Well I’ve known it’s been coming for a while now and have been sitting on it, because I’ve been researching a story about gluten-free beers. Today, Miller’s BrewBlog broke the story that Anheuser-Busch is readying a gluten-free beer for the market.
From the BrewBlog:
The brewer [A-B] on July 31 filed a brand label registration with the state of Missouri for a product called Red Bridge Sorghum beer. A-B previously had filed a trademark application with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.
A-B appears intent on jumping on a small bandwagon of brewers making beer with sorghum instead of barley. The dominant industry leader already has demonstrated its commitment to attacking tiny niches by rolling out organic beers.
Beers made with sorghum can be consumed by people with a condition called celiac disease. Exposure to gluten — a protein found in barley — triggers digestive problems in people with the disease.
Several craft brewers currently produce gluten-free beers. Unfortunately, because of ridiculously puritanical labeling restrictions that forbid any health claims on alcohol labels along with the fact the FDA has been criminally slow to adopt any standard of what gluten-free means (Europe by contrast has had a standard in place for years), they can’t really be labeled as gluten-free. Here’s a sample of gluten-free beers currently available from U.S. craft brewers:
- Dragon’s Gold, from Bard’s Tale Beer
- Hooligan Pale Ale, from Widmer Brothers Brewing
- New Grist, from Lakefront Brewery
- Passover Honey Beer, from Ramapo Valley Brewery
In addition, brewers in Australia, Belgium, France, Italy and the United Kingdom are all producing gluten-free beers. The gluten-free seminar at this year’s Craft Brewers Conference was surprisingly well-attended. When I queried several brewers there, I got the same response from all of them. “We get a lot of customers asking about this.”
My interest in these beers comes originally from my son, Porter, who is autistic. In reading about Autism Spectrum Disorder, I’ve discovered that a common symptom among the constellation of autistic indicators is stomach problems and often times a gluten-free diet helps immensely. Like much about autism, scientists and doctors aren’t exactly sure why this happens but I’m glad so far Porter doesn’t show signs of having this problem. But there are also millions of Celiac sufferers worldwide, and the number is growing. People with celiac disease, likewise, must also abstain from gluten, a part of most grains like barley and wheat. One out of every 133 people in the U.S. has celiac disease.
Here’s a short description of celiac disease from the Celiac Disease Foundation:
A lifelong autoimmune intestinal disorder, found in individuals who are genetically susceptible. Damage to the mucosal surface of the small intestine is caused by an immunologically toxic reaction to the ingestion of gluten and interferes with the absorption of nutrients. Celiac Disease (CD) is unique in that a specific food component, gluten, has been identified as the trigger. Gluten is the common name for the offending proteins in specific cereal grains that are harmful to persons with CD. These proteins are found in all forms of wheat (including durum, semolina, spelt, kamut, einkorn, and faro), and related grains, rye, barley, and triticale and must be eliminated.
It seems obvious to me that this is the next big small niche beer. I know that last statement was oxymoronic, but hear me out. Gluten-free beers aren’t going to be as popular as light beer or even porters, but with 1-in-133 Americans with celiac disease combined with thousands, perhaps millions, of autistic kids on gluten-free diets who will begin reaching the age of majority in the coming years, and you’ve got a sizable little market that’s likely to emerge. Now that A-B is entering this market, more attention will surely be focused on it. And A-B, regardless of anything else you can say about them, doesn’t take any action without first having thoroughly researched, tested and studied the market. So look for many more gluten-free beers in the market soon.
I’ve never had a gluten-free beer that tasted good.
Maybe competition will breed some better-tasting products.
I have a friend who wants me to try my hand at brewing him a decent tasting 10-gallon GF batch, for his personal consumption.
I’ve researched the subject, and I’ll give it a try this Fall.
I was diagnosed as celiac 4 years ago (strongly runs in my family, I had symptoms, blood tests & biopsy confirmed it).
For 2 years, I went “beer free” & nearly lost my mind due to low levels of Vitamin B(eer). I researched high & low;
googled here, there & everywhere — and I have concluded that NO ONE has a clue whether any harmful gluten remains in finished beer.
This much is known for sure: Gluten is a long-chained protein that is *significantly* degraded by the fermenting process.
Bottle conditioning — and other forms of secondary fermentation such as oak aging — over a long period further degrades
gluten protein chains. So…in the interest of *ahem* pure scientific research, I have gone back to drinking beer, mostly
in moderation. I don’t believe it hurts me at all. Do I have proof? No …but neither do the folks who insist that celiacs
can’t drink a drop of beer.
Meanwhile, rapid progress is being made by several research groups on mitigating treatments for gluten intolerance. Most likely we will see a celiad pill — similar to thyroid & other autoimmune medications — that (1) uses special enzymes to fully degrade gluten proteins and
(2) targets the innapropriate immune system response. By many accounts, these problems have already been solved in the test tube & in small scale tests. It will probably take 5-10 years for such a mitigation pill to be widely available, but it is coming.
So far, I’ve tried the Ramapo Valley gluten-free beer (undrinkable; no surprise as it is “brewed” exclusively with simple sugars).
Also, at the OBF last week, I sampled the Widmer Hooligan “Pale Ale”, which I think has promise. It at least has a malty (sorghum)
backbone. I would love to see the Widmer boys hop it up; could be very interesting.
In the meantime, any damage done by the insignificant amount of gluten poison is far outweighed by the mental health
benefits of good beer. Cheers!
I recently bought the Ramapo Valley and the New Grist. Based in part on the reviews online, I’ve put off trying the former. I don’t want to drink a bottle of honey. The real reason the Ramapo Valley is still sitting my my fridge is because the New Grist is actually drinkable. I swear. I read some review where someone said it tastd like cider. Hogwash. It is a little fruity but more in the vein of a Magic Hat, which I quite liked until that fateful day in August 2005 when I decided (I’ve never been diagnosed with Celiac but my mother has it and I have always had G-I issues) to go gluten-free.
I first read about New Grist a few months ago and upon learning that Whole Foods stocked it, went to the Whole Foods in Union Square (NYC). They didn’t have it then, but now they do (obviously). (Also the Ramapo Valley.)
Gluten is a protein. Many brewers add a protease (an enzyme that chews poteins into little bits called peptides and amino acids) such as papain (which incidentally is also an ingredient in meat tenderizer) as part of the normal process of “chill proofing” or haze prevention. I would think this would cure the problem for Celaics. What I don’t know is which brewers normally add protease. I believe A-B prides itself in not using enzymes, but how would we really know? I’ll bet the sellers of the enzymes, such as Novozyme, know, but they probably would’t tell…-Rog
I have tried New Grist beer and it is Excellent. I immediately filled my basement will all of it that I could get my hands on. I have always been a beer drinker. My likes were always, ales and lagers. This is a fabulous beer and has great flavor. I reccomend it to anyone. I will say that the Rampo Valley did not suit me. I don’t like it at all. As for New Grist, I love it! I just wish I could see it at restaraunts in Michigan so I could enjoy it when I went out. I hope to see more gluten free beers available and I will try any one that I can get my hands on.