Is there Gluten in Beer?

Do you often find yourself craving a chilled can or a pint of beer after a tiring day to unwind yourself? But are you also health conscious and look for ways to keep your consumption as healthy as possible? It might also be leading you to question whether there is gluten in beer or not.

Whether at a party or just a relaxing evening at home, beer is a vital consumption for some people. When the usage is high and regular, we must think about the long-term effects on our health.

So, the simple answer to this question is that this drink in its original form is not gluten-free. To understand this reasoning better and to know how to find gluten-free beer, let us first analyze what beer consists of and what gluten is.

Composition Of Beer

There is a lot that goes into the making of your favorite beverage, often more than what meets the eye. The main ingredients for the making of beer are water, malt or cereals, hops, and yeast.

Water makes up for around 93-94% of the components of beer.
But during the brewing process, usually, grains like barley or wheat are used, which have very high gluten content in them.

Once the water is filtered, it goes on to the next process of mash, where crushed malt mixes with it.
Once it sets, the hops from the hop plant are added to the solution while it boils.
After the addition of the hops, the process of breaking down and converting the sugars into alcohol is done by adding in the yeast.

Once all components are brought together and mixed, the batch stays for fermentation, where real flavors of beer come out. It, in its entirety, is the composition of beer and how the beer is made.

What Is The Gluten Content In Different Beers?

Gluten is nothing but a protein. You can find it in grains like wheat, barley, and rye.

While gluten does not gravely harm most people, people with underlying celiac disease or those with a natural allergy to gluten avoid it. Consuming gluten may cause their illness or allergy to become aggravated.

The different types of beer and their gluten content are as follows:

Lager Beer– this contains 63 parts per million of gluten
Stout Beer– contains 361 parts per million of gluten

Ales Beer– contains 3,120 parts per million of gluten
Wheat Beer– contains 25,920 parts per million of gluten, which is the highest one.

How Does Gluten Enter Beer?

In the normal process of making beer, it usually goes through 4 steps.

Firstly, the filtering of water, where the manufacturers make it fit for use and manufacture of the beer.
The second step involves the addition of hops. The hop plant, or as it is scientifically called Humulus Lupulus, has the hop flowers. These are majorly responsible for the flavor of the beer and the level of its bitterness.
Grains or malt go together to the mixture. It is when the required sugars release into it, which helps in the process of fermentation. It is these sugars that convert into alcohol. The different grains used are wheat, barley, and rye, all of which are large gluten-containing ones.

Yeast is the next ingredient, which is the last process of the manufacturing of beer. The addition of yeast leads to the fermentation as these single-celled organisms digest the sugars from the grains, thus turning them into alcohol and fermenting beer into an alcoholic beverage.

The ingredients used in a particular beer may differ from one brewery to another as they each want to add a unique flavor to their product. These different sugars, flowers, or choice of grains are what gives the beer its color, fragrance, and taste.

Gluten-Free Beer

Since the second major component in beer after water is wheat or barley. Beer in its natural form was not gluten-free until recently.

Due to the high demand for gluten-free beer, most manufacturing companies have taken to fulfilling the request and turning their beer into gluten-free products. As the demand is rising, so is the availability of gluten-free beer.

There are two ways of manufacturing gluten-free beer, which are being rapidly adopted by all the breweries that have come forth to produce it.

The first process is to use the crushed malt from grains, which naturally do not contain gluten. It means that the use of wheat, barley, and rye is out of the question. Instead of these gluten-containing grains and cereals, the breweries make use of gluten-free cereals or pseudocereals. For example, rice, maize, quinoa, buckwheat, millets, or sorghums. You can easily differentiate between the regular beer and beer made with these cereals as they have a different taste and aroma than the previous ones.

The second process of making gluten-free beer is first making the beer in the regular method by using the gluten-containing grains like wheat, barley, and rye and then putting the beer through a process to reduce the content of gluten in it. Here an enzyme may be used right at the beginning of the fermentation process. This helps break down the gluten content in the beer.
This enzyme is a protease one which works to chill the haze in the beer. It reduces the level of gluten protein in the beer and takes it down below the allowed 20 ppm. The Brewers Clarex is an example of this patented enzyme.

However, completely gluten-free beer is scarce as the FDA has approved to term beer as gluten-free even if it has 20 parts per million of gluten in it as the upper limit. While some countries allow such gluten-free beers, some others require a complete absence of gluten to be termed “gluten-free beer.” Therefore, it is wise to check what rules are and approved by your country before picking a particular gluten-free beer.

