Gluten free beer - AbsoluteAstronomy.com

Gluten-free beer is beer

Beer

Beer is the world's most widely consumed andprobably oldest alcoholic beverage; it is the third most popular drink overall, after water and tea. It is produced by the brewing and fermentation of sugars, mainly derived from malted cereal grains, most commonly malted barley and malted wheat...

made from ingredients that do not contain glycoproteins (gluten

Gluten

Gluten is a protein composite found in foods processed from wheat and related grain species, including barley and rye...

). People who have gluten intolerance (including celiacs and dermatitis herpetiformis

Dermatitis herpetiformis

Dermatitis herpetiformis , or Duhring's disease,Freedberg, et al. . Fitzpatrick's Dermatology in General Medicine. . McGraw-Hill. ISBN 0-07-138076-0. is a chronic blistering skin condition, characterised by blisters filled with a watery fluid...

sufferers) have a reaction to certain proteins in the grains commonly used to make beer, barley

Barley

Barley is a major cereal grain, a member of the grass family. It serves as a major animal fodder, as a base malt for beer and certain distilled beverages, and as a component of various health foods...

and wheat

Wheat

Wheat is a cereal grain, originally from the Levant region of the Near East, but now cultivated worldwide. In 2007 world production of wheat was 607 million tons, making it the third most-produced cereal after maize and rice...

. The hordein

Hordein

Hordein is a glycoprotein, present in barley and some other cereals, together with gliadin and other glycoproteins as gluten.Some people are sensitive to hordein due to disorders such as celiac disease or gluten intolerance....

found in barley

Barley

and the gliadin

Gliadin

Gliadin is a glycoprotein present in wheat and several other cereals within the grass genus Triticum. Gliadins are prolamins and are separated on the basis of electrophoretic mobility and isoelectric focusing.- Types :...

found in wheat

Wheat

are types of gluten that can trigger symptoms in sufferers of these diseases. Gluten-free beer is part of a gluten-free diet

Gluten-free diet

A gluten-free diet is a diet that excludes foods containing gluten. Gluten is a protein found in wheat , barley, rye, malts and triticale. It is used as a food additive in the form of a flavoring, stabilizing or thickening agent, often as "dextrin"...

Gluten and gluten intolerance

Gluten

Gluten is a protein composite found in foods processed from wheat and related grain species, including barley and rye...

can be found in many common cereal

Cereal

Cereals are grasses cultivated for the edible components of their grain , composed of the endosperm, germ, and bran...

grains including barley

Barley

and wheat

Wheat

. Even in small quantities, the glutens specifically from barley and wheat (hordein and gliadin respectively) can trigger serious symptoms in those who suffer from Celiac disease

Coeliac disease

Coeliac disease , is an autoimmune disorder of the small intestine that occurs in genetically predisposed people of all ages from middle infancy onward...

. Almost all beer contains levels of gluten that cannot be tolerated by the celiac, but a very few specialist breweries do cater to celiacs or those who otherwise cannot tolerate the consumption of one or other of the relevant glycoproteins.

Gluten-free standards

Around the world standards of "gluten free" vary. For example, in the United Kingdom

United Kingdom

The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...

a beer with less than 20 parts per million gluten (20ppm) is "gluten free", while in Australia

Australia

Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...

only beers with no detectable gluten can be described as gluten free. Similarly, some "gluten-free" breads can contain low levels of gluten in one country, in another they would contravene labelling or food standards legislation.

While the definitions of world standards for the term "gluten free" vary, the safest course of action for people with celiac disease would be to adhere to strictest possible definition (no detectable gluten).

No published long term studies exist that track the effects of the consistent use of low levels of celiac-triggering glutens on patients with celiac disease, while many published papers exist that document the damage these glutens cause.

Gluten-free beer, low-gluten beer, and standard beer

Some brewers feel that beers brewed mainly from cereals such as rice

Rice

Rice is the seed of the monocot plants Oryza sativa or Oryza glaberrima . As a cereal grain, it is the most important staple food for a large part of the world's human population, especially in East Asia, Southeast Asia, South Asia, the Middle East, and the West Indies...

, sorghum

Sorghum

Sorghum is a genus of numerous species of grasses, one of which is raised for grain and many of which are used as fodder plants either cultivated or as part of pasture. The plants are cultivated in warmer climates worldwide. Species are native to tropical and subtropical regions of all continents...

, buckwheat

Buckwheat

Buckwheat refers to a variety of plants in the dicot family Polygonaceae: the Eurasian genus Fagopyrum, the North American genus Eriogonum, and the Northern Hemisphere genus Fallopia. Either of the latter two may be referred to as "wild buckwheat"...

and corn

Maize

Maize known in many English-speaking countries as corn or mielie/mealie, is a grain domesticated by indigenous peoples in Mesoamerica in prehistoric times. The leafy stalk produces ears which contain seeds called kernels. Though technically a grain, maize kernels are used in cooking as a vegetable...

(which either contain no gluten or contain glutens that do not trigger an autoimmune response in celiacs), and including a proportion of barley or rye

Rye

Rye is a grass grown extensively as a grain and as a forage crop. It is a member of the wheat tribe and is closely related to barley and wheat. Rye grain is used for flour, rye bread, rye beer, some whiskeys, some vodkas, and animal fodder...

