Gluten Free Brewery to Open in Grand Rapids

Welcome to Beer City, U.S.A.! Yes, Grand Rapids just won the USA Today poll of best beer cities in the U.S. again, and for the first time. However, do we have all there is to offer in quality beer? Jessica Stricklen doesn't think so.

Fox17 discovered Stricklen's story when she returned to Grand Rapids from Portland, Oregon. She's starting Brewery Nyx! It will be Michigan’s first dedicated gluten-free brewery and facility, helping bring those who love beer but can’t enjoy it because of the gluten.

Stricklen said she found an abundance of gluten-free options when she moved to Portland six-years ago, so why not bring it back home.

“Moving back to Grand Rapids, I was frustrated with the continued lack of gluten-free beer options,” she said. “This is Beer City, USA, and this won’t do.”

So, what's the difference? The difference is in the grain. Brewery Nyx uses premium millet, rice and other grist to build a foundation for their beer. No sorghum or artificial additives are used.

Stricklen has also brought on Sebastian Henao Van Bommel, former brewer at Thornapple Brewing, as a partner and head brewer at Nyx.

He’s invented new techniques regarding extracting flavor from raw materials.

Together, Stricklen and Kenao Van Bommel hope to foster a community with those who may have felt excluded from the beer world.

Brewery Nyx hopes to open this summer, in an industrial area just blocks from downtown. It's certainly not pretty yet, but with a lot of hard work, and the use of their secret brewing process, they expect beer fans to follow.