5 Gluten-Free Beers for the Brew Aficionado

When you're going out and you're on a gluten-free regimen, you pretty much have to assume that the beers on tap at most establishments contain gluten. After all, the vast majority of beers are made with wheat and/or barley as base ingredients. For the beer-lovers among us, this can be a real drag. But this doesn't mean you have to forgo beer entirely in your home. There are a number of gluten-free beers on the market today bottled by companies that go out of their way to make sure beer can be enjoyed by the gluten-free community. I did a little research and was able to find a number of craft brewers and beer-makers who offer gluten-free brews:

1.) Bard's

Bard's beer, described as "the original sorghum malt beer," is a craft beer specially developed by two men diagnosed with celiac disease who felt it was unfair that good beer was out of reach for the millions of people who had the same disease. The beer contains no wheat, barley, rye or oats. The company name is Bard's Tale Beer Company.

2.) Redbridge

Redbridge beer is also made from sorghum and is made without wheat or barley. Targeted toward those with celiac disease and those on wheat-free or gluten-free diets, the beer is described as "a rich, full-bodied lager" with a "well-balanced, moderately-hopped taste." Redbridge is a product of Anheuser-Busch.

3.) Green's Gluten-Free Beers

This UK-based beer company specializes in producing a number of gluten-free beers. Options include Premium Golden Ale and Premium Pils, as well as Blonde, Dark and Brown Ales. The beers get their signature taste from de-glutenized barley malt and hop varieties, its website indicates.

4.) New Planet Gluten-Free Beer

Based in Colorado, this brewing company specializes in producing a number of gluten-free beers and uses sorghum as an alternative to wheat and barley. On its website, the company goes out of its way to explain the detailed process it goes through to make sure their beers are gluten-free. Beer options from New Planet include Tread Lightly Ale, 3R Raspberry Ale and Off Grid Pale Ale. New Planet is also an environmentally-friendly operation.

5.) New Grist Beer

Based in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, the beer capital of America, Lakefront Brewery, Inc. produces a gluten-free beer brewed from sorghum and rice. Lakefront sells other, non-gluten-free beers as well, and its website lets you search for distributors in your area.

These represent just a small sampling of some of the best-known gluten-free beers. Bottom line? You don't have to give up your favorite beverage when you go gluten-free! Just remember everything in moderation.

Author Bio:

This guest post is contributed by Leslie Johnson, who writes about health, green living, parenting related articles at masters in health administration.