The functional drink market continues to expand with products to meet growing dietary needs. Now beers are being reformulated to deliver great taste without the great-tasting ingredients that trigger symptoms of celiac disease and gluten intolerance.
In honor of October being National Celiac Disease Awareness Month, the "World's Best Gluten-free Beer" for 2008 and 2009 Estrella Damm Daura ($7.99 for a four-pack) was introduced for the first time in the United States on Oct. 18.
Premium and craft brewers have produced a number of specialty grain beers by sourcing non-gluten ingredients such as the popular buckwheat and sorghum, as well as rice, maize, corn, sunflower, amaranth, flax, millet, quinoa, teff, wild rice, soybean, ragi, and rape.
Not all the beers are using specialty grains: Some like Daura have been de-glutened through the brewing process, making them not 100 percent gluten-free.
However Daura claims its "real beer taste" contains "less than six parts (gluten) per million (ppm), far below the 20 ppm required for gluten-free products, according to the Codex Alimentarius, the international food and drinks standard set by the World Health Organization and the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization," according to an Oct. 18 Estrella Damm and U.S. Beverage announcement.
These are beer ingredients you may want to avoid if you are seeking a specialty grain brew that has not undergone a de-gluten process: barley, kamut, oats, rye, spelt, triticale, and wheat.
In 2010, the World Beer Awards did not have a category for the World's Best Gluten-Free Beer; however the World Beer Cup 2010 had 10 nominees and awarded:
Gold: Celia Saison, The Alchemist, United States (only available on tap in Vermont)
Silver: O'Brien Brown Ale, O'Brien Brewing, Australia
Bronze: RedBridge, Anheuser-Busch, United States ($6.99 for a six-pack)
Here is a roundup of gluten-free beers from around the world adapted from blogs Bella Online, Switch 2 Gluten Free, RateBeer, and No Gluten, No Problem.
Australia:
Blonde (also Ginger and Apple Beers), Billabong Brewing
O'Brien Brown Ale, O'Brien Brewery
Austria:
BeerUp Glutenfrei, Grieskirchen
Canada:
Messagère, Les bières de la Nouvelle-France
Finland:
Koff I, Sinebrychoff
Tumma Kukko, Laitilan
Germany:
Residenz Bio-Reis-Gold Dunkel
Liebharts, Schnitzer Bräu
Italy:
Birra 76 Bi-Aglut, Heineken Italy
Japan:
Nodogoshi, Kirin
Spain:
Daura, Estrella Damm
The Netherlands:
Mongozo's exotic flavored pilsners
United Kingdom:
Against the Grain, World Top Brewery
G-Free, St. Peter's Brewery
Green's Endeavour Dubble, Green's
Toleration, Hambleton
United States:
Bard's Tale Dragons Gold, Bard's Tale Beer Company
New Grist, Lakefront Brewery
Passover Honey Beer, Ramapo Valley
RedBridge, Anheuser-Busch
Sorghum Molasses Brown, Outer Banks
Tread Lightly Ale and 3R Raspberry Ale, New Planet
The above bottles vary in price and availability depending on your local pub or market and nation's alcohol tax.
Copyright AFP/Relaxnews
