Ghostfish Vanishing Point Pale Ale
According to Ghostfish brewing, the term Vanishing Point refers to the vanishing of your pre-existing expectations for a gluten-free beer, and I wholeheartedly agree. This beer isn’t missing anything you would expect in a “normal” beer. Nor does it have any flavors that you don’t expect in a good beer! However, when I was drinking this beer, the thought came to me that the vanishing point just may refer to the full body of this beer that quickly dissolves, or vanishes, into a dry finish that leaves nothing but a faint, slightly bitter aftertaste.
Ghostfish has done a great job of brewing, this excellent tasting beer from non-traditional gluten-free ingredients, and (bonus) without the use of sorghum.
Tasting Notes
Look: Served in a 12oz can. Pale copper-orange body with a two-finger white foamy head with good lacing
Smell: bready, with hints of apricot and orange.
Body: good fully-body feel with a dry finish.
Taste: Earthy and bready with a great full-body, and light hoppy taste with a dry finish. Reminds me of a hoppy lager.
Overall: Very tasty, and drinkable.
Brewed by Ghostfish Brewing company, Seattle, Washington.
Ingredients: water, malted millet (Grouse Malting Co.), malted rice, brown rice, hops, yeast5.3%
5.3% Alcohol by volume
WINNER: GOLD MEDAL Gluten Free Beer, 2015 U.S. Open
Uinta Free Form IPA
Sometimes I find out about a new gluten-free beer far in advance and eagerly anticipate their arrival in my area to taste it. That didn’t happen with this beer. Instead, I recently received a phone call, “I’ve got a new gluten beer for you to try”. And just like that, a totally gluten-free IPA, that I have never heard of before showed up on my doorstep.
All the way from Salt Lake City, Utah, Uinta Brewery is a well-respected micro-brewery, that has recently added two gluten-free beers to their offerings; Free Form IPA and Free Form Belgian-Style Blonde Ale.
Uinta considers this brew “well-rounded” and I don’t disagree, but I’d almost classify this as a “lite-IPA”.
The illustration on the Uinta Free Form IPA bottle has a pair of swimmers jumping into the water on a seemingly hot summer day, and it fits well, because the light, yet flavorful flavors of this brew immediatly made me thing that it would be very refreshing to drink on a hot, summer day. I’m a fan of IPA’s, but I’ve got to say that I ralrly think of them ad refreshing, but somehow this beer really fits that description.
With great flavor and no sign of the dreaded sorghum that plagues many true gluten free beers, the folks at Uinta have done a great job on this brew, and a good-service to the Celiac community.
Brewed with just millet, buckwheat, hops, and yeast, Uinta has done an amazing job of giving us a very drinkable IPA with just Millet, Buckwheat, Hops, and Yeast. (Despite the name, there is no wheat, or gluten in buckwheat).
Tasting Notes:
Look: Cloudy with a pale yellow color, and a whispy, thin white head, with decent lacing.
Smell: Earthy, bready tones, with the unmistakable citrus tones of a hoppy beer
Body: sharp and light with a good mouth feel.
Taste: unlike the cloudy look, this IPA is crisp with a sharp middle that turns unto a slight bitter aftertaste. I detect a full bodied bready taste with a bit of apricot, grapefruit and a slightly bitter, yet smooth finish.
Overall: Light-approach to a IPA. Well-balanced, very drinkable IPA.
Brewed by Uinta Brewing Company. Salt Lake City, Utah
Alcohol by volume: 4.0%
Ingredients: Water, Millet, Buckwheat, Hops, and Yeast.
Ground Breaker Squash Ale
You may be getting a serving of vegetables with this squash ale, but even if you don’t love vegetables, I still think you’re going to like it.
Made with organic roasted squash, roasted, chestnuts and roasted lentils, all of that rich roasted goodness comes through clearly in this dark ale. The well-balanced flavors aren’t more on the delicate side, which was unexpected for me. I guess the combination of dark-roasted ingredients and piles of pumpkins don’t translate into delicate in my mind. But they pulled it off.
On the negative side. I’m tasting a little more of a full sourgum flavor in this beer than I’ve noticed in some of Ground Breaker’s other offerings. Sorghum is that double edged sword that makes gluten-free beers both drinkable and utterly forgettable at the same time!
