Breweries aren’t usually on the radar of gluten-free folks. But Twobays – first with its Dromana brewery and now with a Collingwood beer hall – makes a refreshing change.

Richard Jeffares (whose brother Steve Jeffares co-owns craft brewery Stomping Ground) unveiled the dedicated gluten-free brewery on the Mornington Peninsula in 2018, crafting brews from rice, buckwheat and other malts that clear Coeliac Australia’s bar.

Come late August, a cavernous Collingwood warehouse on Rokeby Street will give Twobays inner-city presence. All 24 taps will pour gluten-free beer, including the full range of Twobays’ ales, stouts and lagers, five seasonal specials and pours from fellow Victorian brewers.

Named The Freehouse, the 170-capacity venue will serve a Latin American-leaning, entirely coeliac-friendly menu that departs from the casual pizzas served at the Dromana brewery.

“We just worked backwards: we [wrote] the ideal menu that we wanted … decided if we could do it gluten-free and then tailored it.”Head chef Matthew Kennedy

Building a fully gluten-free menu was uncharted territory for head chef Matthew Kennedy, who brings two decades of experience at Higher Ground cafe, fine diner Vue du Monde and casual diner Mr Miyagi. But there was no hand-wringing.

“We want to make sure the food feels like it’s for anyone,” Kennedy says. “We just worked backwards: we [wrote] the ideal menu that we wanted … decided if we could do it gluten-free and then tailored it.”

He also had back-up from sous chef Charlie Schieh, a diagnosed coeliac. “I’ve often had to miss out on tasting dishes or would need to rely on others to adjust my seasoning,” Schieh says. “Working in a naturally gluten-free kitchen means I finally have the freedom to taste, refine and be involved in every step of the cooking process.”

Schieh, previously of MoVida, makes beef empanadas with cornmeal, not flour, and fills them with 15-hour slow-cooked brisket and capsicum-and-potato soffrito. Argentinian provoleta – a dish Kennedy discovered on holiday and likens to a creamier Greek saganaki – comes hot and stretchy in a petite cast iron pan. Standout tuna tostadas are layered with confit tomato and draped with an ultrathin disc of raw tuna from Oceanmade just down the road.

A tight list of four mains includes soul-warming half chook slathered in roasty adobo paste (distinct from Filipino adobo) of tomato, onion and dried toasted chilli. Baked annatto pumpkin is a “full circle moment” for the beer hall, says Kennedy. It’s crusted with malted millet, an ancient grain used in Twobays’ brewing, plus crunchy pepita seeds for extra texture.

Backing other Victorian producers is a focus. “People say they do it, but we’re actually looking at smaller suppliers, even if we have to pay people more,” Kennedy says.

“[We’ve] created a space that’s a bit of a facilitator to other small businesses,” general manager Kait Oliver says.

From the Mornington Peninsula, ultra-popular Hawkes Farm potatoes turn up as chips or a triple-cooked side dish. Gluten-free panini from Otway Artisans anchor a chorizo sandwich; any leftovers are repurposed into breadcrumbs for other dishes.

The hyperlocal focus extends to wine and spirits, with an on-site bottle shop even stocking small-batch Victorian producers. Spot bottles from Twobays’ neighbours in Dromana, including gin distillery Bass and Flinders and winemakers Rahona Valley and Rhino Tiger Bear.

Also to drink are boilermakers pairing Twobays brews with single-malt whiskey from the King Valley, plus artisanal sodas, sparkling teas and Colombian hot chocolate spiked with melty mozzarella.

Open Thursday to Sunday, lunch, dinner and drinks

118 Rokeby Street, Collingwood, thefreehouse.com.au* *