Gluten-Free Friendly Restaurant of the Month: 4580

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Eating at restaurants can be an arduous activity for those wishing to follow a gluten-free diet. However, it doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy the ambiance of your favorite restaurant or bar. Restaurants are increasingly aware of the gluten-free community and are improving their menus to accommodate their clientele.

Right here in Colorado many restaurants already offer a wide array of gluten-free options.  At New Planet Beer we are trying our hardest to make our beer widely available in restaurants and bars across the state. Each month we’ll feature a gluten-free friendly restaurant…..that serves New Planet Beer of course!

4580

Restaurant 4580, located on Broadway in North Boulder, offers a great selection of gluten-free entrees and appetizers, more than half of their menu is gluten-free, including items like “Butternut and White-Bean Hummus” and “Wild Mushroom Risotto.” Or try the 4580 burger on a gluten-free bun and order Tread Lightly Ale to wash it down.

They have a great bar, and on Sunday nights it’s happy hour all night long, which means $2.50 New Planet Beer all night long!

If you are looking for a great gluten-free friendly restaurant that supports the gluten-free community, local farmers and businesses, this is a great choice.

Naturally Gluten-Free and Delicious

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It’s our goal as a company, not only to bring our fans and fellow beer drinkers the best tasting array of gluten-free beers available, but also, to be a resource to our community.

There can be a lot of hesitation when starting a gluten-free diet. It’s incredible how many items contain gluten.  It may seem a daunting task, but it doesn’t need to be. In fact there are plenty of grains and carbohydrates that are naturally gluten-free and most of them contain more nutrients compared to the ones with gluten!

Our favorite naturally gluten-free foods (part 1):

  1. Brown Rice – packed with essentials like manganese, fiber, essential fatty acids and fiber. It has been shown to reduce the risk of heart disease, and has been tied to weight loss.
  2. Quinoa – the Super Crop: loaded with protein, 9 essential amino acids and is a good source of magnesium, which can help reduce migraine headaches.
  3. Almonds – another high protein seed, almonds have been shown to lower LDL cholesterol, reducing likelihood of heart disease and weight gain.
  4. Millet – grown locally in Colorado, Nebraska, Wyoming area, it is a non acid-forming food which means it’s easy to digest.  Loaded with phosphorus, magnesium and manganese.
  5. Sorghum – The main ingredient in New Planet Beers!  Is a popular substitute for flour and is full of protein.

3R Raspberry Ale Cranberry Sauce

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Holiday season is not always the most fun when you are gluten-free. Big family get-togethers, potlucks, stuffing, gravy, and of course…desserts.  Luckily with New Planet Beer you are now able to partake in the drinking festivities, and with the great recipe below you’ll be able to enjoy a common Thanksgiving treat with an extra gluten-free twist.

3R Raspberry Ale Cranberry Sauce

  • 1 (12 oz.) bag whole cranberries
  • 1 cup New Planet 3R Raspberry Ale
  • ¾ cup sugar
  • ¼ cup honey
  • 1 cinnamon stick
  • A few cloves
  • Zest from one orange
  • Pinch salt

Gluten Free BeerIn a large saucepan, add 3R Raspberry Ale, sugar and salt and bring to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring until the sugar has dissolved, about 4 minutes. Add the honey, zest, cinnamon, cloves and cranberries; reduce the heat to medium-low, and simmer until the cranberries have popped and the sauce has thickened, about 15 minutes. Serve immediately or chill until ready to serve.

Cheers to a  wonderful Thanksgiving!


New Planet Beer Goes Beer Bloggin

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New Planet Beer attended the world’s first International Beer Bloggers & Online Media Conference that took place November 5-7, 2010 in Boulder, Colorado. Beer bloggers, industry bloggers, and other beer and social media professionals gathered from throughout North America and beyond to meet, learn, and share. What a fun event!

Beer bloggers shared topics ranging from blogging best practices to beer and food pairings. Another hot topic was how to better connect women and beer, which turned out to be a heated conversation…but in the end, it turned out to be an extra reason to raise the glass, so everyone was happy.

The most exciting event at the conference was called Live Beer Blogging, in which New Planet Beer participated. It was kind of like speed dating, but with a lot of beer. Bloggers were seated at 12 round tables of 8-10 people per table, who were armed with computers with a constant connection to their blog, facebook and twitter accounts. We had five minutes per table to pour a sample, educate them about our beer, our company, and field questions. At the end of each time slot, a bell would sound and we’d run to the next table. After 60 minutes of the New Planet Beer pitch, voices were lost, but we had a wonderful time connecting with these beer connoisseurs.

New Planet Beer was the only gluten-free beer represented as both Tread Lightly Ale and 3R Raspberry Ale were sampled. With a heavy gluten friendly audience, our gluten-free beer fared well. Here is a snap shot of what was said about New Planet Beer.

Some of the Tweets:

MrSanjiv: @newplanetbeer: tread lightly ale and 3r raspberry ale. I’m not anti-gluten, but this could turn me. #bbc10

sodakbeer: #BBC10 @newplanetbeer Raspberry Ale – raspberry aroma/taste – gluten free – light bodied – easy drinker!

iBT_Jake: Oh , hello gluten free beer, nice to meet you. 3R Rasberry Ale and Tread Lightly Ale from @newplanetbeer. Very cool what they’re doing.

billybroas: Impressed with my first gluten free beers from @newplanetbeer. It’s made from sorghum.

