For people who suffer from coeliac disease (i.e have a gluten intolerance) it is difficult to find a beer that they can drink with safety. Most beers contain at least some gluten which comes from the barley and other cereals used in brewing.
However help may be at hand. A number of brewers are now producing gluten free beer. This has usually been produced using sorghum instead of barley as the base malt.
However most real ales will contain a proportion of gluten as nearly all cereals do contain gluten. One or two breweries produce gluten
free beers - notably Hambleton Ales
www.hambletonales.co.uk
Wold Top Brewery produces a gluten free beer called against the grain for the Fine Ale Club - see
www.ale4home.co.uk
Greens has a range of Gluten free beers - see
www.glutenfreebeers.co.uk
Following successful trials in the UK, St. Peter's G-Free™ gluten free beer is starting to be exported to various markets world-wide.
The beer is brewed using sorghum instead of wheat making it suitable for coeliacs and is licensed by Coeliac UK (license number CUK - M - 085), the charity for people with coeliac disease. The beer has an AVB of 4.2%.
St. Peter's Managing Director, Colin Cordy, said;
"When we decided to brew a gluten free beer, we set ourselves the challenge to produce a beer which was every bit as good as our normal award winning range of ales and beers. To give the beer its' own character we selected American grown Amarillo hops and these give the beer a citrus and mandarin aroma. The beer is clean and crisp with a pilsner style lager finish. We have had many positive comments about G-Free™ ranging from industry experts to consumers with coeliac disease including many who had previously given up hope of drinking beer again since being diagnosed".
St. Peter's G-Free™ is available from the internet grocery retailer Ocado (from late March), independent stores throughout the UK and the brewery's own on line shop. Visit
www.stpetersbrewery.co.uk to see a list of stockists or to order for home delivery.
Following the passing of a EU Directive allergens such as gluten will have to be listed in future. However we are still pressing for full ingredients listing to be made mandatory for alcohol above 1.2% abv which currently is exempt.
The following beers are deemed to be gluten free.
Nick Stafford Hambleton Ales
Melberby Green Road
Melmerby
North Yorkshire
HG4 5NB
Tel 01765 640108
www.hambletonales.co.uk
GFA abv 4.8%
A tawny ale with aromas of Cascade, Liberty and Challenger hops and specially prepared dark sugars providing full bodied initial sweetness giving way to pronounced fruit and hop character with a strong citrus finish.
GFL abv 5.2%
A Pale lager style beer with an initial fullness complemented by a fruit character, derived from East Kent Goldings and Continental Styrian hops, finishing with bitterness and citrus notes. Uniquely balanced and best served chilled.
Greens Gluten Free Beers
9 Briar Rhydding
Baildon
Shipley
West Yorkshire
BD17 7JW
Tel: 01274 714664
www.glutenfreebeers.co.uk
Mission
Bottle Refermented Naturally Gluten Free Amber Beer 500ml 6% vol
Quest
Bottle Refermented Naturally Gluten Free Tripel Blonde Beer 500ml 8.5% vol
Pathfinder
Bottle Refermented Naturally Gluten Free Dubbel Dark Beer 500ml 7% vol
Discovery
Naturally Gluten Free Beer 330ml 6% vol
Endeavour
Naturally Gluten Free Double Dark Beer 330ml 6% vol
Herald
Naturally Gluten Free Ale 500ml 4% vol
Pioneer
Naturally Gluten Free Lager 330ml 5% vol
Trailblazer
Naturally Gluten Free Low Carb Lager 500ml 4.7% vol
Against the Grain
Fine Ale Club
Layer de la Haye
Colchester
CO2 0ET
Tel 01206 734372
www.ale4home.co.uk
Against the Grain 4.5% ABV
Britain's favourite Gluten Free Bitter (gluten 5.1ppm) smooth, creamy, good head and full flavoured. Indistinguishable from normal beer. Brewed by Wold Top Brewery Driffield , East Yorkshire.
St Peter's Brewery Co Ltd
St Peter's Hall
St Peter South Elmham
Suffolk
NR35 1NQ
Tel 01986 782322
www.stpetersbrewery.co.uk
Guinness
Bottled Guinness brewed in Nigeria is brewed using sorghum and is thus gluten free. Supplies of Nigerian Guinness (somewhat stronger than the "normal" Guinness) is sometime available in the UK.
SABMiller
SABMiller produces Eagle beer in Uganda which is brewed using sorghum. Not currently available on the UK market.