# Gluten Free Beer - Does It Exist?



## pokolbinguy (23/10/07)

Hi All,

Just had a question thrown at me regarding gluten free beer suitable for a Coeliac (someone who is gluten in-tollerent). Supposedly there is one available on the market but it is $80 a carton and well... with one only thats not much choice.

Is there a way to brew a gluten free beer???? and where does the gluten come from? the grain???

Any info would be great so I can pass it on. Just because someone can't have gluten surely doesn't mean they can't enjoy beer.

Cheers, Pok


----------



## oldbugman (23/10/07)

http://www.obrienbrewing.com.au/


----------



## Yeasty (23/10/07)

on the forum too - http://www.aussiehomebrewer.com/forum/inde...p;hl=millet+man


----------



## Tyred (23/10/07)

There is a way to brew gluten free beer. 
It mainly substitution from most of the normal grains, to others without gluten. 
There are also some yeasts that are preferred over others as well.
I'll try and find the edition of BYO that talked about it. From memory, it's less than a year ago.
March-April 2007, Vol 13, No 2


----------



## pokolbinguy (23/10/07)

Thanks guys it is all food for thought. Might give one a go when I go AG. Will have to get the fellow who wanted to know about it into brewing.

Cheers, Pok


----------



## Millet Man (23/10/07)

pokolbinguy said:


> Thanks guys it is all food for thought. Might give one a go when I go AG. Will have to get the fellow who wanted to know about it into brewing.
> 
> Cheers, Pok


Pok,

If you've got any questions when you get around to having a go, just send me a pm. I brew the O'Briens GF beer so send me any comments on that as well if your mate has tried it, can never have enough feedback.

Cheers, Andrew.


----------



## faryg (23/10/07)

As well as Obriens there is also "Silly Yaks" Aztec Gold also Billabong brew a range of gluten free beers plus one or two imported ones- Glutaner from Belgium I think?


----------



## n00ch (23/10/07)

Good to see Wyeast bought out some GF smack packs aswell. And just read that all Whitelabs yeats are GF?

GF beer is something I have promised a coeliac friend I would brew for some time but just haven't go around to it.

I have had the O'briens once before and from memory it wasn't bad at all. But I really can't remember (it was over a year ago) so can't really give any indepth feedback.


edit - added whitelabs info.


----------



## sinkas (23/10/07)

I have had most all of the GF beers listed above, unforutnaltey the bottles I had of O'Briens were undrinkable, the rest were barely drinkable


----------



## enoch (23/10/07)

My SO is coeliac and has tried the O'Brien beers and does not like them. They are clean and OK but all seem cloyey sweet and under bittered. Comment applies to the lager and the pale ale.
I had toyed with malting sorghum but have come to the conclusion that the falvour that is not nice is actually the sorghum. We've moved on to brewing two dogs as the GF drink of choice.


----------



## glennheinzel (23/10/07)

As noted elsewhere, my wife is coeliac so we have both tried Silly Yaks, OBriens, GBF (from the UK) and Greens (from the UK, but made in Belgium). 

Silly Yaks and O'Briens are quite good for non-standard beers, especially compared to the others.

Cheers,

Rukh.


----------



## tangent (23/10/07)

my Brother said the same thing as Enoch's lovely SO. Too sweet.


----------



## Online Brewing Supplies (23/10/07)

Billabong's stuff is the only one we have locally brewed here (WA).It has won awards,So its a worth a try.I dont know the disribution area but you can order through their web page.I know the guys have put a lot of effort into this beer and its certified.Drop Allan a email Im sure he will help you out.No link sorry.
Cheers GB


----------



## Wasabi (24/10/07)

Guys,

If you haven't had a chance to try O'Briens Pale Ale.....do. It's a fantastic beer and the hop balance completely disguises the grassy flavour that you sometimes get from Sorghum.

Tyred: My whole honours research work is on Gluten in Beer so if there is anything in particular you want to know in more detail please PM me, or Millet Man.

Here are some great links of GF home brewing

http://www.fortunecity.com/boozers/brewery...beer/gfbeer.htm

http://www.mrgoodbeer.com/gf/

http://glutenfreehomebrew.blogspot.com/

http://www.darkhillsbrewery.com/


----------



## beerguide (24/10/07)

I wrote this article in conjuction with the coeliac society of NSW a while ago, its more to do with commercial beer but you might find it helpful too.
http://www.beerguide.com.au/forums/blog/al...php?showentry=6


----------



## Katherine (13/12/07)

> Billabong's stuff is the only one we have locally brewed here (WA).It has won awards,So its a worth a try.I dont know the disribution area but you can order through their web page.I know the guys have put a lot of effort into this beer and its certified.Drop Allan a email Im sure he will help you out.No link sorry.
> Cheers GB




Billabongs Gluten Free Ginger Beer is THE BEST! Actually I feel a Clancy's session coming on! :lol:


----------



## beerguide (13/12/07)

I've drunk Silly Yaks, Obriens and Billabongs Gluten Free Beers and I must say between the three of them there are some very nice beers. In fact some are much better than their gluten inclusive cousins.

pcmfisher: I do suggest you try one, you will be suprised. Maybe start with Obriens Premium Lager as its a cracker of a beer?