Goats_Udder: #BBC10 @newplanetbeer 3r raspberry AMAZING RASPBERRY HONEY FLAVOR

Thanks to all the beer bloggers for such a great event!

A Gluten-Free Halftime: Recipe 1

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Football has seemingly taken over the television, and beer, generally in large quantities, is the ideal drink of choice. While many of you are now aware of New Planet Gluten-Free Beer, you may still be searching for that perfect game time snack to compliment your delicious, gluten-free brew.

Of course there are corn chips. While most are gluten-free, not all are, so it is best to read the labels. The full line of salsas and corn chips from Green Mountain Gringo are gluten-free and are absolutely delicious.

But halftime calls for more than just chips and salsa. We’ll be posting a series of gluten-free snacks to go with your ice cold Tread Lightly Ale throughout the football season. Here is the first one to add to your mix – Artichoke and Roasted-Pepper Dip.

Artichoke and Roasted-Pepper Dip

You’ll have some dip left over for impromptu entertaining–try it with raw vegetables, pita chips, or plain crackers. It also makes a delicious sandwich spread.

Yield: 2 servings (serving size: 1 artichoke and 1/3 cup dip)

Ingredients

  • 2  red bell peppers
  • 2  artichokes (1 pound)
  • 12  cups  water
  • 3  lemon slices
  • 1  bay leaf
  • 2  teaspoons  olive oil
  • 2  teaspoons  Dijon mustard
  • 1  teaspoon  red wine vinegar
  • 1/4  teaspoon  dried fines herbes
  • 1/8  teaspoon  black pepper
  • 1  tablespoon  finely crumbled feta cheese
  • 1/2  teaspoon  capers

Preparation

  1. Preheat broiler.
  2. Cut bell peppers in half lengthwise, discarding seeds and membranes. Place pepper halves, skin sides up, on a foil-lined baking sheet; flatten with hand. Broil for 10 minutes or until blackened. Place in a zip-top plastic bag; seal. Let stand 20 minutes. Peel and set aside.
  3. Cut off artichoke stems, and remove bottom leaves. Trim about 1 inch from tops of artichokes. Bring water, lemon slices, and bay leaf to a boil in a large Dutch oven. Add artichokes; cover, reduce heat, and simmer 25 minutes or until a leaf near the center of each artichoke pulls out easily. Drain well; discard lemon and bay leaf. Set aside.
  4. Combine bell peppers, oil, mustard, and vinegar in a blender; process until smooth. Combine bell pepper mixture, fines herbs, and black pepper. Spoon 2/3 cup into a serving bowl; sprinkle with feta and capers. Serve with artichokes. Cover and chill remaining dip.

Leslie Revsin, Cooking Light, DECEMBER 2000

The Results Are In

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The survey results are in.
We have the results from our customer survey. Thanks to everyone that participated. We appreciate all of the great feedback and we wanted to share some of the highlights. As a small, local company, it’s important to know what fans think and what they want so we can continue to improve and provide the best gluten-free beer possible. Here are the top three findings of our survey.

1. It’s all about the taste.
When asked why people choose New Planet Gluten-Free Beer, over two-thirds responded that it was because of the taste. Just because a beer is gluten-free doesn’t mean that taste has to be compromised. Our pledge to our customers is to deliver a certified gluten-free beer without sacrificing taste. We are working diligently to ensure the same taste and quality is in all of our beers, including our newest product development – Off Grid Pale Ale.

2. What comes to mind.

  • Superior Taste
  • Refreshing
  • Local
  • Sustainable
  • Tastes like beer
  • And Fun!

3. Tell your friends.
We rely on our fans to help get the word out about New Planet Beer. In our survey, half of the respondents said they heard about us through friends. About thirty percent said they first heard about us from other press and events. You can help spread the word of New Planet Beer by telling your friends and by informing us of any events and/or festivals that we should attend in the future. Feel free to send us a note, join our facebook page or follow us on twitter @newplanetbeer.

Thanks for all your help!

Gluten-Free, An Athlete’s Diet

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The March 2010 issue of Men’s Journal Magazine included an article about the benefits of a gluten-free diet for athletes. Many blogs and testimonials claim that after switching to a gluten-free diet they were able to recover more quickly after exercise.

The article suggests a shift in traditional thinking that athletes must carbo-load, before an event. As it states in the article, athletes, especially endurance athletes, need carbs to maintain their energy over long periods of physical exertion. However, it can be difficult for our digestive systems to break down gluten, causing digestion problems that can hinder the amount of energy we have ready for use. But gluten-free doesn’t mean athletes can’t carbo-load.

Dr. Allan Lin took the Garmin-Transitions pro cycling team under his wing and had them switch from carbo-loading with pasta and bread to gluten-free carbohydrates such as quinoa, brown rice and corn. These carbs are easier to digest and thus left athletes with more energy and quicker recovery times.

However, the athletes on the team are not strict gluten-free all of the time, just before and during their respective seasons. “Believe me, I drink plenty of beer in the off-season,” said Christian Vande Velde, the team leader of Garmin-Transitions.

While this is not an option for all, especially those with celiac, it’s a clear example that even those not diagnosed with celiac may benefit from a gluten-free diet.

Now with New Planet Gluten-Free Beer as a beer option, active gluten-free people, with celiac and those without, don’t have to give up great tasting beer to evade gluten – in season or out. In fact, you have an additional beer to try in the New Year – Off Grid Pale Ale.

If you are a gluten-free athlete, whether celiac or by choice, leave a comment below about the benefits you have had by going gluten-free.