Best of Burlington

The Sweet Success of Red Leaf Brewing

Virginia Dean

 

Few people know that a junk maple tree is perhaps the best to deliver a dark and robust syrup. Yet, according to Red Leaf Gluten-Free Brewing owner Matt Stanley of Jeffersonville, VT., the syrup it yields is “the best.”

 

“That’s where the Red Leaf name originated,” said Stanley who, with the encouragement of his wife, Andrea, founded the craft brewery in 2018. “It’s darker and has a strong maple flavor. It’s a key element of our maple brown ale, my all-time favorite.”

 

Resting on a 22-acre sugarbush, this Vermont craft brewery produces beer that is made entirely from naturally gluten-free grains and adjuncts like its homemade maple syrup and locally picked berries.

 

“We rely on naturally gluten-free grains such as sorghum, rice and organic oats,” said Stanley. “We use only gluten free certified products so that we provide utmost certainty and no risk of cross-contamination during manufacturing and shipping to our brewery. We plan to continue experimenting with additional grains in the coming year, such as with millet, buckwheat, quinoa, and others.”

 

For some of its beers, particularly the darker ones, maple syrup is added. The trees are predominantly red or soft maples – commonly viewed as a junk maple because it doesn’t produce as sweet a sap and the buds pop early, shortening the sugaring season. The brewery makes some fancy grade but mostly dark amber. For its fruit seasonals, fresh fruits are frozen and pressed without using syrups or extracts.

 

“The gluten-reduction process can yield beers that are accessible to more people, but our experience with our customers is that many seek us out because we are dedicated GF – from the grains to the glass,” said Stanley.