----------



## Millet Man (13/12/07)

pcmfisher said:


> I would suggest that NO gluten free beer would taste anything like beer. Most probably undrinkable. But then again I have never tried them.
> Also depending on what grain you use it would be debated by some whether or not it actually contained some traces of gluten. eg. buckwheat.
> Making foods without gluten is a very difficult thing to do if you have any sense of taste.
> Take bread for example. I am yet to taste an edible g\f variety. Occasionally some bakery turns one out that tastes sort of OK, but whoops, oh my god, sorry its got flower in it we can't sell it any more.
> ...


Some bold statements there pcmfisher since you haven't tried any. I obviously have a bias to the O'Briens since I brew it but I am happy to say the Silly 
Yak and Billabong GF beers are very enjoyable also. I suggest you go try some and then give your opinion, it will cost you more than 2 cents though.  

Not sure on your comment about buckwheat, it's not actaully a grain at all let alone related to wheat in any way. Oh and if I bought some GF bread with "flower" in it I would be worried too! :lol: 

Cheers, Andrew.


----------



## Thirsty Boy (13/12/07)

what about the italian stuff - Bi-Aglut.

A gluten intolerant friend of mine brought some around a month or two ago... I kinda liked it.

Sillyaks say its made from mainly unmalted buckwheat and corn syrup. have a packet of toasted buckwheat on hand, plan to use it to try the gluten free thing.

Milletman - what about Bairds malted oats?? Aren't oats a gluten free grain? I know that a proportion of celiacs are intolerant to oats anyway, but its more on a better safe than sorry front that oats are excluded from the standard gluten free range isn't it?

For instance, my friend who brought the BiAglut beer around isn't a full tilt celiac, shes just got a but of a gluten intolerance. There is a decent chance she might be OK with an Oat Malt beer isn't there??

She doesn't mind the BiAglut, but has tried the Sillyaks and your Lager.. doesn't like them. I'm not sure if she has tried your Pale Ale though, I get her to give it a go. But she wants me to make her some beer... and I thought the Oats thing might be a chance.

Cheers

Thirsty


----------



## tk75 (13/12/07)

Freaky... :blink: I just finished an O'Briens Lager and was about to PM Millet Man(Andrew) to say what a beautiful beer!! then saw this thread. Full of flavour/aroma and even though I only had just a stubby, I believe it would be great for those that feel bloated after a few brews. Top brew!!

Get it in ya!! :chug:


----------



## dr K (13/12/07)

WOW!!


> I would suggest that NO gluten free beer would taste anything like beer. Most probably undrinkable. But then again I have never tried them.



So exactly what is it in gluten that makes such a contribution to beer that the lack of it makes the product nothing like a beer?
Now, I know that high levels of gluten in rice will make it sticky, and I am pretty sure that you need wheat with higher levels of gluten to make firm breads (cf cakes).
I sort of figure that gluten may help with lacing on the glass, but if I were gluten intolerant and beer loving I think that I would say , in the words of Ringo Starr..Goodnight Vienna...
So..please...educate us, or failing that educate yourself.


----------



## Millet Man (13/12/07)

Thirsty Boy said:


> what about the italian stuff - Bi-Aglut.
> 
> A gluten intolerant friend of mine brought some around a month or two ago... I kinda liked it.
> 
> Sillyaks say its made from mainly unmalted buckwheat and corn syrup. have a packet of toasted buckwheat on hand, plan to use it to try the gluten free thing.


I tried Bi-Aglut a few years ago and it wasn't great, haven't seen it around since then.

To make a clone of this it's 50/50 raw buckwheat and maize syrup (Brewiser liquid brewing sugar is maize syrup). You'll also need some enzymes from your local HBS - Improzyme and Modiferm. Rough recipe as follows:

Batch Size 23lt
2.0 kg Raw buckwheat
2.0 kg Brewiser liquid brewing sugar
0.4 kg Rice hulls

Crush buckwheat and mix with 6.0 lt water and 5 ml of Improzyme enzymes
30 min at 55C
30 min at 85C

Add cold water to reduce temperature and add 3.5 ml of Modiferm enzymes
120 min at 65C

Add rice hulls and transfer to lauter tun and sparge - could be a good candidate for BIAB  

Add maize syrup to kettle and boil etc as for a regular beer

I'd bitter to about 25 IBU and use Saaz for flavour and aroma, ferment with a DCL yeast either W34/70 or US-05.



