Harpoon Cider - Any Others Have Concerns?

[Megaroni]

Hi all.

 

Cider is my gluten-free drink of choice, especially in the lovely fall weather. Yesterday the fiance bought some beer for himself and some Harpoon Cider for me. Harpoon labels the beer "naturally gluten free" - I've had it twice before, once before being diagnosed, and once a few months back when there was significant drinking involved.

 

My glutening symptoms are best described as "hangover-like" - headache, digestive issues, achy body. I had 2.5 last night - pushing it for a week night, but hey, we're wedding planning, I needed something to push me through! Today I've got the symptoms of either a mild hangover or mild glutening - I've had much, much worse.

 

Harpoon says they only use freshly pressed apples and their in-house yeast - the yeast has me worried now, that it could be a by-product of their beers. Has anyone else had similar issues? I see from googling that many sites (from a year or two ago) assert it is NOT gluten-free, but they don't explain why, and I didn't know if this had changed. The Harpoon website also notes it tests to below 20 ppm - which makes me nervous too, because why both even testing it if it's "naturally gluten free"?

 

Appreciate anyone else's experience. I like it because it's less sweet than Angry Orchard etc, and almost has a beer-esque taste -- which maybe should have been a red flag? I'm likely going to call them later if this doesn't pass.

[kareng]

Hi all.

 

Cider is my gluten-free drink of choice, especially in the lovely fall weather. Yesterday the fiance bought some beer for himself and some Harpoon Cider for me. Harpoon labels the beer "naturally gluten free" - I've had it twice before, once before being diagnosed, and once a few months back when there was significant drinking involved.

 

My glutening symptoms are best described as "hangover-like" - headache, digestive issues, achy body. I had 2.5 last night - pushing it for a week night, but hey, we're wedding planning, I needed something to push me through! Today I've got the symptoms of either a mild hangover or mild glutening - I've had much, much worse.

 

Harpoon says they only use freshly pressed apples and their in-house yeast - the yeast has me worried now, that it could be a by-product of their beers. Has anyone else had similar issues? I see from googling that many sites (from a year or two ago) assert it is NOT gluten-free, but they don't explain why, and I didn't know if this had changed. The Harpoon website also notes it tests to below 20 ppm - which makes me nervous too, because why both even testing it if it's "naturally gluten free"?

 

Appreciate anyone else's experience. I like it because it's less sweet than Angry Orchard etc, and almost has a beer-esque taste -- which maybe should have been a red flag? I'm likely going to call them later if this doesn't pass.

 

 

A lot of companies test for gluten.  Legally, they feel better about calling things gluten-free.  Its possible its made on the same lines as beer?  That might be more reason for them to test.

 

I like Hornsby's.  They have one that says dry on it and its less sweet.

[Adalaide]

The best thing to do when you have concerns about a product is to contact the company with your questions. They are going to be far better equipped to answer your questions than any of us are. While we can all tell you what we drink, and let you know if we enjoy the product your asking about without issue, none of us will be able to help you with your actual concerns about the product. It only takes a few minutes to shoot off an email to the company and you'll feel a lot better for it.

 

I will agree with Karen that a lot of companies, while stating that something is naturally gluten free will still test for gluten. There are plenty of reasons for it and it isn't a reason for alarm. There are companies that produce only gluten free items in gluten free facilities and they still test every product. A company that chooses to test isn't a reason to be suspicious. After 2.5 you very well could have been feeling off in the morning no matter what you were drinking. My opinion is contact the company and until you have a reason to give them up, bottoms up! (but maybe with a bit more moderation and an aspirin and glass of water at bedtime )

[Celtic Queen]

How long have you been gluten-free?  I've notice my tolerance for alcohol dropped significantly after going gluten-free.  I can literally get a buzz off of one cider now   Maybe your tolerance has changed and your hangover really was a hangover?  Another thing is that you could be uncovering additional food intolerances and might be reacting to something in the cider - apples, yeast, the fermentation process, etc.  I've had to give up cider because I'm reacting to it

 

I haven't tried Harpoon because they don't sell it where I'm at, so I can't answer your questions about it.  If you want a drier cider than Angry Orchard, try Hornsby's (like Kareng mentioned) or Mangers.  Hopefully you can find both where you live.  I used to be able to get Hornsby's here, but Mangers bought them out recently and they don't distribute where I live, unfortunately.  Occasionally I can find Strongbow, which isn't bad either.  But mostly I'm limited to either Angry Orchard or Woodchuck (ugh).

[user853]

Check to see if there are sulfites in the cider. I have never had Harpoon cider either because it isn't available by me or it contains sulfites. Since going gluten-free anything with sulfites gets me.

Strongbow is great and not sickly sweet.