A friend of mine was kind enough to rent a car and drive me out to the Bruery on a recent work trip to LA. When we hit Orange County she asked if they had gluten free beer I was reminded she had celiac disease. We were headed to Vendomes first anyway so we swung by there and I grabbed a huge haul of beer and she picked up some gluten free beers. The bartenders at the Bruery were super nice and let her keep her beer behind the bar and drink it while we were there. After that trip I did some thinking about gluten and beer. I was thinking that maybe during fermentation gluten was somehow eliminated. I did some research and found some intersting stuff ranging from "if you have celiacs dont touch beer" to "gluten protiens are converted into a non-toxic amino acid and beer contains anywhere from 0-200 ppm compared to 100,000 in bread." Nothing decisive either way. Does anyone know the chemistry behind fermentation and gluten or does anyone know of any literature on the subject? I can't seem to find anything convincing one way or another.
http://www.twobrosbrew.com/gluten.htm Two brothers provides some good info on the subject. Even "gluten free" beers contain gluten. Apparently this is why beer that are "gluten free" say "crafted to remove gluten" not "gluten free"
Look through my posts in this thread: http://beeradvocate.com/community/threads/funny-encounter-with-non-beer-drinker.80799/#post-1166176 I'll add that avoiding beer is the safest option, partly because currently not all proteins that may be harmful to celiac sufferers can be detected by labs. However, not everyone has the same celiac's disease. And +1 to your friend for going along with your beer journey. cheers!
Yeah I completely forgot about her have celiacs until we were basically there. It came to mind because we are going to Asheville this weekend but fortunately everywhere we are going has wine/mead/liquor options. I want her to try Wicked Weed's dark cherry sour Dark Angel but looks like that's not an option
Don't know the chemistry, but the safest path to follow is beer brewed without any of the grains that contain Gluten. If you didn't find this site: http://www.bonappetit.com/blogsandforums/blogs/badaily/2013/02/gluten-free-beer-tastes-good.html in your research you might want to check out this list of beers, most all of which claim to be without any gluten at all (rather than below the threshold for fitting the requirements of "gluten free").
Some beers are made with sorghum, in order to be 100% gluten-free, and they usually state both things on the label.
In the last year or so I've become fairly gluten intolerant. But, I refuse to give up great beer. Does anyone know what styles tend to have less gluten? Is it the same across the board? Through extensive research (drinking a lot), I feel like I notice more side affects with dark beer vs sour... Maybe it's in my head but seems its easier on my system with sour,EPA, apa, etc... Cheers
You're going to get gluten across the board with any beer with barley, wheat, oats, etc. The 'gluten-removed' beers (the Omission Lager or Pale Ale are two exampleshttp://beeradvocate.com/search?q=omission&qt=beer) might be your only option short of going after the 'gluten'free' beers. I've had the Lager, and it's pretty good compared to a number of the gluten-free beers that I've tried.
I'm in the same boat as you unfortunately. I'm switching my cellar over to smaller format Thomas Hardy's, and just not drinking beer except for those times where I know I'll be able to switch over to vodka the whole next day to dull the gut pain. Feels like my intestines turn into balloon animals on the verge of popping.....
From my reading it seems like the higher alcohol/no adjunct beers (e.g. The ones you want to drink) have higher gluten than the coors light's of the world. Its there and not removed in the brewing process. I can drink 12 Silver Bullets no problem but after 2 or 3 IPA's it's headache/stomacheache city for me ( I gave up gluten so this is a self induced gluten sensitivity). There are links online that note that Coors Light has no wheat thereby less gluten (but not gluten free). I've had to limit "good" beer to 1 or 2 and move to liquor, ciders or light beer. It's the price you pay. You can't moderate gluten consumption...you are all in or not. In my experience the gluten free beers aren't that great. I've been leaning towards the ciders. Sorry if this doesn't answer the OP but I've been looking for some magic answer that some wonderful Ipa or DIPA is easy on the stomach but I haven't found one that I can stomach while I've been on this no gluten kick. I do find the summer wheat beers are rougher than most. The lagers put there (SN Summerfest for one) were more tolerable.
Ya I can't touch heffes; love RIS but the style has me in agony for several days after drinking it. I agree about the adjunct lagers, those dont do me wrong near as bad as a tasty APA. Ill have to look into home rewing again and find some creative alternatives to barley and wheat. I did a potato lager a few years ago, halfway through the keg it got a lacto infection and it honestly did the beer good. Qinoa beer any good? I know those gluten free beers out now really do suck bad, maybe that is the next wave of brewing.
I mentioned above that Omission Lager is pretty good. Give it a shot. I don't know how widely distributed it is, but if I can get it in Michigan, and it's brewed in Oregon (I think), then it may be widely available.
This is basically what I'm trying to do. I'm not at the point where gluten completely ruins my day... Just need to limit my consumption! Cant imagine not drinking good beer.
I haven’t personally tried the Omission beers (Lager, Pale Ale and a new beer IPA) but I have heard good things about them. They are still brewed with barley but they utilize processes to create minimal glutens in the beer. I would suggest these beers are the best option for folks who are gluten intolerant. For those who need a 100% gluten free beer, it is my understanding that you need a beer brewed with a grain other than barley (e.g., sorghum). I homebrewed a sorghum Porter with a friend of my wife (he wanted to homebrew a beer for his son who is gluten intolerant). My wife liked that beer. Her friend and his son also liked that beer. I was not a fan of that beer. I would not personally homebrew another sorghum beer for my personal consumption. Cheers!
My gf became gluten-intolerant in the last couple years, and we've looked hard for any decent beer that she can drink. The Widmer's Omission lager is mediocre, but a cut above the sorghum beers I've tried. The pale ale is actually quite drinkable though- I'd certainly rate it above most macrobrews. My gf has had up to 4-5 of these with no problems whatsoever. I'll def keep my eyes peeled for their IPA- didn't know they had one!
“I'll def keep my eyes peeled for their IPA- didn't know they had one!” It’s a new beer: “PORTLAND, Ore. – March 26, 2013 – Omission Brewing Company today announced it is adding Omission India Pale Ale (Omission IPA) to its gluten-free beer lineup in Oregon. Omission Brewing is the first craft beer brand in the United States focused exclusively on brewing great-tasting craft beers with traditional beer ingredients, including malted barley, specially crafted to be gluten-free. Omission IPA hits shelves in Oregon on April 1.” Cheers!
