Looking for gluten-free breweries in New England? Get ready for some tasty beers and a few fun cider places, as well as where to find other gluten-free breweries in the United States. There's only about 20!
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About This Gluten-Free Brewery Guide
If breweries are one of the things you miss the most after going gluten-free, fear not! There's still plenty to enjoy in the gluten-free drink category- especially living here in New England.
This list will show you the 100% gluten-free breweries in New England, plus some fun cider places you should definitely add to your list for a drink too. There's definitely more cider than beer in this region, but I'm hopeful that's starting to change! And with only about 20 dedicated gluten-free breweries in the entire US, we're lucky that we at least have a few.
Since I'm local to the Boston area, this list is based on the gluten-free breweries in Boston area & northern New England. I'm still working on visiting more places and will add to this list in the future. So please note this is not a list of every place for a gluten-free drink. I haven't even mentioned wineries.
As with all of my celiac travel guides, make sure you come back to this guide to gluten-free breweries in New England because I am always updating my guides! And if you have been to one of these places and loved their drinks, go follow them on social media. Local businesses, especially ones that are gluten-free and support the celiac community, need our support.
If you know of another gluten-free brewery I should check out, please leave a comment and let me know so I can look into it! Thanks so much! Now, let's get to the great gluten-free breweries in New England!
Gluten-Free Beers & Ciders in New England
- About This Gluten-Free Brewery Guide
- The Gluten-Free Brewery Experience
- Gluten-Free Cider Places in Boston, Massachusetts
- Gluten-Free Breweries in Maine
- Gluten-Free Cider in New Hampshire
- Gluten-Free Breweries in Vermont
- Other Gluten-Free Breweries in the Northeast
- Gluten-Free Breweries Still On My List
- Looking for more gluten-free spots in New England?
The Gluten-Free Brewery Experience
There's something special about going to a brewery.
It's a social experience and one that can be really hard to replicate if you have celiac disease. Breweries, cideries, distilleries - all of these places have become cornerstones in hanging out with friends, celebrations, weddings, and even when traveling. Many people will add brewery tours to their list of activities when taking a trip somewhere.
Thankfully, we have roughly 20 gluten-free dedicated breweries in the United States, and two gluten-free breweries in New England. While the majority of them are on the West Coast, there are quite a few here on the East Coast, especially in New England! And since we're known for apple picking up here too, you'll find plenty of hard cider places in this list as well.
Gluten-Free Cider Places in Boston, Massachusetts
I haven't found any gluten-free breweries in Massachusetts (fingers crossed one pops up in the future!) but you will find three cider places listed here!
My #1 spot for a drink in Salem, and the place that made me fall in love with hard cider is Far From The Tree! Far From The Tree has exploded since they opened in 2015 as one of the best places in Salem. Their cider flavors are super fun and incorporate fresh herbs, tea, jalapeños, and other wild ingredients. They have an awesome patio setup for the warm months, with corn hole, and board games, and sometimes have trivia or food trucks.
All of the ciders at Far From The Tree are 100% gluten-free (unless noted otherwise). Definitely get yourself a flight if you've never had cider before. These ciders are very sweet so if you aren't used to it, a full pour might be like a smack in the face.
Far From The Tree's ciders rotate seasonally, but if you're visiting in the fall, you'll definitely want to try Apple of My Chai. Think apple cider mixed with a chai latte, and that's what you'll taste. If you're brave, you can go for Ectoplasm, but this one usually sells out quickly (it's bright green!) Dylan loves Lei, which is pineapple and jalapeño. Macachusetts is a plain dry cider and Nova is hopped cider - and both of these flavors are available year-round.
No matter what cider you try from Far From The Tree, it's bound to be unique, sweet, and tasty! The taproom is closed on Tuesdays and Wednesdays.
Are you looking for places to eat while visiting the North Shore of Massachusetts or in Salem itself? I've got guides for that to help you!
