Although beer isn’t good for you and you’d be best to avoid it entirely, chances are you’re still going to be on the lookout for a brew. If you are going to drink, please drink sparingly, with food and have plenty of water in between beers if the weather is humid. This goes also for those who are drinking beer that is made especially for them – gluten free beer.

Why Gluten Free Beer?

Over two million Americans are affected by Celiac disease, which is usually called “gluten intolerance”. That’s a large consumer population. The causes are not entirely known, but the results are painful but can be managed by diet changes. In Celiac disease, the sufferer’s digestive tract can no longer handle a protein called “gluten”, which is found in a huge variety of foods, especially those made from grains such as wheat, rye and barley. Barley is the main ingredient in beer. Drinking gluten-laden beer will make the Celiac extremely uncomfortable with cramps, irritable bowel and stomach upsets of various degrees. This pain can impact the Celiac’s whole quality of life.

Is It Still Beer?

At first, “gluten free” beer was actually brewed with a minimum amount of barely and a lot of buckwheat and sorghum. But now, there are tasty 100% gluten free beers on the market – even one made by the giants Anheuser-Busch called Redbrigde, which is entirely brewed from sorghum. Most gluten free beers are made by smaller breweries, so they may be more difficult to find.

Although healthier for those with gluten intolerance, does gluten free beer taste like beer? According to online review sites, where anybody can weigh in with their unpaid opinion, the verdict is that each brand of gluten free beer has their own distinctive taste. The one that came out tops in the best taste was Redbridge, which was often compared to tasting like sweeter regular beers on the market like Sam Adam’s and Killian’s.

Gluten free beer has the same beautiful golden color as regular beer and can produce a frothy, foamy head. One reader on an online review site suggested drinking your first gluten free beer with a gluten free food in order to better adjust to the taste, if you prefer more bitter beers.

And, just like regular beer, you can still get drunk on gluten free beer. You still need to drink responsibly and not operate any vehicles or heavy machinery after drinking it.