Robin Shepard
Trevor Easton and brewing equipment.
Trevor Easton and the current smaller brewing system.
Madison’s gluten-free brewery Alt Brew is launching a major expansion this fall to meet growing demand.
Owner Trevor Easton has purchased a used 20-barrel brewing system, which will expand his brewhouse’s output by nearly 10 times. Alt Brew currently makes beer in two-barrel batches, resulting in a constant struggle to meet the demand for its products. “I don’t think we’ve ever kept up,” says Easton. “Some accounts have waited months to get our beer.”
Gluten-free beer ranks as one of the strongest sub-segments of craft beer. A number of industry reports find annual growth in the gluten-free market between 13 and 14%.
As demand has grown, the quality of gluten-free beers has dramatically improved in the past half-decade.Their flavors, often based in grains like millet, mimic the sweetness and body of malt-based (i.e., gluten-containing) beers. Breweries like Alt Brew have overcome the sour and vegetal notes of earlier gluten-free brews. Their products are hard to tell from those made traditionally with traditional grains. And that in turn has further increased demand.
Alt Brew got its start in 2013 in a 120-square-foot room in the back of the now closed House of Brews on Madison’s east side. It moved to its current location at 1808 Wright Street in 2015.
Since then, Easton has attempted to attract investors in hopes of expanding, but now he and his wife, Maureen, have decided to move forward on their own, funding the $400,000 expansion themselves.
The brewery was born out of the challenges Maureen faced as she dealt with celiac disease, an autoimmune disorder caused by the body's response to the gluten protein found in grains like barley, wheat and rye — those most commonly used to make beer.
Easton found most of his equipment used. It originally came from a New York brewery that attempted to expand just before the COVID-19 pandemic hit in 2020. After that brewery failed, the components were acquired by a Chicago company that planned to establish a brewhouse that would make coffee and beer. However, it found the brewing equipment too large for its needs. Easton was able to make a deal and acquire it earlier this month.
The equipment includes a mash tun, four fermenters and two bright tanks. It’s expected to arrive in Madison in early October. Easton hopes to have it operational by the end of the year. He expects to be making substantial modifications in the brewhouse, installing a floor-drain system, and re-arranging the storage and packaging areas. Easton will also install a new grain mill, a critical piece of equipment intended to instill confidence that his equipment will be free of contamination from gluten. He bought this new, as grain mills are tough to clean thoroughly after used for malt.
The Alt Brew taproom won’t change. What will be noticeable is the selection of styles, availability and distribution of Alt Brew, especially outside of Dane County. Alt Brew’s best sellers Hollywood Nights and Hiking Boots will be easier to find. Easton is especially excited about having enough beer to regularly send to Milwaukee stores and restaurants.
“This takes a lot of pressure off,” says Easton. “I’m doing double batches a couple of times a week, which makes for long days. We’ll be able to brew a lot more at once, and that will open up distribution.”
Alt Brew has distinguished itself by making gluten-free beer that consistently rivals the flavor of beers containing gluten, and its products have been recognized in a number of respected beer competitions such as the Great American Beer Festival and the World Beer Cup.