Downeast Cider is one of the best gluten-free hard ciders around and their factory is in East Boston down by the water. It's a bit out of the way and closer to Logan Airport, and not much else around it, but if you're looking for something to do, it's a fun stop! In recent times, things have changed as they are producing so much cider they are no longer offering tours or full pours. As of January 2023 they allow 1 flight per person and have lots of delicious flavors to choose from. Plus, you can also get growlers or cans to take home. They also have a pop-up outside the cidery in the summer months!
While my all-time favorite ciders are their seasonal ciders like Downeast Pumpkin in the fall, Downeast Cranberry in the winter, and Downeast Aloha in the summer, the flavors they have on tap at the factory are also unique and with various added fruits and ingredients like pomegranate, orange, pear, blackberry, and others.
Like Far From The Tree in Salem, Downeast ciders are SWEET. They have a lot of fun flavors and utilize different fruits to make them exciting and taste different, but again, they are super sweet. So if you're not an overly sweet cider person, be warned!
Gluten-Free Breweries in Maine
Lucky Pigeon Brewing Co
Lucky Pigeon Brewery is one of three gluten-free breweries in New England (the first being Red Leaf in Vermont). This 100% gluten-free brewery just opened summer of 2021, and Dylan and I visited them shortly after they opened. They have multiple beers available now, and cans to go as well.
Lucky Pigeon is located in downtown Biddeford, in the historic Pepperell Mills. Ironically, this is also where the Maine Pie Company, another 100% gluten-free company, is located! They make pie crusts, pre-made frozen pies, and pie shells. Definitely check for them in your local supermarket.
Inside the brewery, there are booths and tables, games, and a beautiful bar. You can do flights or full pours, and often they have food trucks from local gluten-free businesses, like Maiz from Portland.
When we visited, I was just starting to experiment into gluten-free beers (something I actually enjoy drinking now). But I have learned that beer tastes are definitely for lighter beers. The Eclectus blonde ale was my favorite, but Dylan (who loves a good stout) liked the Little Brown Job.
Orange Bike Brewing Co
There's a brand new 100% gluten-free brewery in downtown Portland, Maine! It's called Orange Bike Brewing Company, and I had the pleasure of meeting the owner, Tom at a gluten-free expo last fall. Dylan and I finally made it there in October 2024 and it did not disappoint!
We were impressed by the location, which is easy to get to and has parking available plus an outdoor area. The beers were excellent and the staff (Hi Christian & Andi!) were so polite and friendly. We had got a flight to share and happened to visit on the day of their pumpkin beer debut!
But one of my favorite things about Orange Bike is its commitment to being inclusive and highlighting underrepresented folks in the brewery community. Not to mention, they hold panels and events here, and even have a partnership with a restaurant next door called Bite Into Maine, where you can get celiac-safe lobster rolls, pulled pork sandwiches, and hot dogs, made in a dedicated GF area of their kitchen. Amazing!
Click here to visit their website to learn about their tasting room hours, beers, live music events, and more! You can also follow them on Instagram.
Gluten-Free Cider in New Hampshire
Like Massachusetts, I've only found cider places in New Hampshire, not any gluten-free breweries. But let's hope that New Hampshire gets inspired by its neighbors of Vermont and Maine and decides to open one soon!
North Country Hard Cider is just outside of Portsmouth in the city of Dover. They have a brand new location as of June of 2022 with an indoor tasting room, outdoor patio, and occasional food trucks (unfortunately, the food truck that was there when we visited did not have gluten-free food options. Bummer.)
There are ten ciders on tap and also cans available for purchase. I liked their ciders, but some of them were a little out there in flavor! I think my favorite was the Bug Juice, which was very much like a fruit punch cider. These ciders were all on the sweeter cider, and not very dry at all.
Looking for gluten-free food in New Hampshire? Check out the gluten-free guide for the Granite State right here!
Gluten-Free Breweries in Vermont
Ahh, Vermont! Home to the first dedicated gluten-free brewery in New England and many options for a glass of hard apple cider.
Red Leaf Gluten-Free Brewing is Vermont's dedicated gluten-free brewery! The first of gluten-free breweries in New England too. With their taproom in Jeffersonville, you can stop in and try lots of their brews on tap. Their warehouse facility is in the town of Fairfax.
