Autumn! The harvest, the beautiful leaves, the cool weather, and of course, the beer. Ground Breaker Brewing is releasing their annual batch of Squash Ale, a unique gluten-free beer made with over three hundred pounds of locally grown squash from family-owned and operated Love Farm Organics. This is the brewery’s sixth release of the year in their Experiment Ale Series.

Boasting over twenty-five pounds of Connecticut Field and Sugar pie pumpkin per barrel, Squash Ale is crafted with a unique production process that makes it unlike other seasonals. After being picked, the squash is sliced, quartered, seeded, then roasted in a giant oven at Jensen’s Bread & Bakeries, a local dedicated gluten-free bakery. 

Ground Breaker’s one-of-a-kind seasonal is “triple-squashed.” Squash is added to the mash tun, boil kettle, and fermenter. Seeds are toasted, crushed, and also added to the mash. The ale has a “wet-squash” addition to the fermenter which consists of squash that has been slow roasted for several days into a creamy squash butter. 

“It’s a difficult beer to make, it’s a long process. We make it because we love it and our customers love it,” commented James Neumeister, Ground Breaker’s head of R&D. “It is one of the few beers in our Experiment Ale Series that we release every year.”

Squash Ale will be released on draught and in 22 oz bottles on October 26th in the Ground Breaker Brewing Gastropub. Three Squash Ale taproom exclusives will be available on draught at the gastropub, cranberry, spiced latte, and garam masala. Squash Ale will be rolling out to stores in Ground Breaker territory following the release.

Ground Breaker Brewing, the first 100% dedicated gluten-free brewery in the United States, brought home a Gold Medal for their Dark Ale in the Gluten-Free Beer category from the 2016 Great American Beer Festival®. It is the fifth GABF medal the company has brought home in as many years, and the second GABF Gold Medal in the Gluten-Free Beer category for Dark Ale. The 2012 and 2013 Bronze Medals in the Gluten-Free Beer category for Pale Ale were won as Harvester Brewing, the brewery’s former name. Founder James Neumeister accepted the award.

In honor of winning the Gold, Dark Ale is currently available on nitro at the Ground Breaker Brewing Gastropub. However, the brewery will take no pause for celebration as they are set to release the latest gluten-free beer in their Experiment Ale Series. It will be their fifth release in the series this year. 

Route 20 IPA, a single-hop India Pale Ale, clocks in at 50 IBU and 6% alcohol by volume. The unique IPA was designed to get all of its bittering, flavor and aroma from late additions of Santiam hops. Santiam hops, known for their decorate floral aroma, carry hints of peppery spice. 

Route 20 IPA is currently available at the Ground Breaker Gastropub in Portland, OR and will begin to be distributed to Ground Breaker territories the third week of October.

The Pacific Northwest hop harvest is in full swing. Beer enthusiasts are rejoicing as fresh hop beers hit store shelves. Ground Breaker Brewing is ensuring that those with celiac disease and non-celiac gluten sensitivities don’t miss out on all the fresh hop fun.

Every year around this time, the crew at Ground Breaker make the pilgrimage to Goschie Farms to collect hops that are fresh out of the field. This year the journey was the same, but the hops and the beer will be different. In years past, Ground Breaker has showcased a pale ale brewed with Meridian hops. For 2016 they’re rolling out an IPA made with 180 pounds of fresh Crystal hops. 

Brewer Tim Barr prepares the hop back

Brimming with Crystal hops, this beer celebrates an aroma that conjures the scent of an Oregon forest. Of course, a new beer means a new name. Ground Breaker is calling their fresh hop IPA Gayle, in honor of Gayle Goschie. 

The Ground Breaker Gastropub will be hosting a Fried Chicken Dinner Wednesday, September 28th to coincide with the release of the beer. Gayle will be distributed in a 22 ounce package and should begin making its way onto store shelves in the first week of October in Oregon and Washington. 

The dog days of summer have arrived, and so has the next release in the Experiment Ale Series from Ground Breaker Brewing. Heyday IPA will be released Wednesday, August 3rd by the country’s first 100% dedicated gluten-free craft brewery. A release party will take place at their Gastropub located at 2030 SE 7th Ave. Fried Chicken Supper is slated to be on the menu, as well as three taproom exclusive renditions of the Heyday IPA.

Heyday IPA is an American-style IPA brewed with Ella™, Denali, and Azacca® hops. “This IPA is something our customers want to drink, and it’s the kind of beer we like to drink all the time too,” says Tim Barr, brewmaster at Ground Breaker Brewing. “We brewed it with a great combination of hops and it was a special opportunity to play with their tropical characteristics. If you like IPA, you’ll love this beer.”

The taproom exclusives which will also be featured at the release party include a “keg-hopped” version of the beer with juiced ginger root, one with smoked citrus added during primary fermentation, and a single-hop variation of the beer brewed with Azacca hops. These taproom exclusives will be available only in the pub for a limited time. 

The Heyday IPA will begin hitting store shelves in Ground Breaker distributed territory the first week of August. 

Ground Breaker Brewing is pleased to announce a new partnership with Click Distributing East. Click Distributing East will immediately begin distributing Ground Breaker’s full line of gluten-free beer in Eastern Washington and Northern Idaho. The country’s first dedicated gluten-free brewery has been distributed in the territory since 2012 but recently faced an interruption in distribution.  

“We are confident that Click Distributing East will provide a superior service going forward ensuring that our fans will have reliable access to our 100% naturally gluten-free craft beer,” said James Neumeister, head of R&D.

Western Washington distribution is provided by Alpha Distributing, Walton Beverage, and Olympic Distributing. Southern Idaho distribution is provided by Northwest Specialty Beverage. A complete list of distributors and their contact information can be found at http://www.groundbreakerbrewing.com/contact/

About Click Distributing East
Click Distributing East opened in 2008 with facilities in Spokane, WA and Coeur d'Alene, ID. Click Distributing East is owned by Rick Steckler, Jim Florio, Terry Nichols and Josh Davis. Nichols and Davis are both industry veterans with over 40 years of combined experience in the Eastern Washington market. Click Distributing East offers knowledgeable and passionate representation of Fine Wine and Artisan Beers. Click Distributing East is staffed with talented industry veterans who possess deep roots and experience in the local markets.