Disclaimer: This page is for information only. We have not tested the following recipies (unless otherwise indicated). Please consult your doctor regarding the information on this page or before drinking alcoholic beverages.
Gluten Free Flavors
Find gluten free adjuncts and other ingredients at Nature's Flavors
What is Gluten Free (GF) Beer?
Some people have Celiac Disease and can not eat foods that contain gluten such as barley and wheat.
Unfortunately, they can not drink beer because barley is the main ingredient in beer.
GF beer is an alcoholic beverage that contains no barley, wheat or other food items that contain gluten.
It is usually made with rice or buckwheat. I compiled a table
of adjuncts, fruits and spices, which will allow you to add more flavor to the basic Gluten Free beer recipe.
Make sure you check with your doctor before consuming any of these ingredients.
If beer doesn't contain barley then it's not beer, right?
Technically, according to the German Purity law, that's correct but for those who have Celiac Disease, it's as close to beer as they get. Read more here
GF Beer Recipe
"There's a Hole in the Buckwheat Ale"
(Gluten-Free Buckwheat Beer Recipe) by Eric Constans
In my obsessive quest for a good-tasting gluten-free beer this recipe is the best so far. It ends up tasting a little like Coors light, which is at least slightly better than no beer at all. (really!) This beer is still in the experimental stages, so feel free to play with the amount of hops, etc. or to add other GF ingredients such as molasses or malted millet.
Ingredients for 5 Gallons:
3 lbs. malted buckwheat (recipe follows)
1 cup corn sugar
1 oz. Saaz hops
2 oz. Hallertauer Hersbrucker hops
6 lb. rice syrup *
1 pkg. ale yeast (EDME) **
* Some brands of rice extract contain gluten. Please read the label carefully before using. Northwestern Extract makes a GF rice extract. Here is a list of retailers that carry their products.
** Since it is possible that some manufacturers of brewing yeast could culture their product in a gluten-containing malt, a reader informed me that DCL's Saf T-58 dry ale yeast and Lallemand's Danstar Windsor are gluten free.
Put crushed malted buckwheat into strainer bag, add to 1-1/2 gallons of water in brewpot. Keep buckwheat in brewpot, stirring, until water starts boiling. Remove buckwheat and add rice syrup, corn sugar and 1/2 oz. each of the Saaz and Hallertauer hops. Boil for 30 minutes and add 1/4 oz. each of the Saaz and Hallertauer hops. Boil for 15 minutes and add another 1/4 oz. of each type of hops. Boil for another 15 minutes to make a total boiling time of 1 hour, then let the remaining 1 oz. Hallertauer hops steep in the wort for 2 minutes. Strain into your fermenter, add cold water to make 5 gallons total, then pitch yeast when cooled to room temperature. It is important to chill the wort as quickly as possible before adding the yeast. Reference this page for some wort cooling tips.
This "beer" will ferment for longer than most ales, for about 10 days. Add 3/4 cup corn sugar for bottling, and let the beer age for at least 1 week before drinking.
Instructions for Malting Buckwheat:
Since as gluten-free homebrewers we can't just go to our homebrew supply store and buy malted buckwheat or millet, we must malt it ourselves in order to brew with it. Luckily, this is a pretty simple process. First, obtain raw (that is, uncooked and untoasted) buckwheat from a health food store or co-op. Rinse about and let it sit for 30-48 hrs completely submerged in water, rinsing it off every 8 hours or so. The buckwheat will expand as it soaks up some of the water and also produce a sticky oily substance which should be rinsed off. Now put the buckwheat into a strainer or fine-mesh colander and let it sit in the open air in a cool dark place, rinsing off every 8 hours to prevent mold. After 1 day you will see rootlets forming. Let the buckwheat sit in the open air for about 2 days, or until some of the rootlets are about twice as long as the grain bodies. Spread the buckwheat out in a thin layer on several cookie sheets and bake in a 200-250º oven until the buckwheat becomes hard and crunchy (and tastes remarkably like Grape-Nuts) At this point you may increase the temperature and make dark-roasted buckwheat, for darker-colored beers. Use a rolling pin or a glass jar to crush the buckwheat.
If you know of a commercial gluten free beer, please e-mail Mr. Goodbeer
so we can post the information here.
Update:
These comments were e-mailed to us from our readers:
"Green's now offer 3 types of gluten free beer. As well as Discovery (bitter) they have Pioneer (lager) and Explorer (stout) obtainable by mail order in UK. http://www.glutenfreebeers.co.uk
*************
Also in UK gluten free Heron beer (bitter), sold in Sainsbury's supermarkets and Co-Ops.
**********
Again in UK, Fine Ale Club - Against the Grain
4.5% ABV Britain’s first Gluten Free Beer (gluten 12ppm)smooth creamy, good head and full flavoured indistinguishable from a normal bitter! http://www.ale4home.co.uk/fine_ale_club.htm
******************** Hambleton Ales GFB
******************** Australia
AUSTRALIA'S FIRST GLUTEN FREE BEER
O'Brien Brewing is a producer of premium beers for the Australian and international markets. Our core products are gluten free premium beers brewed from the finest ingredients available. Gluten Free does not mean taste free. Our beers are full-bodied, naturally brewed beers, using traditional craft brewing techniques, with no added preservatives or colourings.
Our Beers have been described by Master Brewers as:
"My Father has recently been diagnosed as being Coeliac, and being a lager drinker had difficulty in finding a gluten free beer/lager. The Coeliac Society has sent him a list of food and drink products which are suitable, in this they found an Italian beer called Bi-Aglut made under the Heinz label but only (as far as we know) distributed in Italy. Some-one we know was in Italy and actually managed to bring some back for him, and yes it was GLUTEN FREE!"
"One night I picked up on your link about the gluten free beer in Canada. The next morning my family and I took the 8 hour round trip to a natural food store in Sherbrook Canada to purchase 5 cases of La Messagere. Thanks for the link. This beer is great!!! I wish it was available in the US, but the beer is worth the drive."
"just came across your site online today and noticed the mention of the
Quebec Beer La Messagere as well as someone saying they drove 8 hours to purchase some cases. Well just so that everyone knows this beer is
available now in Ontario through the Liquor Stores. Not all stores will
stock it but if you call the manager they can stock it and keep it in stock
as long as sales will permit it. It is pricey for a 6 pack but then what
gluten free product is not pricey.
Remember, call around to your area Liquor stores and check up on if they
have a supply if they don't then request it be brought in. I did that in
Whitby Ontario after seeing it available in a neighbouring community and it
is now stocked in a brand new store and has been selling well."
I read on your site that because gluten free beer doesn't contain barley
it technically is not a beer. According to the BATF (or now ATTB) and
the Association of Brewers BEER is defined as:
"Beer, ale, porter, stout and other similar fermented beverages
(including sake or similar products) of any name or description
containing one-half of one percent or more of alcohol by volume, brewed
or produced from malt, wholly or in part, or from any substitute for
malt."
While certain people may have strong bias (based upon centuries of
tradition) for requiring the use of barley in order to be considered a
beer, that is opinion and not fact and therefore, technically, barley is
not required in order to be considered a beer.
On behalf of celiacs around the world, I would appreciate you updating
your site. We celiacs have no interest in being considered outsiders.
glutenfrei bier
Expand your brewing knowledge with these beer & brewing books and magazines
E-mail mike[AT]mrgoodbeer.com or check out the FAQ if your problem is not listed here.
![[Barley]](http://www.mrgoodbeer.com/barbarinv.gif){kind=small}
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Gluten Free Beer Page 
