Gluten Free Beer

PirateNinja

I'm trying something new tonight, a bottle of Widmer Omission IPA.
It's quite good. While it certainly is not healthy, I am sure it helps those who have issues digesting the ole gluten but still like beer. Since there seems to be quite of a few of those types, I thought it might be interesting to have a thread with other beers that are gluten free. If anybody has anything to add, awesome!

mertesn

I've tried it and I agree, it's quite good. The thing that concerns me is that it's a "gluten-removed" beer that actually uses barley. I'd love to know just how they accomplish this.

PirateNinja

I was wondering the same. Perhaps the protein is somehow easy to remove when barley is used, but it does beg the question of how exactly.

primesuspect

Some brewers[who?] feel that beers brewed mainly from cereals such as millet, rice, sorghum, buckwheat and corn (which either contain no gluten or contain glutens that do not trigger an autoimmune response in celiacs), and including a proportion of barley or rye, are safe to drink. These brewers argue that the proteins from barley are converted into non-harmful amino acids. Statements from brewers show that their scientists feel confident that their product is non-harmful to those who are gluten intolerant. However, there is some concern and evidence that the claim is not true.(for example: Sheehan, Evans & Skerritt, 2001).[1]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gluten-free_beer

oni_dels

barley would trigger a celiac person. i've lived with a gluten intolerent roommate for 3 years, and even Sapporo which claims to be gluten free, since its made mostly with rice, would make him sick.
but here it's not a problem.

mertesn

[quote]Omission beer is brewed with malted barley, but we’ve developed a proprietary process to remove the gluten.[/quote]
Omission's web site
What it sounds like they're doing is using something similar to White Labs Clarity Ferm which (IIRC) breaks down the gluten proteins into small enough particles that they can pass through the digestive system without triggering a reaction. Sorry no source but I swear I read it on the internet, so it must be true.

I don't have a full-on allergy, but I do have a definite intolerance. I didn't have a problem with Omission or the batch I brewed with the Clarity Ferm, but if you have a "carry an Epipen at all times" allergy I'd be really careful with these.

mertesn

@BuddyJ recommended Green's Quest Tripel Blonde Ale a while back. Tried one in Austin a few weeks ago. While it doesn't taste like anything I'd recognize immediately as a Tripel, it was pretty tasty...from fridge cold to room temperature (I might have nursed that one for an entire afternoon).

mertesn

New Planet 3R Raspberry Ale was decent. I'd drink it willingly, but it wasn't my favorite.
Redbridge was bad. I'd drink it if I was dying of thirst or had nothing else in the fridge. No idea why it's so popular (based on how many stores carry it)...unless it's the only "grocery store beer" that's gluten free.

mertesn

@pragtastic and @annes: if you can find some Dogfish Head Tweason'Ale I would love you forever.

Signal

Corn beer is amazing. There is a brewery around here that uses the trashed cornstalks from harvest.

Koreish

mertesn said:

@pragtastic and @annes: if you can find some Dogfish Head Tweason'Ale I would love you forever.

I'm sure they can find it, is there something you'd like them to do with it after it's discovery?

mertesn

Koreish said:

mertesn said:

@pragtastic and @annes: if you can find some Dogfish Head Tweason'Ale I would love you forever.

I'm sure they can find it, is there something you'd like them to do with it after it's discovery?

Yes. Please to bring to ICSP or Expo.

WagsFTW

My cousin homebrews gluten-free beer. I believe it's common to use millet, rice, and sorghum. I haven't tried any of his, though.

mertesn

Tried the Dogfish Head Tweason'Ale. It's quite good. Definitely has a pronounced strawberry flavor.
I've also sampled all but one of Green's US distributed varieties...

• Enterprise Dry-Hopped Lager: Kind of a hybrid of a lager and IPA. I'm not usually a fan of lagers, but it's pretty good.
• Quest Tripel Ale: Again, I wouldn't have recognized it as a Tripel if the label didn't say so. Still tasty.
• Endeavor Dubbel is waiting in the fridge
• Discovery Amber Ale: I was quite pleasantly surprised by this one. If you're a fan of Guinness but can't tolerate the glutens, THIS IS YOUR BEER. Every sip (some larger than others) reminded me of how Guinness tastes and feels. The only negative thing I can say is it was gone before I was ready for it to be gone

GnomeQueen

I have not been able to get behind the sorghum beers I have tried. The initial flavor isn't bad, but the aftertaste kills me. Maybe one based on something else would be better.

mertesn

Maybe this list will help

mertesn

Bard's: The Coors Light of GF beers. The taste is completely non-offensive, mostly because there isn't much of one. Probably makes a good lawnmower beer.

New Planet Belgian Ale: I can definitely into this one. Reminds me very much of a Tripel - one of my favorite styles.

Endeavor Dubbel: It's good, but nothing to write home about.

Apparently my tastes differ from some of the beers mentioned in my previous post. I'll have to go back and try again to see if I missed something the first time around. Darn, more beer

@GnomeQueen said:
I have not been able to get behind the sorghum beers I have tried. The initial flavor isn't bad, but the aftertaste kills me. Maybe one based on something else would be better.

Which ones have you tried? I'll see about bringing up a selection of ones I've enjoyed for Expo because who wants to invest in a 6-pack when you don't know if a 1-pack is enough?

MiracleManS

I've had exactly one good Gluten Free beer and it's a hemp based brown ale that is on tap at a local BBQ place.

mertesn

Unity Vibrations Kombucha Beer. Weird, but good, but weird, but GOOD. If you like sour beers, this is definitely for you. ...just don't break a bottle in your kitchen. 22oz of this stuff lends an interesting aroma that lingers for a few hours even with the windows open. Don't ask how I know.

Favorites: Bourbon Peach, Ginger
Good, but not great: Raspberry

GnomeQueen

Tried the Omission Lager last weekend. It was actually pretty good-- way better than your average lager, in my opinion. I didn't even know it was gluten free until I checked it in on Untapped.

AlexDeGruven

IIRC, Omission uses UV laser light to actually destroy the gluten, not just break it up into smaller particles.

I'm guessing the resulting compounds from the broken down gluten are both harmless and tasteless (we hope).

mertesn

Omission doesn't advertise as a gluten-free product because they start out using gluten products. Instead they advertise as 'gluten reduced'. The company uses Brewers Clarex (a stabilizer and clarifying agent) to break up the protein chains, which in theory makes them less bad for those with an intolerance to gluten to drink. This is the same thing I've used in a couple of batches of beer with some decent results.

People with severe (life-threatening) gluten allergies probably shouldn't drink it. I did ok with Omission Lager but it didn't taste like anything special.

Karma

The only thing I noticed about Omission is that it omitted all the taste. Seriously it was like drinking water. Natty light had more taste.