Well, it really comes as no surprise, to those following along, but we’re about to see a lot more gluten free beers in Ontario. Snowman Brewing has announced it will be brewing on contract at Black Oak in the very near future, the old guard of Nickel Brook, New Grist and La Messnegere have been joined by Brewers Sans Gluten from Quebec, who notably won every gluten free prize this year at the Canadian Brewing Awards, and those of us who get press releases know that there are a few more in the hopper, coming to the Ontario market soon. Mongozo is an interesting one. Not made with alternate grains, it’s brewed with malted barley, then processed to have the gluten removed. I don’t really know how that works, but every bottle contains less than 10ppm (parts per million) of gluten. It’s billed as being gluten free, organic and fair-trade. At first, two of those made sense, but the fair trade made me scratch my head. Lots of the world’s brewing grain is actually grown in Canada, though it is grown in Europe, the USA and other places as well. And I suppose, it might be getting sourced from African or Asian communities, where being fair-trade makes good sense. I can’t imagine spending the money to prove that Canadian farmers were adequately compensated for their efforts…..
Mongozo Premium Pilsner — Gluten Free, Organic and Fair-Trade
From a 330ml bottle, Mongozo Premium Pilsner pours a classic straw yellow, brilliantly clear. A foamy white 3″ head drops to a fairly dense layer of foam kept afloat by the very active carbonation. Aroma is cereal grains, sweet and a little malty, and nicely pungent hops. I’m still not experienced enough to reliably pick hops, but I would guess there is some saaz in the mix. It’s got a bit of the tang that makes people think pilsners are skunked, when in fact, they are perfect. Taste is a good example for a pilsner, sweet malts giving way to a dry hoppy finish, that is moving towards snappy dry pils hopping. I don’t believe I’ve ever had a gluten free beer made by removing the gluten, so I’m not sure how others behave, but there is something to the malt profile that is a bit thin. And it tastes of sake. Shoot, that’s what it is, I think there’s rice in this.
Side-bar: while a lot of beer geeks put their noses up at the inclusion of rice (the grain; rice hulls are often used in brewing batches of beer where the mash can become compressed and “Stuck”. The hulls help keep it loose), I don’t in the case of a lager being made for the wider masses. Most North American — and certainly a good number of European — drinkers are unaccustomed to drinking lagers made 100% with barley. Most of the mainstream American-style pilsners are mixed grain bills, including corn or rice, partially because these grains are less expensive, but also partially because they add less overall grain flavour. Whether or not an individual “agrees” with this, it is a reality, and therefore I won’t hold it against a beer, unless it’s detrimental itself.
The finish is nicely dry, with just a hint of the malts echoing around. Mouthfeel is definitely light bodied, but there is a nice effervescence from the carbonation. In the pantheon of pilsners, where North American macro cold yellow fizzy things are a 1, and Pilsner Urquell, Czechvar et al are a 10, this is definitely around a 6. As good or better than a lot of interpretations of a pilsner, though not world class. Considering it’s been made to not have gluten, it’s a very impressive beer.
No matter what, the name Mongozo still just makes me think of this:
Buy This Beer
Now on tap around Toronto. I would assume particularly at Gluten Free/specialty places. Maybe check out http://www.blogto.com/toronto/the_best_wheat_and_gluten_free_restaurants_in_toronto/ for a good starting point.
Drink It With
Lighter fare, for sure. Beautiful summer-fresh vegetable salads, and grilled chicken or fish. Lighter creamy cheeses, semi-ripe goats cheese, even just plain old curds.
About The Brewery
Mongozo is the world’s first gluten free, fairtrade, organic lager. Brewed using only high-grade organic barley malt and organic hops, with less than 10ppm of gluten, Mongozo is available for the first time in Ontario. It is brewed on license by Huyghe Brewery in Belgium.
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