Category:Gluten Free Beer

The vast majority of beer contains gluten, but the vast majority are not labelled as containing gluten. Most breweries are, for all practical purposes, gluten factories. If it’s made from barley, wheat, or rye; gluten is part of the deal. If you want or need gluten-free beer, you have to go looking for it.

There are exceptions. Styles like ginger beer and cider are typically gluten free due to their base ingredients being gluten-free. Likewise, rice lager and buckwheat beer can be gluten free — but only if they’re brewed exclusively from rice or buckwheat.

Some rice beers still include wheat or barley in the grain bill. Even if rice makes up the vast majority of the beer, any wheat means gluten, and that makes a big difference for people who need to avoid it.

Gluten Free vs Gluten Reduced vs Gluten Free Ingredients

People avoid gluten for various reasons, such as coeliac disease, gluten intolerance, wheat allergy or even a lifestyle choice to avoid gluten.

Gluten Free

Safe for coeliac, gluten intolerant and wheat allergies.

• Gluten Free beers contain no gluten and are brewed in a dedicated gluten free environment.
• No barley, wheat, or rye used
• No shared brewing or packaging equipment
• Considered safe for those with coeliac disease
• Subject to strict food labeling laws in countries such as Australia

Gluten Reduced

Coeliacs & wheat/gluten allergy/intolerance should exercise caution and potentially avoid.

• Gluten Reduced beers start life as a normal beer, brewed using gluten-containing grains and barley. Enzymes are added to break down the gluten during the brewing process.
• Cannot be labelled “gluten free” in some countries, such as Australia
• Can be labelled gluten free in some countries if the amount of gluten detected is below a defined threshold (20ppm in England)

Gluten Free Ingredients

Coeliacs & wheat/gluten allergy/intolerance should exercise caution and check what other products are made in the same location.

• Gluten Free Ingredient beers are brewed using ingredients that do not contain gluten, but are produced in breweries that also brew standard gluten-containing beers.
• No gluten-containing ingredients used
• Ciders brewed by breweries often fall into this category
• Brewed on shared equipment leading to a risk of cross-contamination
• Cannot be labelled gluten free in some countries, such as Australia
• Can be labelled gluten free in some countries if the amount of gluten detected is below a defined threshold (20ppm in England)

Gluten free beers & breweries by country

• Gluten Free Beer in America
• Gluten Free Beer in Australia
• Gluten Free Beer in Canada

Gluten Free & Alcohol Free Beer

There are a huge amount of alcohol-free ciders on the market. As long as your cider of choice is not produced alongside gluten-containing beer, it is typically safe for people with coeliac disease.

Traditional beer that is both gluten free and alcohol free is quite rare. One notable example is Sobah, a brewery that produces beers which are both gluten free and alcohol free.

	Beer Style	Brewery	Country
Bilpin Blood Orange Cider	Cider	Bilpin Cider Company	Australia
Bilpin Non Alcoholic Cider	Cider	Bilpin Cider Company	Australia
Bilpin Non-Alcoholic Cider Apple & Ginger	Apple & Ginger Cider	Bilpin Cider Company	Australia
Bilpin Non-Alcoholic Cider Apple & Raspberry	Cider	Bilpin Cider Company	Australia
Sobah Davidson Plum GF Ale	Ale	Sobah Brewery	Australia
Sobah Wattleseed Gold GF Ale	Ale	Sobah Brewery	Australia