, are safe to drink. These brewers argue that the proteins from barley are converted into non-harmful amino acid

Amino acid

Amino acids are molecules containing an amine group, a carboxylic acid group and a side-chain that varies between different amino acids. The key elements of an amino acid are carbon, hydrogen, oxygen, and nitrogen...

s. Statements from brewers show that their scientists feel confident that their product is non-harmful to those who are gluten intolerant. However, there is some concern and evidence that the claim is not true (for example: Sheehan, Evans & Skerritt, 2001). Brewers who produce low gluten beers are required to test every batch for gluten, and record gluten levels in "parts per million" ('ppm'). Although the barley hordeins in such tests may not be detected, smaller pieces of these proteins, known as peptides, may remain and be toxic for celiacs. Those involved in gluten-free brewing, and others representing celiacs or those with other conditions that require a gluten-free diet

Gluten-free diet

, tend to be concerned that beer brewed using wheat or barley are not appropriate for those with coeliacs or dermatitis herpetiformis,
although the carefully controlled gluten levels of particular malt brews of England

England

England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...

and Finland

Finland

Finland , officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country situated in the Fennoscandian region of Northern Europe. It is bordered by Sweden in the west, Norway in the north and Russia in the east, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland.Around 5.4 million people reside...

may be low enough to be consumed in relative safety (Against the Grain, 13ppm; Koff, 20ppm; Laitilan, 4ppm).

However, while it is likely that most celiacs will be able to drink beer with less than 20ppm such as Budweiser

Budweiser (Anheuser-Busch)

Budweiser is a 5.0% abv American-style lager introduced in 1876 by Adolphus Busch and one of the highest selling beers in the United States. It is made with up to 30% rice in addition to hops and barley malt. Budweiser is produced in various breweries located around the world...

or beer made with rye malt (in moderation) without causing themselves any harm, it is likely that each person has a different level at which an autoimmune

Autoimmunity

Autoimmunity is the failure of an organism to recognize its own constituent parts as self, which allows an immune response against its own cells and tissues. Any disease that results from such an aberrant immune response is termed an autoimmune disease...

response will be activated and there is some debate over the gluten "level" acceptable to coeliacs. Consumers of "low gluten" beverages are advised to inform their consultants of their diet, and to ensure that even if the obvious symptoms are absent, there are no hidden negative effects from peptides in the beer. Some brewers suggest that their low barley malt beers are not dangerous to celiacs, but not all evidence supports this. There are brewery statements that "normal beverages" such as Budweiser are safe, tempered with advice that they should be drunk with caution. Donald D. Kasarda, a research chemist with the United States Department of Agriculture, says that: "It is not proved beyond any doubt that the peptides in beer are actually toxic to celiac patients, but it is quite possible that the peptides remaining in any barley-based or wheat-based beer ... are harmful to celiac patients."

The recent development of gluten-free ale

Ale

Ale is a type of beer brewed from malted barley using a warm fermentation with a strain of brewers' yeast. The yeast will ferment the beer quickly, giving it a sweet, full bodied and fruity taste...

s and lager

Lager

Lager is a type of beer made from malted barley that is brewed and stored at low temperatures. There are many types of lager; pale lager is the most widely-consumed and commercially available style of beer in the world; Pilsner, Bock, Dortmunder Export and Märzen are all styles of lager...

s has been seen as a positive move forward for those who suffer a variety of related gluten intolerant conditions; and there are a number of people working to produce gluten-free beer.
Of gluten-free products, beer is seen as the most difficult to produce in a commercially acceptable version. However, gluten-free beer is becoming increasingly available, and there is now a range of ales and lagers to choose from.

Gluten free beer brands include Bard's Beer http://www.bardsbeer.com/, Greens http://www.glutenfreebeers.co.uk/, Hambleton Ales Gluten Free Ale and Hambleton Ales Gluten Free Lager,http://www.tesco.com/superstore/product/search.aspx?search=Hambleton+Ales+Gluten+Free+Ale+http://www.hambletonales.co.uk/gfa.htm, Lake Front Brewery's New Grist, Redbridge, Beljica Brewing http://www.beljicabrewing.com/, and St. Peter's Sorghum Beer. New Planet Tread Lightly Pale Ale.

Home brewing

Formulas for home brewing gluten-free beer can now be found. Many of these include a sweet sorghum syrup as the principal carbohydrate. This is commercially manufactured from sorghum grain to be a malt substitute and contains amino acids and unfermentable sugars needed for yeast nutrition and "mouth feel". Other sugars can be added for character and "feel", such as honey and maltodextrin, and roasted or malted buckwheat.

Gluten Free home brewing is now easy with commercially available gluten free home brewing kits containing the sorghum syrup, hops, yeast and other items. The cost of the kits, while more expensive than standard home brew kits, still produce very drinkable GF beer for less than the cost of a standard commercial beer.. Many find the taste of GF beers to be missing something. Adding additional hops has been found to improve flavor greatly.

Gluten-free beer festivals

The first international gluten-free beer festival was held in February 2006 in Chesterfield

Chesterfield

Chesterfield is a market town and a borough of Derbyshire, England. It lies north of Derby, on a confluence of the rivers Rother and Hipper. Its population is 70,260 , making it Derbyshire's largest town...

, United Kingdom, as a joint enterprise between the Campaign for Real Ale

Campaign for Real Ale

The Campaign for Real Ale is an independent voluntary consumer organisation based in St Albans, England, whose main aims are promoting real ale, real cider and the traditional British pub...

(CAMRA). However, with new brews being created around the world, but particularly in the UK and the USA, there is a worldwide movement towards this return to a 'normal' life.

External links

The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.

Gluten and gluten intolerance

Gluten-free standards

Gluten-free beer, low-gluten beer, and standard beer

Home brewing

Gluten-free beer festivals

See also

External links