Gluten-Free Barley? What The Whaaat?

[Pegleg84]

Hey guys,

 

so, if you get the "updates" from Celiac.com, you'll have seen some thing about a german beer being brewed with gluten-free barley. At first I figured it was just another "gluten removed" scheme, but:
Open Original Shared Link

WHAT? Gluten-free barley?? Isn't that impossible? Barley contains gluten, right? Is there some kind of genetically modified barley out there? Has it actually been tested? Does anyone know anything about this? I want to see some science. If it's true, and it's safe (for celiacs. I'm not going to get into a GMO safety debate), then that's fantastic. But i'm highly skeptical.

 

Any insight on this? Would be good to get the whole picture before anyone starts thinking barley is safe or some such craziness.

 

Thanks!

Peg

[EzyEric]

Wow this is great news.  Hope it works out and spreads fast.  Hopefully it tastes the same as well.

[DougE]

Wow this is great news.  Hope it works out and spreads fast.  Hopefully it tastes the same as well.

I agree.  Somebody please tell me this isn't a hoax.

[RMJ]

Page 24 of the linked pdf shows how it was bred (non-GMO). It is not gluten free barley, it is low gluten, 5 ppm.

Open Original Shared Link

[bartfull]

And it was probably harvested on contaminated equipment and stored in contaminated grain bins.

 

No thanks.

[Gemini]

The article stated that they will treat this gluten-free barley like gluten-free oats.......processing, storage and transportation will be separate from gluten containing grains. That should take care of that problem.

 

5ppm's of gluten is considered gluten free by most standards and the number of people who would react to such low levels would most likely be tiny, compared to the number of people with Celiac Disease.  So....it is correctly labeled.  I think this is a great idea for those people who really miss their beer. I would not drink it, as I dislike beer in any form, gluten-free or not.  The only problem I could see is in the amount a person might drink.  The ppm's might add up if you went crazy and drank a six pack or more. 

[kareng]

The article stated that they will treat this gluten-free barley like gluten-free oats.......processing, storage and transportation will be separate from gluten containing grains. That should take care of that problem.

 

5ppm's of gluten is considered gluten free by most standards and the number of people who would react to such low levels would most likely be tiny, compared to the number of people with Celiac Disease.  So....it is correctly labeled.  I think this is a great idea for those people who really miss their beer. I would not drink it, as I dislike beer in any form, gluten-free or not.  The only problem I could see is in the amount a person might drink.  The ppm's might add up if you went crazy and drank a six pack or more. 

 

 

But I wonder - what percent of beer is actually barley? water is the main ingredient.  It may be really diluted down to even less ppm?

[Gemini]

That's a good point.  I think this is just another case of being overly worried about a non-issue.  They test the product in at 5 ppm's and that is not an amount that is going to cause damage in the vast majority of Celiac's.  For those who love beer, they should not fear trying the product.  If it doesn't agree with you, then don't drink it again. It really is as simple as that. 

 

Same case as with oats.  There are still those who choose to believe that a celiac should never eat oats, as it will damage your gut.  I love oats, eat the certified gluten-free ones and have never had a problem.  My blood work is always really good so I'm sticking with my oats! 

[bartfull]

Yeah but I thought I read that the tests for barley aren't very accurate.

[nvsmom]

I (accidentally) drank a "gluten removed" Daura beer that was gluten-free to 6ppm.  After that, I will never try another product started from barley even if it is supposedly safe.  I would wait and let others be the guinea pigs for a year or so and then reconsider it based on their experiences.

[cap6]

Here in Oregon we have a beer called Omission. It is barley based but has been highly processed to remove the harmful gluten. I have no idea how they do it but after processing it falls within the considered "safe" zone for gluten. My gluten intolerant partner and two gluten intolerant friends all drink it, love it and have had not issues with it. I, who am celiac, have not had it but then I have never liked beer of any kind. If I liked it, would I try it? Not sure. That said, I would think that a highly sensitive person might have problems but technically it is considered "safe".

[bartfull]

Cap, there are several threads here about Omission Beer. Do a search and you'll see that a bunch of people here tried it and got sick. And then there is this: Open Original Shared Link

 

Don't take the chance. There are other gluten-free beers that taste better anyway.

[Pegleg84]

The very idea that you can "breed" the gluten out of barley is pretty incredible. Indeed, if the testing is correct, 5ppm is ok for most Celiacs (though not me). Good on em! As long as it's marketed as still containing trace amounts.

 

I, however, am one of those people who can't handle the mysterious "gluten removed" beers, and though a beer brewed with this low-gluten barley would probably have less PPM, I probably still wouldn't touch it. There are quite a few good completely gluten-free beers out there now.

 

Still, Science! It's great there are people out there working on these problems.

[cap6]

Cap, there are several threads here about Omission Beer. Do a search and you'll see that a bunch of people here tried it and got sick. And then there is this: Open Original Shared Link

 

Don't take the chance. There are other gluten-free beers that taste better anyway.

.Thank you I was only replying to the poster. And, as I stated, my gluten intolerant friends can tolerate it but I would think those who are sensitive would have a problem.

[rimsch]

Not sure what you guys are talking about but here in germany we have this: Open Original Shared Link

However, this brewery apparently removes the gluten from the already brewed beer. Therefore it hasn't anything to do with "gluten-free barley" even though it indeed is brewed with barley.

Edit:

The brewery "Lammsbräu" that produces this gluten-free beer I posted the link to is honest enough to acknowledge that there have been celiacs reacting to their beer. Apparently, they even conducted a study in cooperation with a professor. I haven't read the study but the result was that they still can't make out the reason for some celics reacting to their beer. They assume that some celics may have "multi-allergies".

[bartfull]

I think it probably comes back to the fact that gluten in barley for some reason, doesn't show up as accurately on the tests as gluten from wheat.