Want To Know How Much Gluten Is In A Beer?

These days, you can have beer any way you want it. With frizz, or without frizz, even regular to gluten free. Trying to figure out how much gluten is in a beer is a bit complex. Since beers are made from grains, many people assume that having an allergic reaction to grains will automatically make them allergic to beer, too.

This is not always the case, though, especially with the technology and innovations we now have, enabling beer companies to cater and produce for all types of market, even producing beer for the gluten intolerant peeps.

What is Gluten?

Gluten is a form of protein derived from grains like wheat, barley and rye. Note that gluten can be found in most grains, even corn and rice contain gluten.

Grains are one of the integral components of beer so finding a beer that does not contain any gluten at all is quite a puzzle, especially with the number of gluten-free beers now available in the market.

The Production of Beer

Beers are made from grains such as wheat, barley and rye. Like all alcoholic beverages, it is necessary to process and ferment the beer.

1. Once the grains have been harvested, they will be heated and dried until they crack which is necessary to separate the required enzymes for brewing.
2. The grains will then be submerged and squashed in very hot water, which should still be well below boiling point. This is necessary to break down the enzymes in the grains in order to separate the sugar.
3. The water, now containing all the sugar from the grains, will be strained to remove all the solid feed left. This is now called a wort, a term used to refer to the unfinished beer brew.
4. The producers will have to boil the wort for one hour, adding ingredients for flavor, as well as the preservatives in a few small doses during that time.
5. The wort will be left to cool before it is strained and filtered again for any residues and impurities, then placed in the container where it will be fermented. Yeast will be added to the wort in the fermentation bottle before it is sealed away and stored from room temperature to cooler temperatures, depending on the preference of the brewer.
6. The length of the fermentation also varies which gives all brewers the chance to make unique and awesome beers.

Must Read: 10 Uses for Beer (Other Than Drinking It)

How Much Gluten is in a Beer?

Given that beer is produced from gluten containing grains, it is important to know that the fermentation process is also partially responsible for the breaking down of the glutenous content of the brew. Producers take extra steps in ensuring that gluten free beers will contain as little gluten as possible, though, it is debatable whether a beer can be totally without it.

Up to date, there still has not been any actual proof that a beer can be totally free of gluten. Technology is still yet to be invented to measure the small amounts of gluten in a beer and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) have guidelines on the labeling of beers as gluten free.

A liter of normal beer may contain gluten ranging anywhere between 3 mg to 41 mg, depending on how and what it was made of. To understand this better, a slice of bread would normally have around 5g of gluten.

What this means is that you will have to drink at least 11 liters of a high-gluten beer before you can even get the same amount of gluten in a slice of bread. By any computation, that is an awful lot of beer to really have to worry about it.

If you are on a gluten-free diet, there about a hundred other recipes and dishes that you will have to avoid before you even have to worry about a glass of beer. If you are not concerned about eating a pinch of bread, then a liter of beer should not be the concerning, either. This, of course, is only in reference to gluten.

What Do Gluten-Free Beers Taste Like?

While the gluten-free part is still debatable, beers that are advertised as such were processed almost the same way regular beers were. The taste is also very much the same and there are some very awesome brands that you can try to enjoy a gluten-free beer without having to worry it.

There are several reasons why you may be avoiding gluten. Keep in mind that there is not absolute guarantee that beer can be totally without it, but if you are able to tolerate gluten in small doses, then you can definitely drink beer.

People who are allergic to bread find themselves tolerant with beers. It is better to be safe, though. So why not give other alcoholic drinks a try? If it is the frizz you are looking for, well, it is time to be innovative and recreate that frizz in another alcoholic drink!

Let me know what you think and share you comments below. I would love to hear what you think about this.