Gluten-free IPA added to Omission Line

Building on the success of the Omission brand, launched last spring in the form of a gluten-free pale ale and lager, the Craft Brew Alliance has introduced Omission IPA. They held a launch party Wednesday evening at the Hawthorne Hophouse to celebrate the occasion. The beer began showing up on shelves in Oregon on April 1. National distribution is set for early August.

Like Omission Pale Ale and Lager, the IPA is brewed with traditional ingredients. Brewers then use a proprietary process that reduces gluten to well below the CODEX standard of 20 parts per million (ppm) for food and beverage. Every batch of Omission beer is tested by an independent lab for adherence to the standard.

The CBA is positioning Omission IPA as the first gluten-free IPA brewed with authentic ingredients. There are certainly other gluten-free IPAs out there...such as Harvester IPA. But the base of that beer is made with roasted chestnuts, gluten free oats and tapioca maltodextrin. Not exactly standard, obviously, and apparently common with gluten-free beers.

In case you're wondering, Omission IPA is pretty good. It pours light copper in color with a lovely head that doesn't linger quite as long as I might like. Brewed in the style of a Northwest IPA, it leans on Cascade and Summit hops. I found the aroma drifted away rather quickly, leaving a beer that is crisp and mildly bitter with nice citrus notes.

The PR gals who were greeting everyone came up with the idea of tasting Omission IPA next to a standard IPA. They chose Boneyard RPM, an interesting choice, I think. The two beers have close to the same stats...6.6% ABV and 50 IBU for RPM; 6.7% ABV and 65 IBU for Omission IPA. RPM clearly has more body, aroma and flavor, courtesy of aggressive dry-hopping. But the Omission held up pretty well, I thought. The more informative test would be to taste Omission IPA next to some of Widmer's Rotator IPAs. That's an appropriate comparison and I think the Omission would do fine.

I am not gluten-intolerant, so I do not have to seek out Omission or other gluten-free beers. The question you always have to ask in this situation is: Would I drink this beer if I didn't have to? The answer hinges largely on price. If I'm choosing between O'Ryely IPA at $8.99 a six-pack and Omission at $9.99 a six-pack, I'll take the O'Ryely. However, for people who can't choose the O'Ryely, the Omission is a nice option.

As noted at the top, Omission IPA is currently available only in Oregon. Production will ramp up to support a national release through the CBA's partner, Anheuser-Busch, in August. There's no mention of it in the media materials, but I assume Omission is the first gluten-free brand in national release. The IPA is a nice addition, given the popularity of the style. My only question is what's next? Gluten-free ESB? Gluten-free Hefeweizen. Inquiring minds, you know.

Omission Beers Appear to Launch New Category

You may be aware that Widmer recently released two gluten-free beers...a pale ale and a lager. This actually happened locally back in March. Omission is the brand name. They had a release party somewhere. I'm not exactly sure where.

They announced today that they will be rolling the gluten-free beers out nationally in the next month or so. Sometimes it truly does pay to have the Anheuser-Busch distribution network in your back pocket. These are going to be the first nationally distributed gluten-free beers. Hold that thought.

Clearly Widmer?

When I first saw the Omission packaging, I was perplexed. Nothing about it told me this was a Widmer beer. There's a small, screened Widmer logo on the packaging and label. If you compare this to the standard packaging, it's pretty clear they wanted to differentiate the Omission beers.

Clearly Widmer

They haven't commented on the branding issue to my knowledge. I initially thought perhaps they wanted to sequester the Omission beers in case they bombed. Why damage your brand with a product that is, for whatever reason, not well-received? Obviously, they did not bomb.

With revelations of a national release, I now realize protecting their brand wasn't what they were up to. Nope. With national release of the Omission beers, Widmer is essentially creating an entirely new category. Just as Miller did when it launched Miller Lite in the 1970s...to dramatic success.

I'm sure they've done their homework down on Russell Street. There's a growing demand for gluten-free beer on the part of people who are gluten intolerant or have other health issues. And let's not forget the folks who will drink this stuff simply because they feel it is healthier than standard issue beer.

With essentially no competition out there at the national level, Widmer is going after this market. You can bet there will be more beers in this category once the initial two gain acceptance. The most obvious choice is an IPA, which would capitalize on the popularity of the style. Others could follow.

Like I said, they aren't saying much about any kind of master plan. But looking at the declining popularity of Widmer's core Hefeweizen in recent years, it make sense that they would be looking to take advantage of a significant emerging opportunity. This could prove to be an ingenious move.