Beer # 146 Bard's Gold Gluten Free

Bard's Gold Gluten Free

Bard's Tale Beer Company

Utica, New York, USA
Independent
Gluten Free Golden Lager 4.7 % ABV Brown Glass Bottle 355 ml.
$2.22 (Canadian) At LCBO ($13.30 for a six pack)
Twitter: @Bardsbeer

Tonight's beer is one that rides in the grey area of malted alcoholic beverages. Which leads us to ask: what is beer really? The short answer is an alcoholic beverage made from malted wheat, rye, or barley. In the USA, they have laws that state beer must be made with at least 25% barley. Most large American Macro Brews contain high amounts of rice and or corn (adjuncts) but must maintain that 25% barley to legally use the term "beer." However, outside of that, is something that has no grain in it beer? Well yes, and no. The lines are still being drawn and I'm sure infighting amongst the Beerluminati will continue for some time. But the category that is getting the most attention and which will probably be classed as a beer soonest, is Gluten Free. 1 in 1000 people have the auto-immune disease called Celiac's. It is a ailment that prevents the proper absorption of nutrients in the intestines caused by the gluten in grains. Gluten is the protein that makes your bread rise, your pizza dough stretchy and thickens your sauces. It also can confuse the immune system in a person with celiac's disease and make it attack their intestinal lining. Now I said it affects 1 in 1000 people, which doesn't sound like much, but when you consider that in Canada that equals 35,000 people and in the USA over 3.5 Million. (and most are undiagnosed. Some sources also say the figure could be 1 in a 100, but that has not been proven yet). So that leaves us with almost 4 million people in North America who can not enjoy a cold beer on a hot day. Enter Craig Belser and Kevin Seplowitz of Utica, New York. Both diagnosed celiacs and beer lovers, they decided they needed to open a craft brewery dedicated to people like them. Tonight's beer is the result of their efforts.

If you believe you have Celiac's Disease it is VERY IMPORTANT, that you seek out a Doctor trained in autoimmune diseases who can properly diagnose you. Entering into a very restrictive diet such as gluten free is very difficult and potentially dangerous to your health if you are not a celiac. For more information go here in Canada, here in The USA, here in the UK.

Onto our Tasting.

Light gold in colour, thin white head that disperses quickly. Nose is sweet grain, apple and citrus. First taste is thin, sweet, and slightly medicinal. Apples and grapes, some tartaric acid, tangy. Slightly watery. Has a club soda, or tonic water feel in the mouth. Lightly chemical, quinine, slightly flinty and mineral. Aeration brings out more of a medicinal chemical taste.



Impressions: Fail, So-so, Pass, Exceptional 

Cost: 5/6 PASS
Colour: 5/6 PASS
Beer Style: 4/6 PASS
Re-Order:  3/6 SO-SO
Experience:  4/6 PASS

Final Thoughts:

Very wine like, very gassy. It felt like a "Beer and Tonic." Not unpleasant, I would certainly drink it as a non-celiac. It did indeed make me think I was drinking a beer. If you are a celiac, or just curious about GF beers it is a must try.

Cheers

CJT


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Beer # 111 St. Peter's G-Free

G-Free


St. Peter's Brewery

Bungay, Suffolk, England
Independent
Strong Ale 4.2% ABV Green Glass Bottle 500 ml
$4.00 (Canadian) At LCBO
Twitter: @StPetersBrewery

These days is seems as everyone is rushing to put out their own gluten free "beer." I put beer in quotation marks because, the definition of beer does not include sorghum in the accepted ingredients list, it is still a bit of an outlander. This will of course be changed in due course. I outlined in another Gluten free beer post some of the difficulties one American brewer had trying to produce a gluten free drink. Due to strict US law saying there must be a minimum percentage of barley in every beer produced in the US for it to be called beer. Read about how Lakefront Brewery's overcame these issues HERE. Until legislation changes most gluten free "beers" are still being labeled as "Alcoholic Beverages," and tonight's beer is no exception. Plus, once we are allowed to call this product a beer, there will need to be some guidelines on gluten free styles. and it may come down to ingredients (I.E. sorghum, grape must, fruit juices, teff, etc.) and other adjuncts. It will be a process. Then, there will be an inevitable diversification until we get stouts and lagers and Belgian trippels. Until then we have this smattering of gluten free beers.

St. Peter's is an English brewery with a difference. Founded in 1996 It is best known for its bottle shape... reminiscent of a 19th century bottle. The brewery has made s commitment to preserving the "old ways" of brewing beer. Working with flavours that have fallen out of favour, or regular use by brewers, and a few styles that haven't necessarily been seen lately. Tonight's beer was first 

introduced in August of 2007 and has won several medals and commendations around the world....

Enough background. .. let's get on with the (gluten free) tasting. 

 

Light gold in colour with a frothy white head of little substance comprised mainly of medium to large bubbles. Head disapears almost completely before first sip. Carbonation is high, bubbles cling to the side of the glass not unlike a carbonated soft drink. Aroma is sweet, apple, citrus, and hops. Light scent of flowers and herbs. First sip gives us jumbo citrus flavour, lots of orange, and zest. There is a light taste of green apple from the sorgham. Slight medicinal orange taste from the amarillo hops, and the aftertaste is bitter orange peel. Aeration brings out the green apple.

