Sufferfest Beer Company‘s mission/tagline is to offer up beer brewed by athletes, for athletes; or, as it says on the website, “Born out of the needs of athletes and adventurers, we make award-winning functional beer for those who go the extra mile.”

I’d not heard of this brewing company before, but was offered samples so of course I’m willing to check them out. They came today, and I was mildly surprised to see that they are gluten-reduced beers.

Not gluten free, which would be brewed only with gluten-free grain and adjunct sources (like sorghum, and rice). Gluten-reduced, by contrast, are regularly-brewed beers that then undergo a chemical or enzymatic process to break down the levels of gluten in the finished beer. It’s not a perfect solution but it does work.

The beers I received are FKT Pale Ale (brewed with salt and black currant to add electrolytes and nutrients, something like a sports drink I gather) and Shakeout Blonde (even less gluten than the FKT).

It’s an interesting concept overall, and I’ll report as I drink.