Quick beer-brewing lesson: most beer is made from barley. Barley contains gluten. Therefore, most beer is not gluten-free. This is why I am absolutely fascinated by this new process by which the Craft Brew Alliance and Widmer Brothers Brewing in Oregon have made a barley-based gluten-free beer. It's science meets craft brewing in the best possible way.
Earlier this year, the Craft Brew Alliance (CBA) with Widmer Brothers Brewing released Omission Lager and Omission Pale Ale. These were two gluten-free beers brewed—somehow, someway—with barley as their base. It seemed impossible. Most other gluten-free beers rely on gluten-free grains like sorghum, which get close (but not quite) to regular beer.
The secret to this gluten-free beer is surprising. According to a recent press release, it's an enzyme that's actually been used in the brewing industry for years to reduce chill-haze, the undesired cloudiness in some beers from suspended proteins. This enzyme works as a clarifying agent to break down those proteins, and apparently, it breaks down gluten right alongside.
Combine that with an already low-gluten barley and with keeping equipment completely sanitized, Widmer Brothers is able to produce a beer that meets the gluten-free standards of less than 20 ppm. They also sell exclusively in bottles, never in kegs for restaurants to put on tap, to reduce any risk of cross-contamination.
Pretty nifty, right? Here's the bad news, though: the beer is currently only available in Oregon. You can drop them a note on their website to let them know you'd like the beer in your state.
• The Process by Which Omission Beer Becomes Gluten Free, press-release via BeerPulse
• Omission Beer: Drinking is Believing
Have any of you tried this beer yet? Do you think it shows promise for gluten-free beers?
Related: Sorghum to Cider: 5 Gluten-Free Beers and Beer Alternatives
(Image: Omission Beer)
How To Cook Fluffy, Tasty Quinoa
How to Make Buckwheat Soba Noodles from Scratch
Good Food to Share 
The Big Book of Small, Cool Spaces 
Apartment Therapy Presents 
The Eight-Step Home Cure 
Martha Concrete Lam...
Dirty Little Secrets of Tidy Families
Hillary & Michael's Refined Roost
I actually just had Omission at a bar in Seattle... it was delicious! I don't know that I would have tried it had the bartender not been a friend (who's wife is celiac) as it just sounds like ti might be a risk. But it was great! Very delicious. I enjoy Redbridge but there's something about being able to have a "beer beer".
There are quite a few stores in Seattle who carry this beer, including Whole Foods! Probably because Portland is our quirky neighbor :).
I just bought this beer for my gluten-free brother TWO DAYS AGO! (In a Whole Foods, in NorCal.) He really liked it.
I'd like to know who is calling this gluten-free, and what kind of tests has it undergone? Because if it has barley, I do NOT consider it gluten-free and wouldn't touch it with a pole.
This really worries me because the top allergens have to be declared on packaged foods under new FDA guidelines, but as we all know FDA does not regulate alcohol, that's the ATF's job. So this really, REALLY concerns me, as a long-time serious Celiac (over 12 years now). I'll stick to my husband's gluten-free homebrew.
I'm a beer wholesaler in North Carolina and we got these beers earlier this month.
The current FDA-approved gluten assay is NOT suitable for complex mixtures like beer, so an alternative is needed both to test for residual gluten, and, more importantly, the safety of the final product. Earlier this year, the TTB, which regulates beer labeling and advertising in the US, took a cautious stance in its interim ruling on barley-based beer. A review about the challenges of testing for gluten in beer can be found at:
Is "gluten-free" beer made with barley malt safe for celiacs?
I live in Portland and found this on a whim. The pale ale is amazing- a great pale ale regardless of its gf status. I don't know if this appropriate for celiacs but for those of us who just have gluten intolerance, this beer changed my life.
Seriously- yum.