> Milletman - what about Bairds malted oats?? Aren't oats a gluten free grain? I know that a proportion of celiacs are intolerant to oats anyway, but its more on a better safe than sorry front that oats are excluded from the standard gluten free range isn't it?
> 
> For instance, my friend who brought the BiAglut beer around isn't a full tilt celiac, shes just got a but of a gluten intolerance. There is a decent chance she might be OK with an Oat Malt beer isn't there??
> 
> ...


Oats are counted as gluten in Oz so I have never tried them, and there is a lot of debate still going on about whether they are totally bad for Coeliacs or not. The other issue with oats is cross contamination as it is handled through the same channels as wheat and barley.

Cheers, Andrew.


----------



## rich_lamb (22/12/07)

Personally, I am not a coeliac but I have a friend who is and have tried a couple of the beers he drinks. They are certainly drinkable, and better than most mass-produced Aussie beer, but I found the flavour a little "twangy" and hard to get used to.

*But I stepped up to the plate and had a crack at brewing one* - only my third AG brew but what the heck (thanks Millet Man for some of the advice). The grain bill included malted sorghum, amaranth, dark belgian candi and a touch of corn-based maltodextrin for body.

It was a bitch to brew; it took all day, I burned my fingers, scorched my kettle and nearly went insane trying to sparge the damn thing. But after bottling and conditioning for a few weeks it came out just great.

Nice pale golden colour, brilliant clarity, fruity/malty aroma (even though I used a clean yeast) and silky mouthfeel. It still has the sorghum "twang" in the flavour, but I must say after brewing it I'm aquiring the taste for it. I think it was one of my better beers and I'd probably brew it again. I may try a spiced beer recipe next time.

I was originally a bit skeptical about these beers but now I'm all turned around. Though I will say the guy who first comes out with a GF kit beer will make a fortune. Brewing them yourself is not for the feint hearted.


----------



## Millet Man (23/12/07)

Bitter & Twisted said:


> Personally, I am not a coeliac but I have a friend who is and have tried a couple of the beers he drinks. They are certainly drinkable, and better than most mass-produced Aussie beer, but I found the flavour a little "twangy" and hard to get used to.
> 
> *But I stepped up to the plate and had a crack at brewing one* - only my third AG brew but what the heck (thanks Millet Man for some of the advice). The grain bill included malted sorghum, amaranth, dark belgian candi and a touch of corn-based maltodextrin for body.
> 
> ...


Well done B&T - top marks for having a go!

The sorghum "twang" is very hard to mask, it is a distinct trait of sorghum malt to give a slight sourness to the brew but you do get used to it when you have to - makes for a very refreshing brew.  

I'd suggest trying to make a "wheat" style beer if you like as the "twang" will be in-style and very hard to pick from a "real" one. I have had excellent results in comps including a couple of placings with sorghum/millet/buckwheat beers brewed and entered as wheat/rye styles - particularly dunkelwiezen, roggenbier or belgian wit.

Cheers, Andrew.


----------



## MrDizzy (27/2/09)

dr K said:


> Now, I know that high levels of gluten in rice will make it sticky,



Erm.....rice is gluten-free, as far as I know.

See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rice : 
"Rice flour does not contain gluten and is suitable for people on a gluten-free diet"
"sticky rice which is properly known as "glutinous rice" (note: glutinous refer to the glue-like characteristic of rice; does not refer to "gluten")"

Also, see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gluten-free_diet

I was thinking of trying to do a gluten-free extract brew based on rice malt (I don't have the equipment for all-grain).
Has anyone tried something like this before?


----------



## Millet Man (27/2/09)

MrDizzy said:


> I was thinking of trying to do a gluten-free extract brew based on rice malt (I don't have the equipment for all-grain).
> Has anyone tried something like this before?


Rice malt is actually an extract from raw rice (not malted rice) and does not have any protein content for head retention just carbohydrates, and it's not highly fermentable (only 60-70% attenuation as I recall).

If you want to do an extract GF beer then try the sorghum extract from Brewers Choice as it is designed for use in brewing.

Cheers, Andrew.


----------



## turto77 (27/2/09)

Hey Pok,
I found this site for a mate a while back, haven't tried it yet but it might be worth a shot.

http://www.gfhomebrewing.com.au/


----------



## Swinging Beef (27/2/09)

Turto said:


> Hey Pok,
> I found this site for a mate a while back, haven't tried it yet but it might be worth a shot.
> 
> http://www.gfhomebrewing.com.au/


So who sells liquid sorgum extract in Sydney or Wollongong, then?
At $15 kg it aint cheap
I would be keen to give this a go as an extract brew... hide the sorghum twang under some Chinooks!


