Gluten Free Beer - Does It Exist?

[pokolbinguy]

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]

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

 

[Yeasty]

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

 

[Tyred]

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]

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]

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]

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]

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]

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]

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]

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]

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

 

[Online Brewing Supplies]

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]

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]

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]

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]

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]

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.

Just my two cents worth

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]

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]

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: