Aqotango

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Full-flavored, organic, low gluten ales:

Amber, Pale and IPA

Our new line of Aqotango craft ales offers knowledgeable beer drinkers something for every taste preference. These brews are full-flavored, as you’d expect from well-crafted small batch ales, with a creamy slightly nutty taste note due to a unique ingredient – the superfood, quinoa. Quinoa has been valued for centuries for its nutrient content and was especially prized by the ancient Incas for its health benefits.

Even more, quinoa is a gluten free seed, so Aqotango ales are naturally low in gluten. Now, for the first time, discerning consumers can enjoy the benefits of a low gluten beer without compromising on taste.

Character
The choices of craft beer today are endless… but great ones stand out from the crowd. The quinoa in Aqotango adds a unique taste element creating brews that are different and appealing, yet eminently accessible. Dedicated craft beer drinkers appreciate that these ales are true to their traditional character and style, despite using a non-traditional ingredient.
Ingredients
Aqotango is brewed using a proprietary blend of carefully selected quinoa, malt, hops, and yeast. The results are three delicious ales, boasting the full body of traditional brews, enhanced by the subtle note of quinoa. As an added benefit, quinoa has no gluten, so Aqotango starts with a lower gluten content than others. Elisa method test results (the standard FDA accepted test for gluten content) are always less than 10 parts per million.
Taste
Discerning craft beer drinkers know the experience is really all about taste (not the pictures on the label). Our goal is to make naturally low gluten ales that taste really great… like craft beers should. The full flavor of Aqotango satisfies, with just enough bite. You can taste the quinoa in each warmly rich sip.
Brewing Process
We add some extra steps to the front-end of the traditional brewing process in order to maximally preserve the unique taste characteristics of quinoa, which requires careful handling. Once the starches in the quinoa seed are properly released, we use a traditional fermentation methodology. Hops are then added to create the bitterness appropriate for the specific type of ale being brewed.
Our Name
Aqotango is named after the central and tallest (almost 20,000 feet) of three Andean volcanic peaks straddling the border of Chile and Bolivia in South America. The high plateau area (altiplano) in Bolivia is the source of much of the world’s quinoa, where it was first domesticated for human consumption over 3,500 years ago. Thus, the name Aqotango reminds us of the source of this wonderful seed, a key component of our ales.
Research
Aqotango as you taste it today is the result of a multi-year research project to determine the optimal ingredient combination and production methodology to produce these high quality ales. Since quinoa is a hearty seed, we had to experiment with ways to open it carefully, thus enabling access to the starches for fermentation, without damage. We also tried many different varieties of hops to eventually select the combination that would pair most perfectly with the quinoa base flavors. We think you’ll agree that our research and experimentation have paid off as you enjoy Aqotango ales today.

Gluten Analysis

Crafted to remove gluten

Aqotango is fermented from grains containing gluten and crafted to remove gluten. The gluten content of this product cannot be verified, and this product may contain gluten.  Each brew is tested for gluten content.  
Lot Number / Brew Date
2017  All Brews
2018  All Brews
Test Method / Results
ELISA / None Detected
ELISA / None Detected
Regulatory Situation Explained
In 2013, the FDA determined that a food product could be labeled ‘gluten free’ if it contained less than 20ppm gluten, as determined by a standard testing methodology (Elisa Test). However, the TTB (Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau), which regulates all alcoholic beverages in the US, does not allow gluten free claims for any beverages that are made with grains containing gluten, despite test results. Since malted barley is an essential component of quality craft ales (and barley contains gluten), Aqotango cannot officially be called ‘gluten free’ and must bear a mandatory disclaimer on all labels.

Our ales are available in: Northern California

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