A new beer on Manitoba liquor store shelves could soon be available across Canada to people on gluten-free diets.
Nubru is the first product launched by Regina-based FarmPure Beverages.
Last year, its sister company, FarmPure Foods, introduced Only Oats products for people who have celiac disease, or gluten intolerance.
Gluten is found in the protein of wheat, barley and rye. People with celiac disease have traditionally been told to avoid oats as well because it is usually contaminated with the other grains.
Jim Venn, chief operating officer of FarmPure Beverages, said a vegetable protein and corn syrup replacement for barley malt keeps the gluten out of Nubru.
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The product appeared in Winnipeg liquor stores just before Christmas and Venn said it should begin to roll out to other provinces over the next couple of months.
He said feedback has been positive.
“We’re still pretty fresh to the market,” Venn said. “It’s very much a specialty product.”
He described the beer as a light lager style with four percent alcohol.
“The top selling beers in Canada are the lights,” he added.
Doug Saville, brewmaster at Fort Garry Brewing Co. where Nubru is made, said there is nothing different in the process of brewing Nubru, except that the equipment used must be thoroughly cleaned to prevent gluten contamination.
So far, Nubru is just a small part of Fort Garry’s production.
“It’s a case of really stocking the shelves and waiting for re-orders,” Saville said. “The jury’s still out on volume.”
Nubru isn’t the only gluten-free beer on the market.
La Messagere, which is brewed in Quebec, contains 4.7 percent alcohol and uses rice and buckwheat as its base.