Because this brew is seasonal, and has limited distribution, it is likely hard to find. If you do happen to find it in the fall I recommend you pick up a bottle.
Look: dark chocolate brown with a thin lacy head, and a thick-looking body, pours almost like a stout
Smell: Cherries, roasted espresso beans, leather
Body: creamy and rich with a dry, fizzy finish
Taste: Full flavor of roasted squash at first, with sour notes in the middle and a dry slightly sweet finish.
Overall: Well-balanced, Deep and rich, this is a one-of-a kind, this seasonal ale that attempts to capture the fall season in a glass, and comes pretty damn close. Worth trying.
Certified Gluten Free
Brewed for Autumn 2016
5.8%alcohol by volume
Brewed and bottled by Ground Breaker, Portland Oregon, (formally Harvester Brewing)
This beer was “triple-squashed, with 300 pounds of roasted squash added in the mash, the kettle and the fermenter.
Ingredients: sorghum, chestnuts, Belgium style candi syrup, organic lentils, cane sugar, organic tapioca maltodextrin, pumpkin, squash and hops.
Disclosure: I received this beer free from Ground Breaker Brewing, but I did not let this fact influence my review.
Ground Breaker Dark Ale
The bold, dark flavor of this beer took me back a moment. Is this a new flavor? No, I’ve tasted and enjoyed beer this dark before, but it’s been so long (12 years) I had forgotten the taste! I’ve had a handful of dark gluten-free beers, but none that had hit those right notes that instantly reminded me of my early experiences with dark beers.
Back when I was in my twenty’s I used to love dark beer. But the lack of available dark gluten-free beer has left a “void” in my beer drinker’s palate. Luckily Ground Breaker Dark has come through for me and filled up that deficit today.
One really interesting thing that Ground Breaker does with this beer is the way it treats sorghum. Many gluten free beers mistakenly have sorghum as the dominant flavor. Several others do well to mask the unmistakable taste. What Ground Breaker seems to do is to use sorghum as a complimentary flavor to the roasted chestnut. Whatever they do, they do it well. And don’t just take my word for it. This beer actually won the 2016 gold medal Great American Beer Festival.
Tasting Notes:
Look: Dark chocolate brown with very thin, whispy head
Smell: Chocolate, roasted coffee, roasted vegetables,
Body: creamy body with light carbonation and decent retention
Taste: very earthy, dark licorice , almost like taking a tree (if you can imagine that). Full flavor up front with a smooth finish that leaves a deep earthy, chestnut aftertaste.
Overall: Rich and dark, Dark and tasty, Ground
One note about availability. Ground Breaker beers are currently brewed and served in Portland, Oregon. It is also available in Massachusetts, and Rhode Island, but not many other places.
Brewed with dark roasted chestnuts and lentils
4.5% alcohol by volume
Certified Gluten Free
Ingredients: Sorghum, chestnuts, organic tapioca maltodextrin, organic lentils, Belgian-style candi syrup, cane sugar and hops.
Brewed and bottled by Ground Breaker, Portland Oregon, (formally Harvester Brewing)
Awards: Winner, gold medal 2016 Great American Beer Festival
Disclosure: I received this beer free from Ground Breaker Brewing, but I did not let this fact influence my review.
Glutenberg American Pale Ale
Glutenberg calls this beer “the true flagship of Glutenberg Beers”, and after tasting it I can see why. If you are looking for a good gluten-free American Pale ale (APA), look no further.
Glutenberg has some strong beer offerings, including the 2016 Gold medal winning India Pale Ale. So when They call this beer their flagship, that is definitely something to consider.
The challange with an good Amercian Pale Ale is to make it Hoppy enough to satisfy the “Hop Heads” out there, but also well-balanced enough so others will enjoy it as well. In my opinion, the over-the-top Hopped beer drinkers go right for the India Pale Ales, where all of their hopp-cravings are satisfied. I’m going to put muyself out there by saying that this APA will satisfy both audiences; It has plenty of Hops, but it’s well-balanced and finishes without the bitter taste of an IPA.
Tasting Notes:
Look – reddish orange with a one-finger lacy off-white head.
Smell – citrus-orange, earthy hops.
Body – full-bodied with medium carbonation and a little sharp, dry finish.