Red Leaf recently moved to a larger location in Jeffersonville, giving them more space for guests, pints, and gluten-free fun! The staff is super friendly, they have games available to play too. Dylan and I grabbed a deck of cards and played for a while when visiting in October of 2021.
As I've mentioned before on the blog, my taste in beer is slowly evolving, but I am definitely a fruity beer person. I tried my first pumpkin beer (ever!) at Red Leaf, and I'm not sure it was for me. But I definitely loved the Black Raz Magic Ale was *Chefs kiss* for me.
Or should I say, brewer's kiss?
Citizen is a super fun spot in Burlington, not far from Church Street. Plenty of great food (including gluten-free poutine), a fun tasting room with outdoor seating, full pours, flights, and cans to take home.
These are classic ciders but the Unified Press is beloved my college students because it's a traditional cider and "semi-dry". So you're not getting an overly sweet cider but something you can enjoy a second glass of.
Heading to Vermont and the Burlington area? Check out the celiac dining guide to find places to eat!
Champlain Orchards is one of the oldest orchards in Vermont and they've won lots of awards over the years. The best part about their ciders? They are low in sugar but still have a great taste. They are some of my go-to canned ciders year-round because they don't leave me with a sugar hangover the next day.
Champlain has an enormous orchard located in Shoreham, Vermont where you can pick your own apples and a farm market where you can buy the ciders as well. No tasting room, however, so this is a place you'd have to take the cider home to drink (like I do here, during late-night blog posting). I've also found them at the Cabot Creamery Visitor Center in Stowe.
Try the Mac & Maple or the Farmstead - these are my two favorites. Crisp taste, not overly sweet, but also not too dry. It's just the right balance between the two, which is why I can have more than one can of them. Otherwise, if a cider is too sugary, I just can't stomach it.
Woodchuck Cider feels like one of the original ciders, because it's actually the company that helped put hard cider on the map back in 1991! It was honestly one of the first ones I tried besides Magner's of Ireland when I was first diagnosed.
You can visit their Cider House and Tasting Room in Middlebury, just south of Burlington, where inside they have a beautiful bar and tasting room, a self-guided tour that shows you how cider is made (plus you can peak into the factory), and you can enjoy flights or full pours. With over 20 ciders on top, and that their ciders are all certified gluten-free, it's definitely a fun spot to check out if you want to see the history of hard cider and a company that helped make cider as popular as it is today!
Dylan and I visited the Woodchuck Cider house in October of 2022. We did the self-guided tour, which was very informative and interesting, grabbed some flights, and took some photos outside on a warm fall afternoon. They also have events at the cider house, allow dogs, and even put on music festivals every summer. Woodchuck knows what's up! I like all of their flavors, but the Granny Smith is a classic because it's just the right amount of tart and sweet.
Shacksbury is another one of my favorite ciders in Vermont. They have really fun flavors and combinations, like their Rose Cider. Unfortunately, their taproom is now permanently closed. You can also buy their canned ciders all over the northeast. These ciders are on the sweeter side.
Another great cider place in Vermont has reopened its taproom once again! Their ciders here tend to be on the dry side, so if that's what you like, you're in luck. Stowe Cider is popular because of its proximity to Stowe, which is very popular in the fall months (Be sure to read our top leaf peeping spots in this post here!) They also partner with food trucks for events and have live music on the weekends.
Other Gluten-Free Breweries in the Northeast
These are some gluten-free breweries to check out in the northeast! These places aren't located in New England, but I think they are worth adding to your gluten-free beer bucket list.
Departed Soles, Jersey City, New Jersey
Located right in downtown Jersey City, this brewery isn't 100% gluten-free but they definitely know what they are doing. They have dedicated equipment with certified GF ingredients and a dedicated tap line at the bar. I recommend the Blueberry Crumbcake Sour. I had a full pour of it (again, I'm a fruity or sour beer person).
Oh my, if there's a brewery I wish I lived closer to - it's B.C. Brewing in Maryland. They are not a dedicated gluten-free brewery, but like Departed Soles in Jersey, have dedicated equipment, gluten-free ingredients, and dedicated tap lines. You can even pour your own pints at this place, which is so cool!
