Gluten Free Brewery to Open in Grand Rapids

Imagine loving craft beer in "Beer City U.S.A.", but you can't drink it because you have a gluten allergy. You will soon have an option in Grand Rapids!

Jessica Stricklen loved drinking craft beer, but after not feeling well, soon learned that her body and gluten just couldn't get along. Not a good diagnosis for a beer lover.

While working in Portland, Oregon as the CFO of a winery, she developed a knowledge in quality craft beverages. She turned to some gluten-free brewers like Ground Breaker Brewing in Portland and Ghostfish Brewing Company in Seattle, Washington. These breweries inspired her to make gluten-free brewed beer back to Grand Rapids.

A new brewery, called Brewery Nyx, will have everything from IPAs to lagers to even barrel-aged stouts. It will be the first gluten-free brewery in the state of Michigan.

The brewery will be located at 506 Oakland Avenue, SW, in the city’s Roosevelt Park neighborhood. It is just south of the intersection of Wealthy Street and Market Avenue. The building used to be home to a furniture maker.

The name of the brewery plays off the word “nix", and is also partially inspired by the Greek goddess Nyx.

Stricklen is teaming up with former Thornapple Brewing Company brewer Sebastian Henao Van Bommel to open the gluten-free brewery. Van Bommel will use millet, rice and other grist alternatives to create a variety of beers free of sorghum, malt and artificial additives.

Expect to pay a little more for gluten-free beer. The ingredients to brew beer this way are pricey. Brewery Nyx’s brews will cost in the range of $5.50 to $7.00 for a pint-size serving. The majority of their products will be canned, so customers will have the option to purchase all of the available beer to take home with them.

So the big question is "Just when will Brewery Nyx open their doors?"  If all goes well, Brewery Nyx is aiming to open in mid-June!

For updates, follow them on their Facebook page.