Karen Hertz’s journey began with a health scare. As a young mom facing melanoma and thyroid cancer, her doctors recommended an anti-inflammatory diet—which meant giving up gluten. For Karen, a longtime craft beer lover who worked at Coors for over a decade, going gluten-free wasn’t just a diet change—it meant giving up beer and part of the lifestyle she loved.
That challenge sparked inspiration. Karen dove into the world of brewing, learned everything she could, built the right team, and in 2016 launched Holidaily Brewing Company—Colorado’s first gluten-free craft brewery and the first female-owned gluten-free brewery in the U.S.
In this episode, we dive into:
- Karen’s personal story and her journey to heal her body
- How she started Holidaily and the grains behind great gluten-free beer
- The difference between gluten-free and gluten-removed beer—and what it really means
- How Holidaily became the official beer of the Celiac Cruise, including an exclusive “Sea Day” flavor for cruise-goers
- The challenges of distributing gluten-free beer across states
- Karen’s favorite gluten-free eats around Denver
Tune in for an insightful conversation about beer brewing, gluten-free living, and the perseverance it takes to trail-blaze in a new industry.
Listen to the full episode on Gluten Free Unwrapped wherever you get your podcasts.
About Karen Hertz and Holidaily Brewing Company
- Visit holidailybrewing.com
- Instagram: @holidailybrew
- Facebook: @holidailytaproom
About the Host
Jenny Finke is the host of Gluten Free Unwrapped. She’s a longtime blogger at Good For You Gluten Free and founder of the popular gluten-free subscription boxes, Love Me Gluten Free.
You can follow Jenny on Instagram at @goodforyouglutenfree or subscribe to her newsletter at welcome.goodforyouglutenfree.com.
You can snag a Love Me Gluten Free subscription box at lovemeglutenfree.com and follow on Instagram (@lovemeglutenfree) or Facebook (@lovemeglutenfreebox).
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