Gluten-Free Brewery Planned for Arkansas

This is a very interesting idea. I wonder if it will really take off or not?

AP Monday December 11, 5:43 pm ET

Gluten-Free Brewery Planned for Arkansas -
Two Businesswomen Plan Brewery to Make
Gluten-Free Beer, a Medical Must-Have for 1 of Them


FAYETTEVILLE,
Ark. (AP) -- A woman affected by a disease that stops her from enjoying wheat products will soon be able to say "beer me" without fear of getting a stomach ache or other illness.

Constance Rieper-Estes and brew master Leigh Nogy plan to open the Dark Hills Brewery, which will produce gluten-free beer.

Rieper-Estes and her son are both celiac, which means they can't eat pasta, bread and other foods that contain gluten.

For Rieper-Estes' marriage reception, Nogy brewed two gluten-free kegs. The beer proved popular and the two women embarked on their business venture to open a brewery in northwest Arkansas. The packaging brewery will be located between the cities of Fayetteville and Springdale.

Gluten is in a family of proteins contained in wheat. Most beer is produced by malting barley, which can leave gluten behind. Dark Hills beer will be brewed from rice containing no glutenous grains.

Rieper-Estes and Nogy held a beer tasting event for investors on Sunday in Fayetteville, ending a six-month effort to sell shares in the brewery and develop interest. The next phase will be to renovate and build the brewery.

The two founders said they plan to distribute the beer in Arkansas for a year to build brand recognition, then try to move into bigger markets.

"We think there is a gold mine for this type of beer," Nogy said.

Dark Hills Brewery: http://www.darkhillsbrewery.com

Link to the article: http://biz.yahoo.com/ap/061211/gluten_free_beer.html?.v=1