Gluten Free Beer - What Options Are There?

Background
Coeliac disease (pronounced seel-ee-ak) is a medical condition and is a permanent intestinal intolerance to dietary Gluten. Beer contains Gluten, either in the grains used within the brewing process, or even the yeast itself may be grown in a medium which contains Gluten. Therefore if you are a Coeliac, you can not drink Beer that contains Gluten otherwise you will become sick. Alternatives have started popping up and they use Sorghum as the major grain to make the beer. Sorghum itself has been used for thousands of years to make beer in Africa and only doesn't exist in most European beers presumably due to the purity rules created hundreds of years ago. Around 1% of the population has an intolerance to Gluten and within this article we are going to explore what options are available to those looking for a Gluten free Beer.

The information contained within this article has been gathered from various sources on the Internet about Coeliac Disease and Gluten Free Breweries. If there is an error we apologise and please let us know so we may amend this article so future readers will have a more accurate article.


Frequently Asked Questions

Does It Taste Like Beer?
Yes it certainly does taste like beer! Founder of Beer Guide Australia Nathan has rated O'Briens Premium Larger and was blown away by the fantastic flavour and aroma presented from this beer and in fact has rated it higher then same of the more commonly available boutique and commerically available beers. When he did some investigation into this it was discovered that O'Brien brew their beers in a more handcrafted manner hence the wonderful flavour.

Just as Wheat Beer has a different flavour to Barley Beer, Sorghum Beer has a different flavour again. However it stil smells like Beer, looks like Beer and it most definately tastes like Beer!


Gluten Free or Low Gluten?
The Food Standards of Australian and New Zealand define what Gluten Free actually stands for. Some breweries make claims that their Beers are low in Gluten. This however doesn't mean they are Gluten Free it simply means they have a reduced amount of Gluten when compared with other Beers. Think of Low Fat and Fat Free for a similar analogy. Be careful when purchasing Beer that it is Gluten Free to ensure you do not get sick from the Beer you consume. The list below when we get to it will list only Gluten Free Beer.


Is Gluten Destroyed In The Brewing Process?
It is a common mis-conception that Gluten is completely broken down as part of the brewing process. This is incorrect. Gluten is partially broken down in the process, but it is not completely leaving traces of Gluten in the final product. That said, it has never been scientifically proven if the small amount of Gluten left behind is safe for Coeliacs or not.


Gluten Free Breweries
Through our research we have found the following Gluten Free Breweries that provide Gluten Free Beer, that is completely Gluten Free, not just low Gluten Beer. Note: We are in no way affiliated with the following Breweries and if you are aware of another Brewery by all means email us the details.

Finally before we get into the list let me apologise for us at Beer Guide Australia for not having reviewed more of these beers, we promise to get to them as soon as possible.


Gluten Free Breweries

Silly Yaks
Silly Yak Foods is committed to manufacturing 100% gluten free foods. The company is located in Melbourne, Australia, and operates Silly Yaks Bakery Cafe. The original idea was to manufacture and sell gluten-free food, but market research indicated it was worthwhile catering for people with other food allergies and intolerances as well. Our original aim was to produce food for people with food allergies and intolerances which is as good as "normal" food. This has now been carried through to beer.

Website: http://www.sillyyak.com.au/beer

• Aztec Gold
• Tropical White

O'Briens Brewing
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.

Website: http://www.obrienbrewing.com.au/

• OBrien Premium Lager
• OBrien Pale Ale
• OBriens Brown Ale

For Further Information About The Coeliac Disease
The Coeliac Society of Australia (Head Office) and The Coeliac Society of NSW
First Floor, 306 Victoria Avenue, CHATSWOOD NSW 2067 (PO Box 703, CHATSWOOD NSW 2057)
Telephone: (02) 9411 4100 Facsimile: (02) 9413 1296
Email: info@coeliacsociety.com.au
NSW Email: nsw@coeliacsociety.com.au
NSW Website: www.nswcoeliac.org.au

Coeliac Society of Victoria
11 Barlyn Road, Mt Waverley, Victoria, 3149 (PO Box 89, Holmesglen, Victoria, 3148)
Telephone: (03) 9808 5566 Facsimile: (03) 9809 9922
Email: vic@coeliacsociety.com.au
Website: vic.coeliacsociety.com.au

The Queensland Coeliac Society Inc.
Level 1, Local Government House, 25 Evelyn Street, NEWSTEAD 4006 (P.O. Box 2110, Fortitude Valley BC 4006)
Telephone: (07) 3854 0123 Facsimile: (07) 3854 0121
Email: qld@coeliacsociety.com.au
Website: qld.coeliacsociety.com.au

The Coeliac Society of Tasmania Inc
P.O. Box 159, Launceston, Tasmania Australia 7250
Phone: (03) 6427 2844, Facsimile: (03) 6344 4284
Email: tas@coeliacsociety.com.au
Website: tas.coeliacsociety.com.au

Coeliac Society of South Australia Inc.
Unit 5, 88 Glynburn Road, Hectorville, South Australia, 5073.
Telephone: (08) 8336 1476 Facsimile: (08) 8365 1265
Email: sa@coeliacsociety.com.au
Website: sa.coeliacsociety.com.au

The Coeliac Society of Western Australia
931 Albany Highway, East Victoria Park WA 6101 (PO Box 1344, East Victoria Park, WA 6981)
Phone: 08 9470 4122, Facsimile: 08 9470 4166, Country Callers: 1800 449 200 (Freecall)
Email: wa@coeliacsociety.com.au
Website: wa.coeliacsociety.com.au

Please feel free to respond, comment or continue the discussion on Coeliac Disease and Gluten Free Beers.