I discovered B.C. Brewing and their fruity sours from The Inn Berlin, which is a 100% gluten-free bed and breakfast on the Eastern Shore. The innkeeper, Maya, raved about them so I had to try one. And now I'm hooked! Definitely recommend trying the cantaloupe or watermelon sour. I got a 4-pack of the watermelons to bring home.
The brewery itself is huge and when we arrived on a weeknight they had just finished trivia, but plenty of games were still going on. Between cornhole and darts, beers, and snacks, this was a really fun stop while driving south for Christmas last December.
Gluten-Free Breweries Still On My List
These are the places I'm still wanting to try and visit for gluten-free beer. The number of gluten-free breweries around the country is small, and the largest concentration of them is on the west coast, not the east coast, where I live! But these are 3 gluten-free breweries I still want to check out..
Auroch's Brewing Company Pittsburgh, PA
Another dedicated gluten-free brewery in the northeast! I haven't been here yet, but I've heard really good things about it from other celiac beer drinkers. My excursions in Pennsylvania have been limited to Philadelphia for now, but I'm hopeful to keep trying more gluten-free beers and breweries in the northeast. Make sure to visit The Happy Mixer 100% gluten-free bakery if you're driving through the Philly area.
Necromantic Brew Co, Farmingdale, Long Island NY
My home of Long Island, New York is also getting a dedicated brewery! This is still in the works to open as of August 2022 but it looks like they are working hard to make this happen. Check their Instagram page for more information and updates on when they plan to finally be able to pour us some beers on Long Island! And if you're heading through Long Island, visit Bare Naked Bakery & Cafe in Bellmore. They have sandwiches, sweets, and homemade breads.
And the OG, the goat of gluten-free beer, is of course...
Holidaily Brewing Company located in Golden, Colorado is well-known as one of the best gluten-free breweries in the entire country. Having tried their beers on the Celiac Cruise last year and met their founder, Karen, I can say personally that Holidaily is fantastic. They are dedicated to high-quality products, and systems, and creating the best damn gluten-free beer out there. The Favorite Blonde is my favorite, as I like lighter beers. But everyone who has tried Holidaily raves about them!
I had the opportunity to meet Karen again and host my Confident Celiac Community retreat in Denver in August of 2024. We made Holidaily one of our stops and had a private tour to see how this amazing beer is made! Plus, we got to sample the brews and try out some yummy snacks from a gluten-free food truck.
Interested in joining a future celiac retreat? Learn more about becoming a member of CCC right here.
Looking for more gluten-free spots in New England?
Head into Boston for gluten-free donuts at Kane's Donuts - over 12 flavors!
Check out the North Shore of Boston for the best breakfast sandwiches on homemade gluten-free herb & cheese bread at Crave.
Explore The Green Mountain State of Vermont for maple creemees - vanilla ice cream sweetened with real Vermont maple syrup.
Go for a hike in New Hampshire and get the juiciest GF burger and fries with a homemade sauce (dedicated fryer, too!)
Wander up the coast of Maine for gluten-free donuts and Colombian arepas.
I'm fortunate to live in New England where we have so many great gluten-free places for safe drinks available. And food, too!
Here's hoping that we'll have more gluten-free breweries in New England sometime soon!
Do you know of any other gluten-free breweries in New England?
Are you a fan of beer or cider?
Let me know in the comments!
Mary Lavoie says
love this list and article!! Maybe hilight Red Leaf in Jeffersonville, VT as FIRST GF BEER BREWERY in NE! I'm so psyched to learn of this. I also saw the Second one in NE hilighted and then was confused as what was the first.
Thanks so much! Will be visiting these!
Jennifer Fitzpatrick says
Hi Mary, glad you liked it! I do have Red Leaf listed as the first brewery in New England - because it was. Lucky Pigeon just opened within the last year or so.
Margaret says
I just tried the dedicated GF Brewery called Orange Bike in Portland, ME. SOO good!
Jennifer Fitzpatrick says
This brewery is new as of last fall and I can't wait to get there! I was 6 months pregnant when they opened so haven't been yet, but can't wait! SO glad you enjoyed it, Margaret!