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Celiac.com 03/04/2023 - Being diagnosed as a celiac is always a bittersweet moment. On one hand, we are relieved to finally be able to point to the cause of our long-winded illness. On the other hand, we are inundated (or not) with information about the foods that we can no longer eat. For many of us finding out that we can no longer drink beer is quite a shock. Granted, good gluten-free bread seems to top the list of the most requested gluten-free products, and there are now satisfactory substitutes. When it comes to beer, however, there are no substitutes. Yes, we can drink wine and some other alcoholic beverages, but beer has always had a place in the hearts of the millions. Can you really drink a glass of wine while watching a ballgame or eating a pizza? We think not. The key to brewing gluten-free beer is to understand why barley is deemed to be the perfect brewing grain and used as a base ingredient in almost every commercial beer on the world market. Since brewing beer is heavily based upon the principles of chemistry, determining alternative techniques and ingredients is very difficult, though not impossible. As diagnosed celiacs, we felt that by studying the chemical principles of malting and brewing, we could find a suitable gluten-free ingredient mix and brewing process that would result in high quality gluten-free beers. We also feel that using natural ingredients is critical to the beer’s quality, and we would not want to use any processed ingredients even if it meant lower costs. After several years of testing alternative grains and recipes, we were finally able to prove our hypothesis correct—high quality gluten free beer is not only a possibility—but is now a reality! As part of our venture, we feel that it is also important to educate celiacs and non-celiacs about the issues of gluten and alcohol, obviously concentrating on beer. There have been claims by several companies that their beer is safe for celiacs. We have been unable to confirm or refute these claims— but we do know is this: lagers are deemed to have less gluten than ales, with the lighter lagers (such as pilsners) containing the least amount of gluten. Unfortunately, the global medical and scientific communities do not agree on a safe lower limit of gluten that people with celiac disease can ingest on a regular basis. Another area of controversy is based upon the lack of published research on the gluten sub-components known as peptides and their involvement in celiac disease. While most, though not all, gluten proteins are broken into the smaller peptides during the brewing process, it is unclear whether the remaining peptides are problematic for celiacs. More research is needed in this area before being able to recommend barley-based beers to celiacs. After strong showings at The Gluten Free Living Conference of our Pale Ale and at the Celiac Sprue Association Conference of our Blonde Ale, we are extremely confident that commercial production will begin early in 2003. We have received a lot of e-mail inquiring about our beer and expressing the desire to get some as soon as possible. We are working as hard and fast as possible to make this a reality for all beer-drinking celiacs.

Celiac.com 04/07/2017 - If watching all those pints of Guinness being downed on St. Patrick's Day left you wishing that someone, somewhere in Ireland, would brew a tasty gluten-free stout, your wish has come true. The people at the 9 White Deer brewery have heard your whispered wishes and responded with Stag Saor. Ireland's first gluten-free stout, a beer that puts a fresh twist on the Emerald Isle's long stout-brewing tradition. Now, a gluten-free stout was not always part of the plan. Less than a year after found the 9 White Deer microbrewery, co-founder, Don O'Leary was diagnosed with a gluten intolerance. Rather than view this development as a setback, however, O'Leary and his partners used it as fuel to drive their business. Working with his partner, the former marine engineer, Gordon Lucey , O'Leary set about creating the company's first gluten-free brew. O'Leary says that developing Stag Saor "changed everything for the business." Their market research taught them that, while Ireland has a fairly high percentage of people with celiac disease, it has a relatively paltry number of gluten-free beers. Saor launched in 2015 and received a bronze medal at the 2016 Blás na hEireann awards, winning against traditional beers in a blind taste test. Offered a preview sip of the new stout, writer Kevin Kennedy, calls the beer "top quality... as good as if not better, than any bottled stout I've had in the past." The 9 White Deer brewery draws its name from a 6th Century fable, in which angels told the famous Irish Saint, Gobnait, that she would establish an Abbey and a church on a site where she found 9 White Deer. The sight is just down the road from the brewery, which now employs eight people, in Ballyvourney, Co. Cork. Source: Newstalk.com

Celiac.com 03/08/2016 - A tiny new brewery, the 3,000-square-foot, totally gluten-free, Holidaily Brewing Company is now open in Golden, Colorado, home to beer industry giant Coors. Holidaily will brew all of its beers without barley or wheat, free from gluten and the component proteins that can adversely affect people with celiac disease or gluten intolerance. Holidaily joins a handful of other small Colorado breweries producing gluten-free beers, including New Planet Beer in Boulder and Great Frontier Brewing Co. in Lakewood. And, several major brewers make gluten-free beers, including Anheuser-Busch, maker of gluten-free Redbridge Ale, and Widmer Brothers Brewing, makers of gluten-free Omission beer. However, Holidaily is Colorado's only dedicated, gluten-free brewing facility, and just the the 5th in the United States. That means there is no gluten ingredients anywhere on the premises, so there is no chance of cross-contamination. Operations at Holidaily are overseen by head brewer Wayne Burns, who was quoted in Craftbeer.com saying: "The key to the deliciousness of our beer is high quality ingredients and knowledgeable employees. We use the finest locally sourced, malted, gluten-free grains as the base for our beers." In a statement on the website, owner Karen Hertz says that Holidaily is out not just to sell beer, but to actually improve "the lives of people who have likely been sick with a wide range of symptoms. We are on a mission to give people a good, gluten-free beer drinking experience. It's really about so much more than beer." Currently, Holidaily beers include Favorite Blonde Ale, which has an A.B.V. of 5%, and is made with American Ale Yeast, Bravo, Cascade, Centennial Hops, and Pale Millet, Pale Buckwheat and Munich Millet supplied locally by Grouse Malting and Roasting in Wellington, Colorado. In their taproom, Holidaily also offers two other specialty craft brews, Riva Stout A.B.V 6.75%, and Fat Randy's IPA, A.B.V 7%. Holidaily Brewing Co.'s brewery and tasting room are located in Golden, Co. at 801 Brickyard Circle. Have you tried any of the Holidaily beers? Would you? Share your thoughts below. Find out more about Holidaily beers at Holidaily.com. Read more at: RockyMountainBrewRuns.com and at BizJournals.com.

Celiac.com 01/27/2015 - Gluten-free beer drinkers rejoice! The first completely dedicated gluten-free brewery in the UK will open in Scotland in 2015. Edinburgh-based Bellfield Brewery was founded by a group of friends, two of whom have celiac disease, and will be dedicated to the creation of naturally gluten-free beers. Even though there are a number of naturally gluten-free, and some gluten-removed beers, already on the market, the news will doubtless put smiles on the faces of beer-loving celiacs and people with gluten-sensitivity, who must avoid traditionally produced beers to remain healthy. Bellfield Brewery plans to widen the range of available gluten-free beers by producing a premium IPA, and eventually, a stout, lager, with other beers to follow. To accomplish their goal, Bellfield’s owners are currently working with a number of master brewers in Scotland to develop new gluten-free recipes. Bellfield will debut its first products by summer 2015. What do you think? Do we need more and better gluten-free beers? Are you game for a gluten-free IPA?