Almond Milk Porter: A New Gluten Free Beer for Everyone

We've always strived to bring a smorgasbord of aroma, taste and texture to the gluten free beer world – now we're releasing a vegan almond milk porter, infused with vanilla.

First brewed for the Great Australasian Beer SpecTAPular (GABS), where we called it Almilkilla to keep it top secret, the beer was created so that those living a gluten free and vegan lifestyle could sample the delights of a milk porter at a winter beer festival too.

But in the name of sharing great beer with everyone, we've now packed the Almond Milk Porter (5.5% abv) – and it's hitting bottle shops across the country later this week and next.

A vegan gluten free beer?

“All of our beers are vegan,” says CEO and Founder Richard Jeffares. 

“We like to say our Almond Milk Porter is almost milk, but better. We’re all about everyone being able to access the dark arts and delights of every craft beer facet. And there is nothing like the creamy, silky texture and winter flavours of chocolate, almonds and vanilla coming through in a beer. GABS is always great fun, but it’s designed for people who can explore a whole world of beer. The gluten free world can’t do that, so we’re bringing the experience to them.” 

“I was very excited after we dreamt this beer up and it has turned out better than I ever imagined. Experimenting with styles, textures and tastes is what I missed most about beer, before we opened the door at TWØBAYS.” 

What does a milk porter taste like?

The beer pours smooth and very dark brown, featuring toffee, fig, chocolate and toasted almond flavours, backed up with hints of vanilla. 

We're also launching a special winter mixed pack with 8 Almond Milk Porter, 8 No Doubt Stout, and a Springhill Farm gluten free, vegan Boozy* Slice (*no alcohol in the slice), from our friends up in Ballarat, country Victoria.

At the heart of our mission, is to take the gluten free community on a craft beer journey – one that many will not have had the chance to do before being diagnosed with a gluten intolerance, or choosing a gluten free diet. 

Is all TWØBAYS beer vegan?

The whole TWØBAYS range is vegan, with the team using filtration equipment that is not animal by-product – and avoiding any lactose product – using alternative ingredients to achieve the desired effect in a beer.  

“We added heaps of vanilla to bring the milky texture through and add another dimension to suit the milk Porter genre,” says Head Brewer Kristian Martin. 

“The almond meal went into the mash to create a milky wort and we threw toasted almonds into the kettle.” 

“Naturally being a gluten free porter, it has a lighter mouthfeel than a barley porter, but we tried to give it as much substance as we could – and it was a GABS beer, so we had fun with it.” 

“For us, it’s all about getting styles of beer to people who otherwise can’t experience them. Not many people who lead a plant-based diet will have had the pleasure of safely enjoying a milk porter, let alone a plant-based gluten free diet.” 

Where can I get TWØBAYS Almond Milk Porter?

Although we've poured a local collaboration brew with coffee roaster Hillbilly Coffee and early taproom release Darkside Porter at the taproom, this is only the second dark beer we've has put in cans (excluding the hoppy brown ale release Ollie’s) to go across the country.

The other, No Doubt Stout, won AIBA gold in 2021 and AIBA silver in 2022, and is currently out in cans on seasonal release for winter, and pouring at our taproom on nitro. 

“There are so many styles of beer and flavours we want to experiment with – and we get so many requests, it’s difficult to limit ourselves to one limited-edition speciality launch a quarter.” says Jeffares. 

“But we want people to explore and savour each release; to get to know the characteristics of what they love most in a beer, to share and compare opinions – that’s what it’s all about.”