MIDDLETOWN, Ohio— For many adults, you may not think twice about consuming gluten- but for some with celiac disease- it’s a constant everyday battle to make sure no trace of gluten is in their food or drink.
- Josh and Megan Laubach both cannot have gluten but love beer
- They decided to open a gluten free brewery in Middletown
- Rolling Mill Brewing is the only dedicated gluten free brewery in Ohio
For one couple after they found out they couldn’t have gluten because of an allergy and celiac disease, they wanted to drink beer so they decided to found their own brewery in Middletown and many people come from all over to drink it.
Josh Laubach found out ten years ago he has celiac disease- which creates an immune reaction when he eats gluten. He soon found out how serious it was.
“I’ll go to McDonald's and I’ll have a biscuit and just take the sausage and the cheese off and eat it," Josh said. "So I really had no idea how restrictive- yeah that’s a complete no-go, you can’t do that.“
But Josh loved beer and so did his wife Megan. But they soon found out it was difficult to find any quality gluten free beer.
“There were no options, there were zero options for any of that," Josh said.
So they decided to start home brewing and eventually decided to open Rolling Mill Brewing Company- the only dedicated gluten free brewery in the state.
“That was always our goal was to be able to brew good beer that just happens to be gluten free," Megan said.
“Every beer that we make, if it’s a pale ale, is designed to meet the taste and specifications of that," Josh said.
It isn’t easy finding the right recipes for their beers. They make sure to not use any wheat barley or rye and brew with millet buckwheat and rice instead.
“Seven years of trial and error of getting the recipes right, the brewing techniques right to make it taste like a beer," Megan said.
The couple says they also wanted to honor Middletown and their families- who made ends meet by working in steel- in their brewery.
“This is a steel town still to this day and the sense of community and well-being and wealth that was generated here was through steel-making," Josh said. "That’s where our name comes from, like Megan said, a lot of out beers.”
The couple says people from all over the country have come to their brewery because there are so few dedicated gluten free breweries in the U.S. They say those experiences are what gets them through difficult times.
“I think it’s what keeps us going," Megan said. "Because it’s not always easy. I mean Josh still has a full time job, we’ve got three little kids.”
Josh and Megan have big plans for the future including starting a gluten free bar menu as well as making an alcoholic seltzer. Rolling Mill Brewing Company is located in downtown Middletown.