Paleo Beer?
The gluten-free debate continues to rage, with critics claiming that ‘free-from’ products are entirely unnecessary for over 99 per cent of the population. But you can’t argue with the stats and 12 million Britons are now choosing gluten-free products, whether they need to or not.
Market research firm Mintel has pinpointed gluten-free beer as the next big growth area in the free-from food market, and it’s already on the shelves at M&S, Waitrose and Asda. Even Tennent’s, the most laddish of lagers, is preparing to roll out a version.
But with two of the main ingredients of beer – barley and hops – containing gluten, is there really any point in making gluten-free beer? And, more importantly, does it taste any good?
The rise of gluten-free beer
Forget craft beers: 2015 will be the year that gluten-free grog made the mainstream. As well as at the more exclusive food halls like Selfridges and Harvey Nichols, coeliac-sufferers can now shop for their pop at Asda, Ocado.com and M&S (who claim that their two gluten-free products were chosen entirely for flavour rather than the fact they are created without gluten).
Initially, gluten-free beer was developed so that people with coeliac disease – an autoimmune disorder which makes it hard for the body to digest gluten and can result in stomach pains and severe cramps – could enjoy the product. However with the rise of gluten-free as a lifestyle health choice (less than one per cent of the population are actually diagnosed with coeliac disease), breweries have begun to experiment with their offerings to try and achieve the same taste as a classic lager but without the gluten. It’s now becoming a product portfolio must-have, as consumers strive for healthier options at home and in the pub.
Cool, independent Scottish brewery BrewDog launched Vagbond gluten-free pale ale this month after it was voted the favourite in their 2014 Prototype Challenge, beating three regular beers containing gluten in a taste test. Tennent’s, a more established Scottish brand, is about to roll out a gluten-free version of its classic brew after a successful pilot programme in Italy. And Asda has seen a 140 per cent YoY increase in sales of market leader Estrella Daura, which it first started selling in 2010, saying: “On average we’re selling 4,000 bottles every week and expect this to increase even further as our shoppers get wind of this new gluten-free area, and we’re looking to introducing more free-from products across the range.”
Online pub guides now offer advice on gluten-free pit stops, and there are even awards for gluten-free pints (with Estrella’s Daura regularly trouncing the competition).
The brewing process, what’s different?
Normal beers are generally made using barley and wheat, both of which contain gluten. Gluten-free beers tend to use alternative grains and grasses such as millet, rice, corn, buckwheat or sorghum in place of these during the brewing process. This can give the drink a slightly different taste, as the dominant flavour of a traditional beer is the hops (CELIA is one gluten-free option that is made with hops that are de-glutenized).
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