Everything You Need to Know about Gluten Free Beer + a GF Beer Tasting

Hi Guys!! So I just did a Gluten Free Beer Tasting on Face Book Live with Jackie Dodd (The Beeroness) and Allrecipes.

When I found out I was gluten intolerant a few years ago, I thought Beer was off the table for me. Slowly I started to look into gluten free versions, because I have always loved to bake and cook with beer. I wasn’t thinking about the taste as far as drinking went, I just was busy using it’s fluffy carbination and yeasty flavor to make awesome waffles.

But enough was enough. I wanted a cold beer on a hot day, and so did my GF friends and readers. So I called my friend Jackie Dodd who is all knowing about beer and asked if she was interested in getting to the bottom of the GF Beer heap- like really tasting them and letting you guys know what we found.

That happened today! Here is the video below and the results of what we discovered!

The First thing to understand is that there are two different categories:

Crafted To Remove Gluten Beer : These beers are still made with Barley (gluten-full) and they just add an enzyme to the beer that “kills” the gluten. These get you down to about 20ppm (parts per million) or lower. I think these are great for GF sensitive people, but if you are Celiac, I am not sure I would risk it. These tend to be more widely distributed beers.

Gluten Free Beer: These Beers are just made with Gluten Free Grains like Sorghum, Millet, Rice and Corn. Because these grains are not naturally sweet like Barley, they tend to have some interesting sweeteners known as “back sweeteners.” Many of these are created in artisanal local breweries.

So this is a run down of OUR opinions on the beers we tried:

Crafted To Remove Gluten Beer

Omission- (probably the most widely distributed) we tried the IPA and I have personally had the pale ale. I like it- it’s mild and easy to drink. Jackie said it had a lot of hops and felt like it totally exceeded her expectations. I use the pale ale for baking, though I think the IPA, while mild, is a little more bitter and not my top choice for baking.

Stone- “Delicious IPA” this was my favorite of the Crafted To Remove Gluten Beer, and Jackie and I agreed on it.

New Belgium- “Glutiny” I’m so sorry, but this wasn’t for me. It seemed a bit like wallpaper paste in my mouth.

Gluten Free Beer

Glutenator- This one was super fizzy and reminiscent of cider. Jackie did not like this one, but I kind of enjoyed it’s fruity sparkling flavors. I also love that it is sweetened with sweet potato and molasses and I think It would be fun to bake with.

Glutenberg- I buy the Blonde Ale already for all my baking needs and I liked drinking it. I would drink this all day on a hot day.

Groundbreaker- IPA #5 and Pale Ale. This one won the Silver Medal at the GABF (Great American Beer Festival) that affectionately call the Beer Olympics. I liked this one a lot and I love that the brewery and the Pub are completely Gluten Free.

Ghost Fish Stout- This one just won the gold medal at the GABF (Great American Beer Festival) and I totally get it. I didn’t think I would be into it because it is so dark, but I thought it was absolutely delicious. It smells like coffee and has undertones of espresso- so smooth and delicious!

Ghost Fish Grapefruit Beer- AMAZING. This won a bronze medal at the GABF, and it is so good! It is light and citrusy and I know that you will love it- perfect Summer drinking!