Suffering from celiac disease or a gluten intolerance is no picnic, especially when a typically beer-soaked occasion like St. Patrick’s Day rolls around. Lucky for the growing gluten-free community, lots of breweries have created their own gluten-free beers that are giving regular suds a run for their money. Read on for local gluten-free experts’ favorite picks.
1) Omission
Diane Eblin of the Whole Gang says Omission is a favorite of everyone she knows who drinks gluten-free beer. Her son, who drinks both regular and gluten-free beer, touts the pale ale for having a pleasant hint of citrus with a clean aftertaste.
2) Daura
Blogger Valerie Mirko of City Life Eats admits she’s not a huge fan of beer, but says she’s only heard good things about Daura. The beer is brewed by Estrella Damm.
3) New Planet Raspberry Ale
If you’re a fan of fruity beers, check out New Planet’s Raspberry Ale, suggests Vanessa Maltin Weisbrod, executive editor of Delight Gluten-Free Magazine. The brew has won numerous awards at national beer festivals and goes well with foods rich in herbs and spices.
4) New Grist
Made by Lakefront Brewery, New Grist is a pilsner-style beer with 5.1 percent alcohol. It was the first beer to be certified gluten-free by the US government.
5) Redbridge
Registered dietitian Cheryl Harris says Redbridge is the easiest gluten-free beer to find—it’s even sold at Nationals Park. The sorghum-based beer is brewed by Anheuser-Busch.
6) Dogfish Head Tweason’ale
Dogfish Head’s gluten-free beer replaces barley with sorghum to create a beer with a taste of strawberry, molasses, and malty buckwheat honey.
7) Bard’s Craft Sorghum Beer
Weisbrod says this beer is great for cooking. “The malted sorghum does wonders for baked goods and braised brisket or corned beef.”