Taste -caramel with grapefruit and apricot, a hint of sweetness and a smooth finish.
Overall – hoppy, but well balanced and a smooth finish makes this beer tasty and drinkable.
5.5% Alcohol per volume
Brasseurs Sans Gluten, Montreal, Quebec
Awards:
Winner of the Silver Award, World Beer Cup 2012
Winner of the Silver Award, Canadian Brewing Awards 2016
Winner of the Silver Award, Canadian Brewing Awards 2015
Glutenberg Red Ale
If there is one type of beer that I really miss from my “normal” beer drinking days, it’s dark beers. I’ve yet to taste a gluten-free stout or porter. There are a few dark beers out there, but there isn’t a good selection and many are hard to come by. After tasting Gutenberg’s red ale I’m happy to report that it’s just dark and earthy enough for it to fill my craving for the dark.
I found this beer dark enough to satisfy the base tones, yet still finished light enough to taste like an ale. After tasting nutty earthy tones I wasn’t surprised to see that along with a mix of alternative grains Gutenberg actually used chestnuts in the brewing process. Dark, delicious and drinkable, I’m going to keep this one on my short list!
Look: deep reddish brown with a nice 2 finger lacy head
Smell: rich earthy tones of chocolate and chestnuts
Body: sharp and fizzy with a medium body
Taste: light up front with a full rich middle tasting of coffee and roasted nuts a smooth ale finish. Slight aftertaste of a gluten-free tasting grain.
Overall: Tasty and satisfying on several levels, this one is a keeper!
Brewed in Canada by Brasseurs Sans Gluten, Montréal, Quebec
Glutenberg Website
5% Alcohol by volume
Ingredients: water, buckwheat, millet, molasses, chestnuts, candy syrup, quinoa, hops, yeast
Awards:
Winner of the Gold Award World Beer Cup 2012
Winner of the Bronze Award, Canadian Brewing Awards 2015
Winner of the Silver Award, Canadian Brewing Awards 2014 Silver
Winner of the Bronze Award, Canadian Brewing Awards 2013
Omission Lager
Omission Lager has become on of my staples. Because it has been picked up by so many grocery chains, it is one of the beers that friends and relatives will often have ready for me if I’m visiting their homes.
This gluten-removed beer has that barley-taste that many long-time gluten-free people (like me) miss, and the quality is better-than-expected for a mass-produced, readily available beer.
I do feel compelled to say that since this is a gluten-removed beer, and is brewed with barley, it may not be safe for people with celiac disease, or high-sensitivity to gluten. Several people that I know, including some close to me, have gotten sick from the gluten content in this beer.
Tasting Notes:
Look – Golden caramel color, with a very thin white, lacy head.
Smell – after of years of drinking “normal beer” and then years, without, the smell of barley/malt is immediately foreign and recognizable to me. Pleasant grainy smell with and maltiness and grassiness.
Body – smooth and creamy with a medium body and good carbonation
Taste – malty and bready with a taste of honey, full, dry finish
Overall – Good flavor, well balanced and very drinkable, this lager reminds me of the Canadian Lagers I used to drink when I was younger.
Brewed by: Widmer Brothers Brewing Company, Portland, Oregon
Alcohol by volume: 4.6%
Awards: Gold Medal, Gluten Free Beer Category, 2012 Great International Beer and Cider Competition.
Silver Medal, Helles Lager Category, 2013 Great International Beer and Cider Competition
Gluten Content Warning from Omission website:
Product fermented from grains containing gluten and crafted to remove gluten. The gluten content of this product cannot be verified, and this product may contain gluten.
Glutenberg India Pale Ale
Not everyone likes India Pale Ales (IPA’s), and that’s because they can be very overwhelmingly dominated by the strong, flowery, yet bitter taste of hops. However, for those of us who like IPA’s, we really like them!
If you are a fan of IPA’s, then I think you’ll like this one.
The Story Behind India Pale Ales
I’ve heard this story told several different ways, but the following is the story as I understand it.
