First Gluten-Free 'Pumpkin Spice Latte Ale' To Debut In Jersey City

A Jersey City craft brewer will debut a special gluten free pumpkin ale in honor of his sister-in-law, who died of a rare disorder.

By Caren Lissner, Patch Staff

Aug 5, 2026 2:10 PM EDT | Updated Aug 5, 2026 2:27 PM EDT

JERSEY CITY, NJ — A Jersey City craft brewer will release what he said is the "world's first gluten-free pumpkin spice ale" with a tasting this Thursday.

The new release is brewed with 100 percent certified gluten free ingredients, in honor of two special people who had dietary restrictions, said Departed Soles owner Brian Kulbacki.

The new non-alcoholic beer label. Image courtesy Departed Soles, designed by Matt Chicorel.

Departed Soles Brewing Company will hold a tasting at 3 p.m. on Thursday for Nunya: Pumpkin Spiced Latte. The event will be held in the tasting room at 150 Bay St., with cans available to go the following week.

Kateryna Serhiyenko, the wife of Kulbacki's younger brother Kevin, died unexpectedly on Feb. 21 of this year due to Adult Onset Stills Disease, Kulbacki said. She was 29 and had been married to Kevin for less than a year.

"Kateryna sought out gluten free, non-alcoholic options so she could do everything her friends could do," Kulbacki said Wednesday. "Our 'Nunya' lineup is brewed in her memory, so that she will live on and give joy to people battling her affliction, and others."

Departed Soles was founded in 2012 and opened in 2015 in memory of Kulbacki's best friend, Chris Ward. Ward also had special dietary restrictions. He was diagnosed with celiac disease in 2009.

The two wanted to open a brewpub centered on beer for people with dietary restrictions.

"Our brewery was laughed at when we were the first in the state to focus on gluten free beer," Kulbacki said on Wednesday. "We put the first gluten free pumpkin beer in cans in the world. There was no question that we had to be the first to put a non-alcoholic pumpkin spiced ale in cans, too."

Consumers should check with their doctor if consuming Nunya non-alcoholic beers is right for them, the brewery noted.

Departed Soles said it will also host its second annual golf outing this Friday, with proceeds benefiting rare disease research. The first outing raised $5,000 for breast cancer research, the company said.

More information is available here.