Tag Archives: Bellingham beer

Safety Break ISA: Crafted to Reduce Gluten

Posted on by

Screen Shot 2014-04-29 at 1.41.51 PM

Safety Break ISA is crafted to reduce gluten. The finished product contains gluten. As of 2013, ELISA testing of hydrolyzed products is not recognized by the FDA. Those with Celiac disease/severe gluten intolerance should not consume any product that contains gluten. 

The Galbraith Mountain Series continues with batch No. 5, Safety Break India Session Ale. Even bigger news on the Boundary front; Safety Break was crafted to reduce gluten, with more batches on the horizon.

So what’s the difference between Gluten-Free and Gluten-Reduced Beer, and why is it labeled this way?

Beer in it’s strict definition is an alcoholic drink made from yeast-fermented malt flavored with hops. Gluten-Free Beer is made with entirely gluten-free grains, including sorghum, millet, buckwheat or rice and contains zero barley, wheat or rye. Thus, it can be officially be labeled as “gluten-free” according to the FDA.

In the United States, the FDA will not allow any product or beverage made with wheat, barley or rye to be labeled “gluten-free.” even if ELISA testing finds less than 20ppm gluten in the product. What you can state is; “crafted to reduce gluten.”

How do you make a gluten-reduced beer, when Barley is a main competent?

An enzyme (WLN400 Clarity Ferm) is added in the brewing process, that breaks down the proteins in barley. While gluten is not entirely removed, it significantly reduces the level of gluten. For those looking to reduce their daily gluten intake, this is a viable option.

A TTB Certified Beer Laboratory ELISA tested Safety Break India Session Ale and found gluten levels to be less than 10 parts per million, however, the FDA policy states there is no valid test to verify the gluten content of a fermented product. Thus Safety Break ISA cannot be deemed “risk-free” or safe for everyone, as the beer does contain small amounts of gluten. We tested Safety Break ISA through the ELISA certification process in order to provide people with additional information they can use to judge whether or not they want to consume the product.

“I’m very supportive of a beer that is reduced gluten, as long as it’s in accordance with the TTB label requirements. You’re supposed to say that the beer is crafted to reduce gluten, that the beer does contain gluten and that the tests that are now available are not reliable enough to measure the impact of the gluten. If somebody does that, I want to compete with them because that’s a fair practice.” — Pedro Gonzalez, founder of New Planet Beer Co. 

Boundary Bay Brewery Gluten Sample_8879

Further reading on Gluten Reduced Beers:

Batch 5000

Posted on by

18 years in the craft brewing industry and over 21 million pints sold, last week we began brewing our 5,000th batch of beer! This marks a significant milestone, and a point of celebration, not just for Boundary, but for the Bellingham community that established who we are, and what we’re all about.

“Our 5,000th batch highlights the local craft beer following, and just how much the industry has grown as a whole.” states Ops Manager Casey Diggs. “We couldn’t have done this without the support of the community. Not only in Bellingham,” Casey adds, “but the accounts all around Washington who continue to pour Boundary Bay Beer”.

In celebration of this achievement, our 5,000th batch will be a one-time-only Imperial Porter, and we’re asking that the public name it. Submit your ideas via Facebook, Twitter or Instagram using the hashtag #batch5000. Cheers, and thank you for your support! 

Our New Red IPA!

Posted on by

Every year we brew a Traverse Ale in honor of the Bellingham Traverse, which is an annual multi-sport event celebrating the life cycle of wild salmon and the natural and urban challenges of their journey.

Solo, tandem and relay teams challenge themselves and one another on a rugged course that highlights the City of Bellingham’s Parks, Greenways System, bike-friendly roads, and open water opportunities for recreation. So, we thought, why not challenge ourselves this year, too?

Traverse Pint GlassWe decided to forgo the heavier, maltier Traverse Ale recipes in our past and came up with a new recipe for this year’s Traverse Ale – a Red IPA that drinks like a summer beer with a little extra kick of hops!

Red IPA’s are still an emerging sub category of the more general beer style of IPA or India Pale Ale.  The exact definition of a Red IPA is still a bit ambiguous and open to interpretation, but, generally, it’s an American Red Ale (or American Amber Ale) style brewed at a higher strength and hopped like an IPA.

American Red Ales are traditionally a sweeter, hoppy beer with rich flavor; a style particularly popular here on the West Coast and especially way up here in the Pacific Northwest!

And since we’re known for our signature Northwest IPA, (or so says Sunset Magazine in their September 2013 issue! Have you seen it yet?!) which is one of our flagship beers, we wanted to bring some of that citrusy, hoppy goodness to our Traverse Ale / Red IPA.

This new Red IPA of ours has a generous amount of Pale 2-Row, Carafa and Cara Red malts that give this ale a big, malty body with a deep ruby red color. But, don’t be fooled! We add Columbus, Tradition, Centennial, Cascade and Willamette hops to provide a smooth, refreshing counterpart to all those malts.

This year’s Traverse Ale is a lighter bodied, yet heavily dry-hopped Red IPA with a distinct flavor and easy drinking quality. It’s on tap now, so come in, give it a try and tell us what you think!  Look for our commemorative stainless steel pint glasses with the Traverse logo on them too!  Coming soon!!