In the 18th and 19th centuries, India was a big outpost for Britain. British sailors and soldiers stationed there wanted beer. It was said that brewing conditions in India were no good, so merchants from England decided to send beer to them. Back then the only way to send beer was to pack kegs in ships for the long, slow journey. Normal beers wouldn’t hold up long enough to make this long trip, and still be drinkable when it reached its destination. If this pale ale was going to make the trip it would need a preservative to hold it, and keep it good for several weeks beyond standard beers. Well, it turns out that there was already a preservative in beers, they just needed (a lot) more of it. So huge amounts of hops, and a good deal more alcohol were added to these ales. both hops and alcohol work as known as preservatives. The hops and the long sea journey changed the flavor enough that this beer needed a new name. These India Pale Ales, (AKA: India ale, pale India ale) were brewed this way, and sent to British soldiers in India, until folks in England got a taste and wanted more. Later similar brews were exported to the United States.
Glutenberg has done a remarkable thing with this India Pale Ale, they have made a legitimately good-tasting beer with no barley and no sorghum. I’m certain that other gluten-free breweries are scrambling to figure out how the heck Glutenberg pulled it off!
Look: pours a pale golden caramel color with a very thin stringy head and minimal lacing.
Smell: the first thing I smell is the undeniable order of hops, the citrusy, floral, almost Christmasy, hops are fragrant and dominant.
Body: medium-bodied with a foamy and dry feel.
Taste: Piney citrus and caramel with crisp bitterness and some earthy grains. Overall well-balanced
Served in a 16oz can
6% alcohol by volume
Ingredients: water, millet, buckwheat, corn, black rice, candi syrup, corn maltodextrin, hops, yeast
Winner of the Gold for Best Gluten Free Beer- 2016.
For more information, visit the Glutenberg website
Brewed and Canned by Brasseurs San Gluten, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
Brunehaut Organic Amber Ale
This Belgian Amber Ale is well crafted Ale and an excellent stand-by gluten free beer.
I have limited experience tasting Belgium beers. In fact, there are only two Belgium gluten-free breweries that I’ve tasted, Brunehaut and Green’s. I couldn’t help but notice the similarities in both, including high-quality ingredients, and highly crafted tasting brews. In fact, I’d have to say that these Belgium breweries create my favorite sorghum-based, gluten-free beers.
Brunehaut Organic Amber Ale, like most sorghum-based beer, is best-served cold. Once sorghum beers start to warm up the bitter taste of sorghum seems to rise up. I’ve found that Brunehaut’s gluten free beers can be hard to find at grocery stores, but are carried my many craft beer stores.
Tasty and drinkable, this one’s a keeper.
Tasting Notes:
Look: reddish brown earthen color with a 3 finger foamy off-white colored head.
Smell: earthy caramel and malted barley
Body: creamy and medium-bodied with lots of carbonation.
Taste: sharp barley and rich, earthy flavors with a burst of creamy bubbles in the middle, with a smooth finish with a dry, slightly bitter aftertaste.
Brewed in Brunehaut, Belgium. An artisanal brewer, Brunehaut employs ancient Belgian brewing recipes and practices, dated back to as early as1096. Combining top (in-bottle) fermentation with modern production technologies, Brunehaut’s beers are consistent with 1000+-year-old Belgian brewing tradition.
Website: brunehaut.com
Alcohol by volume6.5%
Glutenberg White
I feel at a bit of a disadvantage when tasting Glutenberg White. This Belgian Wheat style brew is a style that has become popular, and commonly available since the time I was able to drink regular beer. If you ask me to review a lager or an ale my comfort level, and experience with these styles goes back to the 1990’s. But for this Belgian style, popularized by beers like Blue Moon, I’m a “rookie”. However, if Glutenberg White is representative of this style, can quickly tell why this style of beer became so popular in the U.S. and Worldwide.
It’s hard for me to tell you just how excited I became when I heard that my state of North Carolina was going to carry the line of Gutenberg beers. The Glutenberg reputation of good tasting, quality, gluten-free beers preceded itself. My friends in other States in the U.S. have been talking about Glutenberg for years. Now that I’ve tried a few styles of Glutenberg’s offerings I can now backup their claims: Glutenberg brews excellent gluten-free beers!
Glutenberg White is a good beer, but the big breakthrough for the Glutenberg Brewing Company is that fact that they use truly innovative, gluten-free ingredients, (Buckwheat, Millet, Amaranth, Quinoa,) that don’t include the notorious Sorghum, and without resorting to the controversial method of removing the gluten. This is a beer that tastes great and is safe for Celiacs. My hat goes off to Glutenberg for making beers like this one!
