A guide to Gluten-free beer.

Malted barley is an essential ingredient in the production of most conventional beer. How, then, can beer be gluten-free? There are a couple of ways of doing this: 

1. Brewing without gluten-containing ingredients: Brewers can replace the standard grains with gluten-free alternatives. Some of the most used gluten-free options include corn, rice, buckwheat, or less common grains like millet or sorghum.

The upside of this method is that it enables the production of a beer that is completely free of gluten. However, the difficulty with this method is that it is hard to produce a beer that tastes the way that people are accustomed to. 

2. Remove gluten with an enzyme: This is currently the favoured method of independent brewers (see, for example, Burnt Mill and Siren). By introducing an enzyme that breaks down gluten, brewers are able to produce a the beer without compromising its taste. 

It’s also worth noting that some beers are already gluten free. What does this mean? Products that contain 20 parts per million (ppm) or less can be labelled as “gluten free,” because, as communicated by Ceoliac UK: “research shows that this tiny amount of gluten is not toxic to people with coeliac disease”. Some beers with light malt contents register beneath the 20ppm threshold and are, therefore, gluten free, even if they might not shout about it. 

Further information on gluten free beer can be found here.