Gluten Free Beer

[lovegrov]

My guess is your boyfriend shouldn't drink. Some people develop bad reactions to alcohol of any kind.

richard

[DMatt]

Because of this he does not drink. I just thought that perhaps someone else may have had the same symptoms and would be able to steer me in some direction to research. He has seen an allergist with no luck. As you are aware, he has given up a lot ---- with minimal complaints. I am just trying to do a little research and maybe find some answers. I am sure he would appreciate being able to kick back some day and relax and perhaps have a gluten free beer. My research continues.

[kvogt]

dmatt - I *think* you are describing Rosacea (ro-ZAY-shuh). Here is some info I found on google:

Rosacea is a condition where the skin of the face becomes swollen and inflamed, leaving the skin looking red and flushed. Usually the nose, cheeks, chin and forehead are the most prone.

It usually appears in fair skinned people between the ages of 30 to 55, and affects those who have sensitive skin and blush easily. It seems to run in families and is more likely to affect women than men.

The early stages of rosacea appear simply to be intense blushing attacks, but the skin may become permanently reddened if these attacks continue.

Spots and tiny blood vessels appear just under the surface of the skin, causing swelling and making the skin feel extremely over-sensitive.

In more aggressive or severe forms of rosacea, the nose can become particularly affected, becoming swollen and bulbous. This is known medically as rhinophyma and is usually associated with alcoholics, although it's not necessarily confined just to this group1.

Solving the Problem

Unfortunately there is no cure for rosacia, but it can usually be effectively controlled if you are aware of several external influences that may aggravate the skin.

Temperature extremes - Heat is a major cause of flare ups, so avoid hot baths and showers, dress in cool, lightweight clothing (avoid woollens completely).

Hot drinks - Tea and coffee particularly, but any hot drink bring on flushing.

Strong sunlight - Keep the face shaded as much as possible, use a strong sunscreen (at least SPF15) even on shady days. In other words, stick to sensible sun exposure practices.

Spicy foods - Avoid Chillies, curries, pickles, mustard and horseradish.

Alcohol - Even a few sips can affect some people.

Certain skin care products - Avoid using wrinkle creams, cleansers containing alcohol, exfoliating/abrasive cleansers.

For help and advice contact the National Rosacea Society, a US-based site.

[tarnalberry]

Actually, the reaction you describe to alcohol (the turning red) is not that uncommon. (I believe it is more common in those of Asian decent, but I could be wrong about that.) There's nothing in particular to do about it - I believe it is a variety of allergy, essentially - other than avoiding alcohol. (Some drinks may cause worse reactions than others - possibly because of the alcohol content.)

[DMatt]

Thank you so much ---- I did check the Rosacea site and it did not appear to be that --- he even checked with the doctor who believes it is some type of intolerance to alcohol. Not that my b/f was/is a big fan of drinking but every so often it would be nice to have a sip - lol Anyway, the scary part for me is to see how inflammed he became after only a sip and this just started out of the blue. No big deal, he can refrain from alcohol but it would be nice to solve the mystery - he did have Baileys in hot chocolate one evening with no side effects ??? Thanks for responding. I am new at this and will learn the proper way to reply to these threads . . . . I guess I will have to start over on a new thread to inform all of the great chocolate chip cookies and brownies that Whole Foods (once known as Fresh Fields) has at their in-store bakery. I think my b/f likes them better than mine.

Thanks again. Debbie

[TeachK71]

Hi!

I had posted about Ramapo Valley Brewing about a year ago and the price has really come down. I think it was $45 a case and $15 shipping at that time. All I remember exactly is that it was $60 and someone had posted back that some of the bottles were damaged when they had gotten it. I wasn't going to buy it for $60 and with some being damaged, but sounds much more reasonable now.

Kim

[astyanax]

sometimes when i drink i get really red cheeks - i think it does happen more to asians but i've also noticed it in those of irish descent. i'm not sure exactly how bad your bf's is but mine is sort of just like ok well there's nothing i can do about it! if it's not too too bad you should look around - i bet there's other people at a party/etc. that have the same thing going on and it doesn't seem like it's gluten related - good luck !

