Educating the Servers, One at a Time

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Since Pedro, our CEO was diagnosed with Celiac Disease in 2003, he has had to get used to dinning out with a gluten intolerance. Learn how he manages the limited selection:

My mission aside from celebrating life with a great gluten-free beer and doing good things for the planet is to instruct every restaurant server I ever meet about the meaning of life –a gluten-free life that is. Before I get going on with my tirade, I have to say that more and more servers are aware of gluten intolerance and allergies and really work hard to make sure that their customers are fed properly. Caveat out of the way. The majority of servers do not truly understand the havoc that gluten can cause on a person who is intolerant or allergenic to gluten.  I guess for selfish reasons I want my dining out experience to be fun, nourishing, and healthy. Not a lot to ask considering I’m paying just like everybody else.

It’s sad to say that many dining out experiences begin with a protracted and guarded process trying to figure out what to eat.  First, I have to gauge the restaurant’s knowledge of the gluten free diet. Here are my steps:

  1. I begin with a simple question: I am gluten free…do you have a gluten free menu? I ask for the menu not because I expect them to have one but because I am trying to educate the server about the possibilities and as a way to introduce the subject. By the way  I rarely get treated to a GF menu or dishes that are designated GF on a conventional menu. So I move on most of the times to …
  2. Do you have any gluten free dishes?  A server staring into space is never a good thing.
  3. My next step in the process is most likely to instruct them about gluten (you know the routine) and to inquire about the details of the menu. I can make it easy on myself and the server and order a salad (with no croutons) and with olive oil and balsamic vinegar on the side or I can dig deep into the  details of their offerings to find a dish that fits.
  4. Since my goal  is education I press on most of the time – I study the menu and  quiz the server until  we together reach agreement on a safe dish to order. By keeping the server engaged in the process I am able to educate them about which dishes are safe in their menu and so future gluten-free customers can have a better experience.
  5. Finally I get to enjoy the dining experience.

Someday, us gluten-free educators will consistently walk into a restaurant and find gluten-free knowledgeable servers and clearly labeled menus.  That day will come soon!

Until then lets educate the servers.

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New Planet Beer Customer Survey

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Tell us what you think!

New Planet Beer would like to better get to know you and hear what you think of our beer. Please take a few minutes and fill out our quick survey. What’s in it for you? A chance to win one of five New Planet Beer t-shirts-and the opportunity to tell us what the next style of delicious gluten-free beer should be! Thank you for your time in advance and we look forward to reading what you have to say.

Check it out>

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New Planet Beer Enjoys a Weekend of Fun

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Great bands, crowds and gluten-free beer at the Breckenridge Beer Festival!

On Saturday, July 17th, New Planet Beer traveled up to Breckenridge for a weekend of music, food, and great beer at the Breckenridge Beer Festival. The event was a great success, drawing large crowds of beer lovers and a collection of great breweries such as Stone Brewing Company, Widmer Brewing Company, and Sam Adams Brewing Company, who are not seen at many Colorado beer festivals.

As with past festivals, New Planet Beer featured our Tread Lightly Ale and 3R Raspberry Ale at the Breckenridge Beer Festival. We are once again pleased to say that both styles of beer received much praise and were enjoyed as a refreshing summer treat by many. With fabulous bands, friendly crowds, and great craft beers, New Planet Beer recommends the Breckenridge Beer Festival to our friends and fans as a great opportunity to enjoy beautiful mountain views and some of the best brews around!


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Blind Tastings of Gluten-Free Beers

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See how New Planet Beer performed in a blind beer taste test.

Fellow gluten-free blogger, Peter Bronski of No Gluten, No Problem, recently had a gluten-free beer tasting party of eight beers for a few friends. There were only three rules to this blind tasting:

1) The tasters knew that they would only be drinking gluten-free beer and had no prior knowledge of which beers would be part of the tasting.

2) They were able to taste the beers in any order.

3) They were able to return to a beer and re-taste it at any time.

The eight beers were separated into two categories. Flight one was made up of “clear” beers: lagers and light ales which included: Lakefront Brewery’s New Grist, Bard’s Beer, New Planet’s Tread Lightly Ale and 3R Raspberry Ale. Flight two was made up of “opaque” beers: yeasty, Belgian-style ales which included: Green’s Tripel Blonde, Green’s Amber Ale, Zonder Gluten Belgian Wit and Green’s Dubbel Dark.

After the two categories were evaluated, the tasters were asked to rank the beers and choose which gluten-free beer was “best in show” overall.

New Planet Beer’s Tread Lightly Ale ended up on top in the Flight one category, “3 out of 4 tasters rated New Planet’s Tread Lightly Ale their overall favorite.” We also were voted with top honors, “2 out of 4 tasters ranked New Planet’s Tread Lightly Ale their Best in Show.” We invite you to read more about the blind beer test and see what people had to say about the New Planet Beer and the competition.


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New Planet Beer at the Colorado Brewer’s Rendezvous

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As members of the Colorado Brewer’s Guild, New Planet Beer had the pleasure of attending the 14th annual Colorado Brewer’s Rendezvous on July 10th in Salida. Organized by the Colorado Brewer’s Guild for member breweries and pubs only, the Rendezvous features only Colorado-made craft beers. With nearly 50 breweries and pubs in attendance and over 75 beers on tap, the Rendezvous featured a beer for every taste, and enough beer to satisfy every one of the festival’s 2500 guests!

