Wheat Free Beer

Believe it or not, if you’re on a wheat free diet, you can still imbibe! There are actually several kinds of wheat free beer available.

Usually, the wheat free bears available are also gluten free, so Celiacs and other people with sensitivity to gluten and wheat have more options now than they used to.

Recently, Anheuser-Busch released a beer that is both wheat free and gluten free, called Redbridge. Redbridge uses sorghum instead of wheat or barley.

This is the first big label beer to be both wheat and gluten free and was developed specifically for those who are unable to drink the usual available beers. Redbridge is described as a rich, full-bodied lager.

Another gluten and wheat free beer is New Grist, from the Lakefront Brewery in Milwaukee, Wisconsi, which won a gold medal at the 2006 Great American Beer Festival. It is also made from sorghum rice.

The company tests each and every batch to ensure that it is gluten free before releasing it. This means that those allergic to gluten can rest assured that the product is safe for them.

While created for and marketed to those with Celiac Disease, the company claims that it will be appreciated by all beer lovers.

Sorghum, the ingredient used in place of wheat and barley in these beers, is an ancient cereal grain that has several varieties. It is cultivated widely in Africa (where home brewed sorghum beer is very commonly available), and also in Southern Asia, Central America, and Southern Europe.

Of course, as its popularity continues to grow, it is now being grown in the United States as well. It is often used as a base for syrup, but it is also consumed as a grain.

In fact, sorghum flour, which is also known as milo, is now readily available as a baking ingredient for those with wheat and gluten allergies.

As more awareness of the benefits of a wheat free diet spreads, beer aficionados are hopeful that more large breweries will jump on the bandwagon and begin producing different flavors of wheat free beer that are drinkable by those with wheat and gluten allergies.