Here are my tasting notes:
Look- cloudy, pale- caramel color with a thin, white lacy head.
Smell – bitter hoppy smell with a hint of citrus.
Body – light-bodied and frothy.
Taste – light, citrusy and grainy taste with a smooth citrusy middle and a very smooth finish with a lingering taste of coriander.
Overall this brew is a little light for my typical beer taste, but it was still very drinkable. I’d be happy to drink it anytime!
Ingredients: Water, Buckwheat, Millet, Amaranth, Quinoa, Hops, Coriander, orange peel, yeast
16oz can (sold as singles or in a 4 pack)
Website: https://glutenberg.ca/usa/beers/white
5% alcohol
Celia Saison
This Belgian-inspired Saison/farmhouse-style beer used to be brewed by the Alchemist. The brand was bought, and is now brewed by the Ipswitch Brewery.
I never had the opportunity to taste Celia Saison while it was being brewed by the Alchemist, but I do know that it was relatively early in the gluten-free beer market, so that quality wasn’t so important.
The Celia Saison website says that it tastes like Orange peels and Irish Moss. But this beer isn’t as subtle as these flavors imply, and it isn’t nearly as good as it should be.
I’m not saying that this beer is low quality, but I am saying that when I taste this beer I can’t help but think that it’s not what it should be. Honestly, something about it tastes off. In my opinion, this beer is not very drinkable and isn’t worth pursuing.
Tasting notes:
Look: Pours pale golden yellow with a foamy one finger white head.
Smell: strong citrus and hoppy smell
Body: thin and bubbly
Taste: starts off with a strong sour and citrus taste and leads way into yeasty flavors and ends with a distinct sorghum aftertaste
6.50% Alcohol by volume
Brewed at the Ipswitch Brewery, Ipswitch, MA
Bard’s Gold
I first had Bard’s several years ago. At that time it was one on the few gluten free beer’s available, and I was happy to have it.
In the past few years Bard’s hasn’t been as readily available in my local stores in North Carolina. I found this bottle, the first I’ve had in 5 years, in a specialty beer and wine store.
Crisp and drinkable, without a noticeable sorghum taste makes Bard’s a good solid gluten free beer.
As the beer warms up that unpleasant sorghum taste starts to creep in, so I suggest you keep this one cold.
Overall this beer is well-balanced, and drinkable.
Tasting Notes:
Look – hazy golden color with a thin head that was almost immediately gone
Smell – malt, apples, honey
Body – crisp and thin with moderate to high carbonation
Taste – crisp front taste with distinct apple and caramel notes, a thin middle and a finish that tail off with a slight sweet aftertaste.
4.6% Alcohol by volume
Brewed and bottled by Bard’s Tale Beer company, Utica, NY
Website: bardsbeer.com
New Belguim Glutiny Golden Ale
As a young guy growing up 20 minutes from the Canadian border I drank lots of Canadian Beers. The most readily available and in expensive was Molson Golden. This beer brings me back to my Molsen Golden days. Back then it was more about quantity than it was about quality, and Molson Golden fit the bill. This Glutiny Golden Ale is a similar beer, light and refreshing, but does’t have a lot to report in the favor department,
In terms of gluten content, this golden ale comes with the following warning: “This product is fermented from grains containing gluten and crafted to remove gluten. The gluten content of this product cannot be verified, and this product may contain gluten.”
Unlike other gluten free beers, this beer does not reassure us about their careful processes, if flat out warns us. So Celiacs beware. Further reading on the website tells me that New Belgium uses the R5 Competitive ELISA method to ensure that their gluten-removed beers test below the standard 20ppm.
Tasting Notes:
Look: light golden color with a thin head
Smell: lemon, apricots and hops
Body: crisp and clean with medium carbonation
Taste: malty and slightly sweet with a very light, watery taste.
This beer is drinkable, but I wouldn’t seek it out.
Alcohol by volume: 5.2%
Brewed by New Belgium Brewery, Fort Collins, CO
Website: http: newbelgium.com
Brunehaut Organic Belgian Blond Ale
I’ve been meaning to try this organic Belgium artisanal ale for several years, but it isn’t readily available in the area of North Carolina where I live. When I ran across it recently I bought a bottle right away. After trying it for the first time I wish I would have brought a six pack. Brunehaut actually has a few gluten-free beers, and if the others are as good as this Blonde ale, I’ll be stocking up on all of them!
