Plasma from Element Brewing Co. in a gluten-free brew.
I'm usually not a fan of anything that alters the basic ingredients of beer: water, barley, yeast, and hops.
As regular readers know, I certainly don't enjoy most beers with adjuncts or additives, especially those with fruit involved. But a recent trend over the past few years has made me make an exception to my aversions: Gluten-free beers.
Now, these beers don't necessarily radically alter the basic recipe of brewing. And for those who suffer from celiac disease, I'm sure they are a real blessing. I've tried a handful of them and while some of them are okay and others pretty good, they all seem to be missing a little something. I can't quite put my finger on it. And again, I have only tried maybe four or five. I'm betting there's a couple of really outstanding ones out there.
This is why I'm anxious to try the latest local gluten-free brew, Plasma from Element Brewing Co. in Millers Falls.
What intrigues me about Element’s new brew is that, like many of Element's excellent beers, Plasma is a fusion of styles. In this case brewers Ben Anhalt and Dan Kramer blended a strong IPA with sake, which we all know is a form of rice wine. The fusion brew is made with brown rice, malted millet, malted buckwheat and Aramisi hops (a new variety of French hops that impart a lemony and herbal aroma). As I said above, I'm not usually a fan of this type of concoction, but I have a lot of faith in Ben and Dan.
“Our goal was to create a delicious IPA that happened to be gluten free,” Anhalt said. “We wanted its flavor to be indistinguishable from a beer produced with malted barley. It took a lot of experimentation to get the balance of flavors just right, and sourcing the ingredients took months of research. But we are thrilled with the end results.” Consumer demand was the driving force behind this beer.”
It seems that the motivation behind Anhalt's and Kramer's latest creation was that they had a similar experience with gluten-free beers as I did.
"We were constantly being asked if we had a gluten free beer.” Anhalt said. “But Dan and I never had one that we liked, so we set out to make a gluten-free beer that all craft beer lovers would enjoy, not just those with gluten intolerance.”
Plasma is now is currently available on draft at select bars in Massachusetts and will be spreading to other New England states and New York in the coming months. Bomber bottle-conditioned bottles (750 milliliters) will be released in early summer. It comes in at 9.33 percent, alcohol by volume, so it's nothing to mess with, especially if you're driving.
I'll try to find in on tap locally and let you know how it stacks up.