The Best Gluten-Free Beer
We sniffed, sipped, and spit more than forty of the most widely available gluten-free and gluten-reduced beers to bring you the best lagers, pale ales, Belgians, and browns for your frosty mug. Break out your bottle opener (and can-opening thumb) because these are the cold ones worth cracking.
By Erin Ng
GLUTEN-FREE BEERS
Gluten-free beer is beer that is made from 100-percent gluten-free ingredients and thus is celiac safe.
Bard’s Gold
A malted sorghum lager; malty and lightly fruity with apple and caramel notes; $9.99/ 6-pack of 12-oz bottles. bardsbeer.com
Glutenberg American Pale Ale
Made from millet, buckwheat, and corn; sharp “regular beer” taste, with a sweet and bitterorange tartness; $10.99/4-pack of 16-oz cans. glutenberg.ca
New Planet Belgian Ale
A sorghum and brown rice lighter Belgianstyle brew; strong floral and honey sweetness; $7.99/4-pack of 12-oz bottles. newplanetbeer.com
Green’s Ipa
Millet, buckwheat, brown rice, and sorghum India pale ale; bitter, hoppy, and herbaceous, with citrus and faint coffee notes; $5.99/ 500-ml bottle. glutenfree beers.co.uk
Ground Breaker Ipa No. 5
Made from sorghum and organic lentils; moderate hoppiness and complex flavors of tropical fruit and earthy pine; $2.99/ 12-oz can. groundbreaker brewing.com
Glutenberg Blonde
A millet and corn creation for cider lovers; thin, slightly grainy, with strong apple and corn flavors; $10.99/4-pack of 16-oz cans. glutenberg.ca
Green’s Amber Ale
A combo of sorghum, rice, and buckwheat; grassy hops and hints of caramel apple; $5.99/500-ml bottle. glutenfree beers.co.uk
GLUTEN-REDUCED BEERS
Gluten-reduced beer is made from ingredients that contain gluten and is treated with an enzyme that eats the gluten, rendering it technically “gluten-free” from an FDA perspective. While some people experience no reaction, others do, depending on the brand.
Omission Lager
A malted-barley classic; summery honey and grassy effervescence; $9.99/6-pack of 12-oz bottles. omissionbeer.com
New Planet Tread Lightly Ale (Session Ale)
A mix of barley, malt, and rice; extremely light and fruity with a Coors Light drinkability; $8.49/6-pack of 12-oz cans. newplanet beer.com
Omission Pale Ale
Made with malted barley; hints of sweet caramel and malt with a nice bitter finish, comparable to a standard APA; $9.99/ 6-pack of 12-oz bottles. omission beer.com
Omission Ipa
A dry, smooth, malted barley– based brew; pleasingly mild bitterness and tropical undertones; $9.99/ 6-pack of 12-oz bottles. omission beer.com
Brunehaut Blond
USDA organic barley–based ale with apparent Belgian yeasts; very crisp and sweet; $13.99/4-pack of 11.2-oz bottles. brunehaut.com
Daura Damm
Spanish malted-barley import lager; refreshing and reminiscent of a standard macrobrew; $7.49/4-pack of 12-oz bottles. damm.com
Brunehaut Amber
A toasty, nutty barley–based dark; hints of citrus peel and a pleasant, woodsy aftertaste; $13.99/4-pack of 11.2-oz bottles. brunehaut.com
15 Comments on “The Best Gluten-Free Beer”
Gotta add New Grist (Gose Style) by Lakefront Brewery. Perfect GF beer for warm weather.
Holidaily in Colorado is the BEST gluten free. Ghostfish is also incredible.
Red Bridge is my fave whenever I make it to USA. New Grist is kind of sweet but refreshing.
Best GF beer I’ve ever had was at Departed Souls Brewery in Jersey City, NJ. It was a chocolate/coffee stout and it was exquisite! Best ever!
Ghostfish is great! Only one I’ve ever had that tastes like “real” beer-and I’ve tried most of these.
Thanks for the heads up! I’m gonna get my hands on some and review it!
That sounds YUM!
There is an awesome gluten free brewery in Tulsa, OK – NEFF Brewery that has so many great selections!
Stone Delicious IPA is gluten reduced and is amazing
Ghostfish should most definitely be on the GF list!
I also like the Glutenberg IPA
Thanks for letting me know!
We haven’t seen it in our stores lately, but my wife and I prefer the Brunehaut Triple.
(Not mentioned here.)
The 8.0 ABV triple is wonderfully smooth.
I love all of Glutenberg’s gf beers, especially their stout!
Thanks for the list!