Brunehaut Brewery claims that this beer is brewed with its own barley and uses their own unique and natural gluten-removal process that puts the gluten level under 5ppm. This is well under the 20ppm standard for considering beers (and other foods) to be gluten-free.
As always, I have to warn those of you with Celiac disease that many people believe that despite testing, gluten-removed beers aren’t safe. Speaking as someone who has celiac disease, and is very sensitive to gluten, I did not get sick after drinking this beer, and I greatly appreciate the lower parts per million standard of 5ppm that Brunehaut adheres to with this is beer,
The heady taste of barley ( yes barley) and the smooth, bubbly body and the the dry finish make this beer a keeper.
Tasting Notes:
Look – very carbonited, poured with a big foamy head with lacing and a pale opaque golden color.
Smell- very malty and yeasty smell that is slightly floral
Body – smooth, foamy and crisp
Taste – well balanced and drinkable with yeasty, earthy flavors and a dry and slightly bitter finish.
Winner: Belgium – Gluten-free Beer – Silver Medal 2016
6.50% Alcohol by volume
Brewed by Brasserie De Brunehaut, Brunehaut, Belgium
Website: brunehaut.com
New Grist Gluten Free Ginger Style Ale
New Grist Brewery, one of the first gluten free brewers in the U.S. has created a new brew which is their pilsner-style Gluten Free beer and Added Ginger to it. This has both of the words ginger and ale in it, but this drink isn’t for kids.
This is classified as a beer, but I’m tempted to put it a cider category given its body, and taste.
Tasting Notes:
Look – pourslight-golden colored and frothy with a quickly disappearing white-foamy head
Smell: Strong dry-ginger aroma, overwhelms any others
Body – light and dry with medium carbonation.
Taste; The ginger taste reminds me of the pickled ginger that you eat with sushi.
The taste goes from very dry ginger to a very bitter underlying note, that I recognize as sorghum. It finishes very dry with a lingering bit of that spiciness that you may expect from ginger.
4.7% alcohol by volume
Made from rice, sorghum, ginger, hops and yeast.
Served in a 12 oz. bottle.
Brewed at Lakefront Brewery, Milwaukee, WI
Website: lakefrontbrewery.com
Green’s Discovery Amber Ale
Another of Green’s strong beer offerings, this Amber Ale is very drinkable, with a rich, complex flavor that speaks to the quality I’ve come to expect from this Belgian brewery.
Tasting Notes:
Look – I could tell right away why they call this an amber beer by the reddish, opaque, amber color. It poured with a light head that dissipated afer around 30 seconds.
Smell reminded me of a smokey cider, with a bit of herbal hoppiness
Medium body with bubbly mouth feel.
The Taste is light with a strong middle that smacked of bitter sorghum caramel, with a light smooth finish, and little aftertaste.
served in a 16.9-ounce bottle
6% Alcohol by volume
Brewed by DeProef Brewery, in Lochristi, Belgium
Website: merchantduvin.com
NGB Gluten Free Lager
NGB is Trader Joe’s contribution to the world of gluten-free beer.
I’ve been hearing rumors that the local Trader Joe’s finally had a gluten free beer in stock. Since there isn’t a Trader Joe’s in out town I asked my brother to pick me up Trader Joe’s Gluten Free Beer and he came back with this NGB gluten free Lager. I asked him why he didn’t bring me back a 6-pack and he said he “didn’t want me to be stuck with all 6 beers if I didn’t like it.” Funny, just a few years ago I would have drove half way across the state for one decent gluten free beer. Now I get the opportunity to be picky.
By the way my brother made the right call. I can’t imagine a situation where I would ever want to drink 6 of these.
From what I can gather about this beer, Trader Joe’s contracts Minhas Craft Brewery to brew it for them. There is no website for the beer itself and the Minhas website has several of it’s own beers, including it’s own gluten free offerings, but also a big section about
Private and custom label and contract packaging, leading me to assume that Trader Joe’s contracts this beer out to them.
My biggest question is this: what does ngb stand for? Leave me a answer in the comments if you know.