[lilliexx]

i just want to say, i drink heiniken and it doesn't bother me at all. i trust that their beer is gluten free. i have been drinking it the entire time i have been gluten free ( abut 8 months) if i eat something comtaining gluten i usually feel sick right away, so i am convinced that heiniken is ok. i know there has been quite a lot of controversy about that here. my suggestion would be to try it, and if it bothers you don't drink it. but theres no way i can buy beer that costs 60$ a case. that is just highway robbery!!

[ianm]

I too have never had a reaction to beer. I only drink Newcastle Brown Ale or Guinness Stout and Heinekin if the other two aren't available. I usually can tell within a few minutes if I have ingested gluten. There is a lot of confilcting info on beer. It seems to me that there isn't enough gluten in it to trigger a reaction in me.

Ianm

[tdrew]

My question would be that even though you have felt no reaction, was damage still being done to the intestinal track? Anybody know?

Tom

[VegasCeliacBuckeye]

Tdrew,

The short answer is yes.

Even if you do not feel nauseated, abdominal cramps or diarrhea, you may be hurting yourself.

Think about times when you had diarhhea but did not feel bad.

Many celiacs have osteoporosis, but have never felt any nausea. Some people are "silent celiacs" that will never feel symptoms until it is too late (cancer).

I do not trust Heineken or Amstel.

If their President was Celiac and drinking it every day, I might change my mind.

Until then, science is science. Even if you can't feel it, your body reacts in some manner to any form of gluten.

There are plent of other choices out there until Bardsbeer goes to every state (which will be soon enough).

In the meantime, read a book about wine, drink some wine, drink some Rum, some sipping tequilas, potato vodka, corn vodka.....whatever youy like, but I would not drink Heine or Amstel.....

JMO

[paulwwww]

gluten-free Beer!!!! There is a little heaven here on earth. I will be sure to check it out...

[tdrew]

I'm going one step further, investigating brewing my own gluten-free beer. There is some info on the Internet. Should be fun!

--Tom--

[jmeder]

I've been trying to get info from Bard's Beer now that their Dragon's Tale is ready for sale. I haven't received any response from my emails and can't find any info as to where they are actually located to try and get a phone number. Has anyone had any success with their company or tried their beer? I'm trying to get some gluten-free beer for my husbands birthday.

Is anyone aware of any other gluten-free beers available for sale in the US other than the stuff that's $45/case?

[grungle]

O'Briens premium lager. Gluten free; available in australia form april onwards. Cannot wait.

[shellysep]

Real gluten-free beer is now available in selected locations from Bard's Tale Beer.

The taste reviews are extremely favorable and the typical response is that "it tastes like real beer". It is available in a growing number of states, in grocery stores, retail beer stores and restaurants. Go the the web site - www.bardsbeer.com for a list of places to purchase. BierKraft (www.bierkraft.com)in Brooklyn, NY will ship to many locations, if there is no place near you that sells "Dragon's Gold" yet.

If the beer is not in your area, ask your local retailer to contact Bard's Tale to make arrangements to get the beer to your location.

I am Kevin Seplowitz's father. Kevin and his partner Craig are the celiacs who founded the company. This may sound like a commercial but trust me, you will love this beer. I am very proud of what Kevin and Craig have done to bring you a truly remarkable product. Let me know if you agree - 203-595-9090.

Sincerely,

Shelly Seplowitz

[Connie R-E]

Okay! It's taken 2 years, but I figured it out! WoHoo! I answered my own question--Research, research, research!!!

You buy a brewery planner, do a market research survey, contact every vendor you'll need, go to breweries and conventions, find a site, write a business plan, have a pro help with the Pro For mas, obtain capitol, go to the bank, and then build it! Easy? Not really! But, I'm doing it.

I'm stuck on the "obtain capitol" part... (I've done the rest up to here)

So, here is my question:

Where should I go to look for investors who would want to buy shares in a gluten free brewery?

I'd like to give some fellow Celiacs the chance, but where do the investor-types meet?

Any ideas? I need help!

Cheers!

Connie

www.darkhillsbrewery.com

How does one go about starting a microbrewery?

I mean, I homebrew 2 different gluten-free beers (a red beer--hopsy and strong like a dark beer, and a lemon beer--sweet and sour like a lemon-aide beer) for myself and friends, but I'm not much on the business end...

Anyone out there with some business sense? What steps would I have to go thru? How would I find investors? How much do microbreweries cost?

I'd love to make it for more people!

Connie

gluten-free since 1-'98

convienently located in NW Arkansas