Perth brewery comes through for consumers with gluten sensitivities

Perth brewery comes through for consumers with gluten sensitivities

The Perth Brewery is taking advantage of increased interest in gluten-free products to spread the word about its gluten-reduced beer.

The beer is not gluten-free, as it includes ingredients with gluten, but it is gluten-reduced to the point where customers with severe allergies or sensitivities can drink it. Many consumers are even celiac. 

Co-owner Jeremy Steeves, who operates the brewing company with his father and his father’s partner, said it is exciting to see a “large, healthy following” of customers who are adopting a gluten-free or gluten-reduced diet.

Grains naturally contain gluten in varying amounts according to grain type, so traditionally brewed beer contains gluten. But at Perth Brewery, an enzyme is added during the fermentation process to reduce gluten protein levels.

That enzyme has been a part of the Perth Brewery process since the “early days” in the 1990s, but the brewery has not advertised or marketed its products as gluten-reduced. This is partly due to the stigma and misconceptions that gluten-reduced products compromise flavour, said Steeves.

“We really did hesitate to market it for a long time because we didn’t want people to have a misconception that our beer wouldn’t taste like traditional beer would,” explained Steeves. “But we are now in 2023 and we feel like there are a lot more people who have an understanding and an interest in gluten-reduced products and in their health overall.”

Mathieu Lafleur, 27, found Perth Brewery by “sheer coincidence” while Christmas shopping in the area in 2021. Lafleur has a serious allergy to gluten and he says he is now a loyal convert to Perth Brewery beer.

“It’s the only beer I drink,” he said. “It tastes like real beer … It’s really a quality product.”

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