Impressions: Fail, So-so, Pass, Exceptional

Cost: 6/5 PASS

Colour: 6/5 PASS

Beer Style: N/A 

Re-Order:  6/5 PASS

Experience:  6/5 PASS

Final Thoughts

Of all the Gluten free "Beer" (alcoholic beverages), this is by far the one that tastes most like beer. There is hops and good fruity flavour. However I do find it slightly out of balance, and the pithy bitter orange peel at the end can sometimes sour the taste. Good for gin, but not always a good match for beer. Still very high marks from a great brewery, please do try.

Cheers

CJT

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Beer # 34 Lakefront Brewery New Grist Gluten Free

 Back again with a new post.  Lately many people have become aware of gluten intolerance. It is an allergy to  two specific proteins, glutenin and gliadin, found in grass-like grains such as barley wheat and rye. Symptoms for the condition vary depending on the severity of the allergy, and can range from simple indigestion, to severe weight loss and malnutrition. Other people may experience joint pain or lack of energy and ability to focus. What is gluten? Gluten's two proteins combine in the presence of water to form a structure similar to the many tiny holes in a sponge. They trap they moisture and when heated the moisture turns into steam and expands, causing a "rising" effect. The places you will most often notice this is breads (all those little tiny holes are gluten), cakes and gravies; the moisture trapping abilities allow gravies to be thickened. If you would like to know more visit www.celiac.ca in Canada or www.celiac.com in the United States. In other countries just type "celiac" into your web browser. So what does this have to do with beer you are ask? Well I'm glad you did. Barley, wheat, and rye are the three grains most commonly used in beer making. Although the proteins responsible for the allergy do not play a role in beer making, the extraction of the proteins prior to the process is impossible; so there is always a trace amount of gluten in the finished product... which unfortunately, leaves beer on the no-no list for most celiacs.

Sorghum

 Now beer CAN be made out of other things. Rice for instance which does not contain gluten can be made into beer and has been for thousands of years. In Japan rice wine or rice beer is Sake. I say it this way because wine is made from fruit and beer is typically made from grains while the Japanese consider Sake to be wine, is is more closely related to beer (but actually... neither! In Canada we call beer made out of rice... Budweiser). Other grains used in beer production are called "adjuncts" and are usually frowned upon. The German purity law (Reinheitsgebot) forbids them but some larger companies in search of cheap fermentable starches mix them in with the other grains to reduce costs and "soften" flavours (I say blandify). In some countries sorghum is used to make alcoholic beverages. Sorghum is a tall grassy plant that produces tiny round grains in a large heavy cluster. The leaves are similar to corn and the stalks look like elephant grass. China makes a sorghum "whiskey" called Maotai. Some other countries make beer out of it and another grain called millet, which we feed to chickadees in the winter.

Sorghum Grains

Tonights beer combines Sorghum and rice to produce one of North America's first gluten free beers New Grist is produced by Lakefront Brewery Inc www.lakefrontbrewery.com out of Milwaukee WI. The first brewery in the US to bottle a 100% organic beer in 1996 (Organic ESB) and the first to develope a successful and viable gluten free beer. Unfortunately when they first released it they were not allowed to call it a beer as it didn't contain the required 25% barley dictated by US law. So they successfully petitioned the U.S. Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau and won the right to call their product beer.


Very clear to pale yellow colour with an off-white head of medium bubbles that dissipate quickly. 5.7% ABV in a 355 ml brown glass bottle. The aroma is mild and fruity, like fresh cut apples with a little isopropyl alcohol. Tart and fresh green apple over light bready notes. Finish is crisp and clean, not unlike an apple cider with a beer feel. Aeration gives a slight "sake" note indicating the rice in the mix.


Overall results: (Fail, So-so, Pass, Exceptional)

Taste: Exceptional
Cost: Pass (In Ontario it is $13.95 for a 6 pack or $2.33 a bottle)
Colour: Pass
Beer Style: N/A This is a new beer style
Re-order: Exceptional
Experience: Exceptional

Final thoughts: I am giving high praise to this beer, and it wasn't an easy thing to do. When you are tasting a gluten free beer you have to step back from convention and look at the larger picture. (1) Is this a beer? Yes and no. It is made from grain, it has hops, it has an alcohol content that is indicative of beer. However, the strict definition of beer it is not.  (2) Does it taste like beer? Yes and no. There are bready notes some mild hint of hops, but a lot of apple. (3) If I could no longer drink regular beer, would I be content to drink this for the rest of my life? Yes, undoubtedly. The flavour is good, it reminds me of beer, and well... I enjoyed it. Most importantly it is the only beer I can sit down and share with my sister... a Celiac.

Cheers

CJT

P.S. There is two gluten free beers in Canada made by a brewery in Quebec, as soon as I can get my hands on them I will review them