Ontario-based The Exchange Brewery has launched its first gluten-free saison, which is made from buckwheat and sorghum.

The 5.8% beer has nutty and earthy flavours that blend with sweet sorghum, dark Belgian candi sugar and herbal hops (Hallertau and Styrian Celeia) for balance of sweetness while maintaining a refreshing finish.

Sam Maxbauer, Head Brewer at The ExB, explained: “We began with a series of raw material testing of gluten free grains and sugar sources, both for colour contribution and flavour profile.

“We tested quinoa, sorghum, buckwheat, amaranth and some various seeds. We then settled on sorghum and buckwheat as the best base flavour profile to begin building our recipe on.

“The ExB Brewers meticulously cleaned and inspected all equipment for the brewing, fermentation and packaging. « Working in our regular brew house, an environment with gluten, made this challenging.

“But with a few modifications to the brewing process, we were able to achieve our final goal of creating a high-quality gluten-free beer, that actually tastes good.”

Prior to hitting the shelves, the beer were sent to a testing lab in Quebec with all bottles tested successfully below 10ppm gluten – while the CFIA (Canadian Food Inspection Agency) only requires gluten-free products to be less than 20 ppm.

The Gluten Free Saison has recently been added to the brewery’s online store, and will continue to be brewed in the future.