New Planet Beer tapped a keg of our new 3R Raspberry Ale and served Tread Lightly Ale from bottles at the Brewer’s Rendezvous. People who sampled our beer commented on it’s drinkability and good taste. If you didn’t attend this year’s Colorado Brewer’s Rendezvous and want to make sure not to miss out on future events and tastings, check out our events page for opportunities to join in the fun with New Planet Beer.

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Are you experiencing a shortage of Tread Lightly Ale?

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If your store is out of New Planet Beer, don’t worry – we have new stock on the way.

New Planet Beer has some exciting news to share – our beer is going to be brewed in a new and bigger facility! What does that mean? Well, Fort Collins Brewery, who we contract to brew our beer, has upgraded their production facility so they can brew even more beer, which means more New Planet Beer for all of you. In the short term you may experience a shortage of Tread Lightly Ale in this transition, but don’t fret because in August we’ll be back in full stock and ready to serve our fans. After this move you should experience less Tread Lightly Ale shortages in the stores you frequently visit. Don’t forget we just launched 3R Raspberry Ale, so if you don’t see that on the shelves, please let that store know you’d like them to carry the product. It takes fans like you to help gluten-free customers get the selection they deserve. Thanks for all of your support during this transition and we’ll make sure the beer is heavily stocked going forward.

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Tread Lightly Ale T-Shirt

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Get your own limited edition Tread Lightly Ale T-Shirt

For a limited time you can buy Tread Lightly Ale t-shirts online to rep the “Old Style Beer for New Style Beer Drinkers” motto. The Tread Lightly Ale t-shirts are available in city green, green apple or white and in men and women sizes for $19.99 plus shipping.

Check them out >

Men’s T-Shirt

Women’s T-Shirt

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3R Raspberry Ale Complements a Number of Foods

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3R Raspberry Ale is great! But… what foods should I pair it with?

At New Planet Beer we really enjoy pairing great food with great beer. In the past we have shared a beer-battered fish and chips recipe with you and plan on continuing the trend of suggesting gluten-free recipes that incorporate or can be served to complement New Planet Beer’s different styles.

The word is spreading about 3R Raspberry Ale. Its refreshing and crisp ale-like taste, complemented by pureed Oregon raspberries, makes it the perfect summer treat. But what kinds of foods can be served with 3R Raspberry Ale to deliver maximum flavor and enjoyment? The right pairings definitely bring out the best flavors in both the food and the beer, so smart decisions about what you serve can make you the life of the party. We researched suggested food pairings for beer styles similar to our 3R Raspberry Ale and here are some of our findings:

  • Fruitier pale ales complement cuts of meat quite nicely. Choose lamb or beef for the best pairing, but other meats will work as well if they are broiled or grilled.
  • Fish and other seafood can be paired as well, but make sure to choose a strong-flavored fish as the pronounced taste of 3R Raspberry Ale might downplay the flavor of a piece of cod or mahi-mahi.
  • Not a meat eater? Consider pairing 3R Raspberry Ale with dessert! Light souffles or chiffon cakes are the top pick when prepared with fruit. Keep desserts light and avoid chocolaty pairings for the best results.
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New Planet Beer Introduces 3R Raspberry Ale

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New Planet Beer - Gluten Free

3R Raspberry Ale: Now in Stores

If variety is what you’re seeking or another refreshing gluten-free beer that is perfect for barbeques, 3R Raspberry Ale is the perfect summer compliment.

3R Raspberry Ale is a Colorado craft brew with a well-balanced ale taste, made from fermented sorghum and corn, natural raspberry puree, orange peel, hops, and yeast. Not overly sweet, the Oregon grown fruit puree creates a beautiful body color with a natural raspberry flavor. The beer has 160 calories, contains 5% ABV and is certified gluten-free.

Find out where to purchase 3R Raspberry Ale

Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle

Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle – the 3 Rs of waste reduction education. By reducing the materials we use, reusing what we already have, and recycling what we did use, we can help promote and protect a healthy environment. New Planet Beer will donate a portion of proceeds from the sale of 3R Raspberry Ale to non-profit organizations in Colorado who are promoting the Reduce, Reuse and Recycle educational philosophy.

Learn more about 3R Raspberry Ale

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New Planet Beer Hosts a Tasting with Fans

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On June  18th, New Planet Beer invited several of our gluten-free fans to Kakes Studios in Boulder for a tasting of some of the new styles that we’ve been working hard to perfect. To start things off, we offered tastes of Tread Lightly Ale, our flagship style. Still a favorite, our patrons enjoyed Tread Lightly Ale’s light and refreshing taste. Next we offered pours of our 3R Raspberry Ale; it was well received and perfect for the warm Boulder day– 3R Raspberry Ale is definitely going to be popular among New Planet Beer drinkers this summer.

Next, we had our tasters enjoy and give us feedback on two styles in the works, an American-style Pale Ale and a European-style Pale Ale. Designed to deliver that hoppy scent and flavor of traditional APAs, our version of the American-style Pale Ale was well received, with the vast majority of our tasters giving us raving reviews. The beer was described as “hoppy”, “delicious”, and “exactly like the APA’s I used to drink”. Our European-style Pale Ale also received some positive reviews and our tasters provided us with a lot of valuable feedback that will help us make improvements to our recipe.

We really value our fan’s feedback so we can continue to make improvements to our gluten-free beers. Keep checking our upcoming events page so you can also have the opportunity to sample New Planet Beer.

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