Producer: Lucky Pigeon Brewing Co.
Location: Biddeford, ME
Found at the Littleton Co-op: gluten-free beer
Website: luckypigeonbrewing.com
Pride Month is an annual month-long celebration to recognize and uplift the cultural contributions made by those who identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans, queer, and other marginalized gender and sexual identities (LGBTQ+). Pride is celebrated in June to commemorate the anniversary of the Stonewall Riots, a 1969 anit-LGBTQ police raid of a New York bar recognized as a major turning point in the fight for gay rights. The phrase “gay pride” is said to come from activist Craig Schoonmaker, saying “I authored the word ‘pride’ for gay pride … [my] first thought was ‘Gay Power.’ I didn’t like that, so proposed gay pride. There’s very little chance for people in the world to have power. People did not have power then; even now, we only have some. But anyone can have pride in themselves, and that would make them happier as people, and produce the movement likely to produce change.” As a community-owned co-op championing an ethos of “Everyone Welcome,” the Littleton Food Co-op supports our local LGBTQ+ populations and is happy to recognize relevant producers from our store during Pride Month. Read more about Littleton Co-op’s Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) work here.
How does a pigeon drink beer? It reaches for Lucky Pigeon Brewing Co. from Biddeford, ME., especially if it is gluten-free. Bev Pigeon and her wife Kathleen “Pidge” Pigeon along with two cofounders started Lucky Pigeon. Pidge started homebrewing in 2010 and wanted to continue even after transitioning gluten out of her diet. She felt isolated in social and familial situations not being able to have a drink alongside others at traditional breweries and felt inspired to change that. As Maine’s first dedicated gluten-free brewery, Lucky Pigeon only uses naturally gluten-free grains for brewing like millet, buckwheat, gluten-free oats, rice, and corn. All the grains start their journey at dedicated gluten-free malting facilities. This is far and above the steps taken by “gluten-reduced” beers that try to remove gluten after the brewing process, making them not safe for those with Celiac disease. Continuing with the bird theme, most of their beers have ornithological connections – although not all pigeon specific.
While sticking to their gluten-free ingredients list, Lucky Pigeon continues to emphasize that the goal is to make beer that everyone can drink. Pidge and Bev both take great satisfaction in seeing the joy on faces of gluten-free drinkers and gluten-tolerant drinkers alike – many of whom do not taste a difference.
Status of product availability at the Littleton Co-op, and labeling of producers (such as local, Black-Owned Business, NH-made, etc) and product status or ingredients (gluten-free, vegan, etc) is based on available information at time of publication. The food world is an ever-changing landscape and information presented here may not reflect the most up-to-date information available.
