brewery has plans to release a new Gluten Free Golden Ale. Using sorghum, brown rice, and roasted chestnuts instead of malted barley or wheat as the sources of extract to avoid gluten, the brewers were able to create a flavor very similar to the crystal malt used in many of their other signature beers.

Although the brewery has produced a small batch of low gluten beer before, the Deschutes brewers were so fastidious in brewing the Gluten Free that they not only double cleaned the brewing equipment, but also grew the yeast culture used to ferment the beer from a single cell using only sorghum as its nutritional source.

Oregon’s celiacs can check out this new hand-crafted brew on draft at the Deschutes Brewery and Public Houses in Bend and Portland at the end of the month. You can check out the complete pub menu here.

Mmmmm, beer.

2007 Sagebrush Classic

One of the Northwest’s most spectacular must-do culinary events, the Sagebrush Classic is an outdoor celebration of world class cuisine. The 2008 Feast is set for July 19 on the scenic grounds of the Broken Top Club. Eighteen celebrity chefs from across America and around the world are housed in individually decorated canopy tents and present their culinary creations to guests.

The Feast begins at 5:00 p.m. when more than 1,000 guests meet the chefs, sample gourmet cuisine, sip Deschutes Brewery beers, and bid on items in the silent auction. Live music by one of the nation’s best dance bands kicks off at 7:30 p.m.

For more information or to purchase tickets, please visit the Sagebrush Classic Homepage.

Check out this beer pairing story we worked on in Country Living Magazine!