Overall this beer was very light and watery. Not much flavor to report. I’m not sure why this beer is considered a lager, but there is little in it that I would equate with the taste of a lager.
However, this is the first gluten free beer that I’ve seen available at Trader Joe’s, and its made from sorghum, so its a true gluten-free beer. For these reasons I salute ngb and Trader Joe’s (raised glass).
Tasting Notes:
Pours very light and watery with a golden yellow color and a foamy white head that was gone in 30 seconds.
The smell is of barley with a hint of sweet honey.
The taste is very a light toasted barley with a sweet apple. This beer shares several characteristics with a light apple cider. I can detect a hint of our old friend sorghum, but just slightly. Props to the folks at NGB for doing such a job of hiding the sorghum flavor, but they seem to have gotten rid of the rest of the flavor at the same time!
The NGB body is light and watery, with medium carbonation.
Overall, If it was a hot day and I was looking for a light beer to just quench my thirst, I’d reach for this beer instead of Redbridge, but I’m afraid that’s the best thing that I can say about this forgettable lager.
4% alcohol by volume
Brewed and bottled by Minhas Craft Brewery, Monroe, WI
New Belgium Glutiny Pale Ale
As a person whose grown to love pale ales, this beer doesn’t disappoint. Interestingly I never liked pale ales in my “pre-gluten-free days”. It’s only been in the past few years that I’ve begun to really appreciate the hoppy, and citrus flavors, with the bitter aftertaste that is unique to this type of beer. And now I can gladly say that I can tell a good pale ale from a bad one, and this one is very good, and it’s brewed by an excellent brewery.
I was told by the guy that sold me this beer that unlike other gluten-removed beer which test to under 20 ppm, this gluten-removed beer was tested to under 10ppm. As somone who is highly sensitive to gluten and keeps track of these things, I really appreciate New Belgium going the extra length to account for the safety of gluten free beer drinkers like myself!
Tasting notes:
This beer pours a deep caramel brown with a fluffy white 2 finger head.
The sweet, floral bouquet jumped to meet me before I even got my nose close to the glass. I also detected hints of apple, citrus and vanilla.
Medium body that is creamy and dry with a decent amount of carbonation.
This beer hints at strong hops with the smell, but delivers very little of that in the mouth, but does retain a tropical fruity (think guava) taste. It is clean and dry with a bitter, barley infused aftertaste
6% Alcohol by volume
served in a 12oz bottle
Brewed in Fort Collins, Colorado by New Belgium brewery
Website: newbelgium.com
Foret Libre Saison Ale
This gluten-removed Belgium Ale is an excellent, very drinkable beer, in fact it just became one of my favorite gluten-removed ales. This beer was hard to find, but well worth seeking out.
Siason Ale, also known as Farmhouse Ale, is an old Belgium style that is typically brewed in the winter to serve in the summertime. There was a time when farm workers would be given this ale while they work to keep them cool and refreshed.
This beer is refreshing and delicious enough to make me willing to work out in a field just to earn a bottl
Tasting Notes:
Look: This beer poured with a big, fluffy off-white head with an opaque, pale golden body.
Smell: The aroma was floral and yeasty.
Body: rich and carbonated.
Taste: taste very much like an ale, the kind of ale I remember drinking years ago. It has a clean, slight lemon hint with a smooth creamy finish.
Made with the same yeast and recipe as the famous Saison Dupont, named the “Best Beer in the World.
Served in a large 1 pt 9.4 oz bottle ( 750 ML)
6.5% Alcohol by volume
Brewed by Brasserie Dupont, Tourpes, Belgium
New Planet Blonde Ale
Light beer made from Sorghum without the bitterness of Sorghum.
I happened to be drinking this beer on a cold, winter day, but I could imagine that it would be much more appealing if served on a summer day. Overall this beer was uneventful, and too light on flavor to make it worth it for me.
Tasting Notes:
Yellowish golden brown colored body with a fizzy 2 finger head that completely dissipated in about a 60 seconds.
Subtle smells of hops and orange. Body is fizzy and watery.
Light taste, was a bit watery for me, but this Ale had a smooth, clean finish.
Made from sorghum and brown rice extract
Served in a 12 oz. bottle
5% Alcohol by volume
Brewed by New Planet Beer Company, Boulder, CO
Website: newplanetbeer.com