Live at 6 | Local Brewery Creates Gluten-Free Beer

By  Amber McElrath – Syracuse, N.Y. (CitrusTV) – A new local brewery recently opened in Syracuse, but there is a catch: they do not brew beer. Anything But Beer was founded by Logan Bonney and Brittany Berry, who have a mission to fill a niche in the alcohol market.

Bonney says they hope to fill a gap that would allow all consumers to have the beer drinking experience without having to drink beer.  

“We are essentially inventing a new category of alcoholic beverages and serving things that haven’t been served like this,” he said.

Anything But Beer brews using vegetables and fruit, as opposed to regular brewing companies which are usually wheat-based. By eliminating wheat from their brewing process, Anything But Beer expands the options for people with gluten allergies.

Berry wants to expand the market for consumers and allow more people to achieve the social aspects of the alcohol market.

“It will provide additional options for at breweries so brew tours can include those with gluten free allergies and who don’t like the taste of beer,” he said.

Drinking is a social experience. People who do not like beer or who cannot drink it are usually excluded from the brew market. By providing different options, Anything But Beer caters to people who want the beer drinking experience but have not had the means of achieving it.

They also hope to reach an audience of people who are just looking to expand their palettes, such as people who appreciate hard ciders. Ciders are usually brewed with an apple base, but Anything But Beer expands on this idea by using various other forms of fruit. Beverages such as the Apricotto, which is brewed from apricots, expand what people normally taste.

Consumers at the Stout Beard Tap Room, where Anything But Beer was included in a tasting, like the unique qualities of what the company  is brewing. Their products provide a lot of different flavors that you usually do not see on tap.

As a licensed farm brewery, Anything But Beer only uses ingredients grown in the state of New York.

The brewery’s products are draft-only and they have been featured at the Stout Beard Tap room and at The Stoop, a new restaurant in Armory Square. Looking towards the future, Berry and Bonney hope to get their own tap room where they can sell their own beverages and, later this year, they would like to start selling cans and bottles.

Anything But Beer also hopes to become entirely vegan, which is a surprising concern in the alcohol community. They hope other companies adapt the message that they are trying to convey and start catering to the needs of those with serious allergies and other dietary concerns.