BY KATE ROA

If you’re concerned about not being the life of the party since Celiac disease paid you a visit – don’t be. The Internet is a-buzz with gluten-free beer tasting blogs and grass roots campaigns intended to raise the awareness of brewers. Efforts have paid off. This year gluten-free beer will be plentiful in New Jersey.

According to Hunterdon Distributors’ spokesperson, Nancy Maddalloni, breweries have been cautiously ramping up in the national gluten-free market for five years. This year she’s seen a significant spike in her company’s sales driven by customer engagement, surveys and persistent industry research.

“We just reordered New Plant. Well-established brand, Dogfish Head, just sold out, and we’re selling eight cases of Bard’s Tale a day,” says Maddalloni. “Dogfish Head ran a thoughtful product survey on their website. They asked customers what kind of beer they’d like to see made. Gluten-free was the number one request.”

In 2012 Hunterdon Distributors sells gluten-free beer to 400 businesses.  Last year it was 100.  They grew the accounts by staying on top of trends and placing products in the right distributions channels at the right time.

“Our aim is to build the best portfolio of craft beer in New Jersey,” says Maddalloni. “We received our first shipment of Colorado’s New Planet two weeks ago. We expect it to do well. We’ve carried Bard’s Tale for five years. In the last six months, we’ve been selling eight cases a day…and the Epic brand is also selling well.”

There are a lot of adventurous taste-testers covering the gluten-free trend on blogs. The results are a unanimous je ne sais quoi. Main ingredients run the gamut from sorghum to raspberries to gluten-extracted barley.

Like wine, finding a beer that delights your palate is a matter of personal preference. Hunterdon Distributors carries four brands for now. Nationally, there are many begging to be tasted. Enjoy!

St. Peter’s Sorgham Beer

Style: German Pilsner

Brewed in: United Kingdom

ABV: 4.2%

Main Ingredient: Sorghum

New Grist Sorghum Beer

Style: Fruit beer

Brewed in: Wisconsin

ABV: 5.75%

Main ingredient: Sorghum

Redbridge

Style: Red Lager

Brewed in: Missouri

ABV: 4%

Main Ingredients: Sorghum

New Planet Tread Lightly

Style: Blonde Ale

Brewed in: Colorado

ABV: 5%

Main Ingredients: Sorghum, corn, orange peel, hops and yeast

Bard’s Tale Dragon’s Gold

Style: Brown Ale

Brewed in: New York

ABV: 4.3%

Main Ingredients: Sorghum, yeast and hops

Green’s Discovery

Style: English Strong Amber Ale

Brewed in: United Kingdom

ABV: 6%

Main Ingredients: Sorghum, rice and buckwheat

Green’s Quest

Style: Belgian Tripel

Brewed in: United Kingdom

ABV: 8.5%

Main Ingredients: Sorghum, rice and buckwheat

Dogfish Head Tweason’Ale

Style: Fruit Beer

Brewed in: Delaware

ABV: 6%

Main Ingredients: Sorghum, strawberries and honey

Green’s Endeavor

Style: Belgian Dubbel

Brewed in: United Kingdom

ABV: 7%

Main Ingredients: Candi sugars and yeast

New Planet 3R Raspberry Ale

Style: Fruit Beer

Brewed in: Colorado

ABV: 5%

Main Ingredient: Raspberries

New Planet Off the Grid Pale Ale

Style: American Pale Ale

Brewed in: Colorado

ABV: 5%

Main Ingredient: Hops

Daura

Brewery: Estrella Damm

Style: Lager

Brewed in: Spain

ABV: 5.4%

Main Ingredient: Barley malt (gluten free)

Brunehaut Ambrée

Style: Amber Ale

Brewed in: Belgium

ABV: 6.5%

Main Ingredient: Barley (gluten extracted)

Brunehaut Bio Blonde

Style: Belgian Tripel

Brewed in: Belgium

ABV: 5%

Main Ingredient: Barley (gluten extracted)