----------



## David Kitchen (15/3/09)

Swinging Beef said:


> So who sells liquid sorgum extract in Sydney or Wollongong, then?
> At $15 kg it aint cheap
> I would be keen to give this a go as an extract brew... hide the sorghum twang under some Chinooks!



Hi, you can buy the Sorghum syrup either over the net from GFhomebrewing.com.au or from:
Kirrawee Home Brew
Northern Home Brew (Woonoona)
Mark's Home Brew (Islington) (Mark does it as a Fresh Wort)
Home Brew Inn (Charlestown)
What's Brewing (Kogarah)
Asquith Home Brewing
The Beer Shed (Leumeah)

The recipes are as for standard extract brews (60 minute boil with 3 x hops additions) and make two styles:
A Pale Ale - Similar body and colour to a Corona, but with a stronger Cluster hops flavour
A Honey Cascade - Similar to a Beez Nees.

Both pretty drinkable. Haven't tried it with Chinook, but worth a go!


----------



## Macca17 (12/8/10)

Didn't want to start a new thread so adding to this one 
Just bought some Billabong Gluten free bears (Low Carb-Gluten Free Blonde)
Not sure if they taste different to normal beers, but this one tastes a bit sherbety,
not sure if this is the correct description for a beer :
Have I bought a dud or are they supposed to taste this way ?


----------



## Banshee (13/8/10)

Spelt.


----------



## David Kitchen (13/8/10)

Just an addition to my last post. GFHomebrewing (Brewers Choice) now has a new GF beer to add to the Oz Pale Ale and Honey Cascade - a Golden Ale.

The new beer has a cleaner taste, darker colour and uses Belgian Candy Syrup and a 53gm mix of Amarillo and Cascade hops. Its a pretty good tasting brew, even for non-coeliacs. The recipe is on the GFhomebrewing.com.au website. 

It is also possible to buy straight Liquid Sorghum as well. Suppliers are also listed on the website.

Each of the kits is easy to brew - same process as an extract brew - 60 minute boil with hop additions at 60 minutes, 15 minutes and flame out. We tried going down the mashing route but it is seriously complex even for regular mashers, let alone first timers that just want to make a GF beer thats drinkable.


----------



## Chad (15/8/10)

This is my recipe using the sorghum extract from Brewers Choice. The missus loves it.

Stingless Honey Blonde Ale
TYPE: Extract

Recipe Specifications
--------------------------
Batch Size: 22.50 L 
Boil Size: 27.80 L
Estimated OG: 1.048 SG
Estimated Color: 4.1 SRM
Estimated IBU: 24.9 IBU
Brewhouse Efficiency: - %
Boil Time: 60 Minutes

Ingredients:
------------
Amount Item Type % or IBU 
2.80 kg Liquid Sorghum Extract (Briess) (4.0 SRM) Extract 81.16 % 
15.00 gm Magnum [13.10 %] (60 min) Hops 23.6 IBU 
6.00 gm Saaz [3.70 %] (15 min) Hops 1.3 IBU 
6.00 gm Saaz [3.70 %] (0 min) Hops - 
0.50 items Whirlfloc Tablet (Boil 5.0 min) Misc 
1.00 tsp Yeast Nutrient (Boil 5.0 min) Misc 
0.65 kg Honey (1.0 SRM) Sugar 18.84 % 
2 Pkgs SafAle American Ale (DCL Yeast #US-05) Yeast-Ale 

Notes:
------
Add the honey at boil flameout.
Pasturise 100gm honey and add when kegging.


----------



## Millet Man (15/8/10)

Macca17 said:


> Didn't want to start a new thread so adding to this one
> Just bought some Billabong Gluten free bears (Low Carb-Gluten Free Blonde)
> Not sure if they taste different to normal beers, but this one tastes a bit sherbety,
> not sure if this is the correct description for a beer :
> Have I bought a dud or are they supposed to taste this way ?


According to their website the Blonde is based on Japanese third category beers (no-malt beers) so that may be the different taste you are picking up.

Banshee - Spelt is a form of wheat so no good.


----------



## spaced (10/6/11)

@ Chad, brewed a beer off your recipe, turned out really good. I used Iron Bark honey so it wasn't so sweet.


----------



## B3nder (11/6/11)

Hi Guys,
Country Brewer has Gluten Free Kits for $65, (www.countrybrewer.com.au)
a Schotz Lrger and a Braaf Ale, both require a 60min boil.
I have made the Braaf and most guys couldn't pick it for being GF

Sean


----------



## Brewers Choice (12/8/11)

Hi guys. Just head to our website, www.brewerschoice.com.au and go to the Gluten Free section in the shop. You can pick up bulk sorghum, GF beer kits and a bunch of other GF products. Cheers David


----------