Is Gluten-Free Beer Safe For Everyone?

There is no surety that people with celiac disease or other underlying diseases, and sensitivities to gluten can be safe by consuming beer, reducing the quantity of gluten.
It is why you must always opt for completely gluten-free beer rather than a gluten-reduced one.

Typically the breweries and manufacturing plants mention on the labels whether the beer is entirely gluten-free or has reduced amounts below 20 parts per million. They also mention the grains used in the brewing process, which will give you a fair idea of the amount of gluten.

If you are a regular beer drinker, you surely would have noticed a gradual increase in your weight, especially with belly fat.
It happens because of the sugars in beer and the alcohol that the manufacturers make by converting the sugars by adding yeast.
The gluten in beer is also highly responsible for the bloating that you experience after consuming beer.

You should always consume gluten-free beer because of the many benefits that it has. Let us now look at some of the benefits that gluten-free beer possesses.

Gluten-Free Beer Benefits

Given today’s lifestyle and diet consumption, it has been playing havoc on everyone’s health that lets their guard down. There is an evident rise in cases of people who are developing an intolerance to gluten, which in turn causes other diseases.

Especially for those with celiac disease and other underlying diseases, you must avoid beer with gluten lest your system may react adversely.

It may cause your intestines to flare up and cause diarrhea, nausea, fever, and such other symptoms.
There is a difference between the dangers of consuming gluten-containing food and drinks in people with celiac disease and those who suffer from a sensitivity to gluten.
But it is best that both avoid it.

Gluten-free beer benefits aren't always known, but once you know of them, you surely will always opt for a gluten-free beer every time you indulge in it. Even if you are not sensitive to gluten or don't have celiac disease, consuming foods and drinks that are gluten-free is always beneficial. Here are some of the benefits of gluten-free beer.

Internal Organ Health

When you consume gluten-free foods and drinks, you keep your body clear of any potential harm that it can cause. Prolonged intake of beer with gluten can harm your organs. By opting for a gluten-free beer, you can take the first step towards protecting your inner health.

Bodyweight

Beer is known to cause an increase in body weight. Adding on to it the effect of gluten, you are sure to experience tremendous bloating and discomfort. To avoid this, and to feel less pain after consuming beer, it is always better to opt for a non- gluten one.

Kidney Stones

Beer is an excellent handy remedy to cure any kidney stones or gall bladder stones. The components of beer cause the stones to reduce in size and pass through, thus relieving you of all discomfort and pain.

Gluten-Free Beer List

Given the steep rise in demand for gluten-free beer, most brands have been manufacturing and supplying these mostly. But it is advisable only to buy beer from such trustworthy brands and check their labels before zeroing in on your choice. So here is a list of the best gluten-free beer brands which you should check out.

These are highly recommended by people who have used them and majorly opt for them.

These brands have their content and ingredients list mentioned on the labels. You should always check the labels before buying a beer. If you order a pint or two at a restaurant, make sure that you ask to check the label before consuming it. This way, you can be sure that you are drinking only gluten-free beer.

Where Can You Find Gluten-Free Beer?

Whereas gluten-free beer could only be bought from a store before, it has now become effortless to order gluten-free beer online at a click. Most breweries and companies have expanded their businesses online and have made their gluten-free beer deliveries available to their customers.

While some send in the orders through their delivery systems by ordering on their website, others still make the deliveries available through big delivery agencies where you will have to look for your desired beer brand.

The added benefit to the online ordering system is that there is a possibility of stock running out soon due to the high demand. In contrast, online ordering has replenished stock, and you can always get yours in no time.

Final Words

Have you considered that gluten-free beer can be a wonderful gift for people who love this drink? Just as other forms of gifting have been prominent over the years, gifting a gluten-free beer basket to your loved ones has also become quite popular. Now you do not need to worry about getting a last-minute gift for your friends. You can gift them a whole basket full of goodness!

Most brands deliver a readily made basket of different beer, which you can get for your friends and family. They surely will be thanking you for the sweet and chilled gesture!

Cheers!

If you are wondering about gluten content in other alcohol, check out this guide here ——>>>>> https://healthyeahlife.com/is-there-gluten-in-alcohol

Author

Recent Posts

Karin Banghart

Karin is a Certified Integrative Nutrition Health Coach, specializing in Gut Health.
She is passionate about helping others understand their body.
The key to figuring out why you feel the way you feel is to take a more significant look at what is going on inside you & even around you, and then ask questions!
She is excited to help & support you on your journey of optimal health and wellness!

Latest posts by Karin Banghart (see all)