Gluten-free beer

People who have gluten intolerance (including celiac disease and dermatitis herpetiformis sufferers) have a reaction to certain proteins in the grains commonly used to make beer, barley and wheat.

Beers brewed mainly from cereals such as millet, rice, sorghum, buckwheat and corn (maize), which do not contain gluten, do not trigger an autoimmune response in celiacs.

Although the barley hordein in such tests may not be detected, smaller pieces of these proteins, known as peptides, may remain and be toxic for celiacs.

[citation needed] Those involved in gluten-free brewing, and others representing celiacs or those with other conditions that require a gluten-free diet, tend to be concerned that beer brewed using wheat or barley are not appropriate for those with celiacs or dermatitis herpetiformis,[3][4] although the carefully controlled gluten levels of particular malt brews of England and Finland may be low enough to be consumed in relative safety (Against the Grain, 5 ppm; Sinebrychoff Koff III, 20 ppm; Laitilan Kukko Pils, 4 ppm).

According to tests done by the Argentine Coeliac Association (ACELA) and the Swedish National Food Agency, several brands of beer including Carlsberg, Corona and Pilsner Urquell contain less than 20 ppm, allowing them to be described as gluten-free.

[14][15] The first gluten free beer to be granted label approval by the US Government is New Grist, brewed by Lakefront Brewery in Milwaukee, WI.

This is commercially manufactured from sorghum grain to be a malt substitute and contains amino acids and unfermentable sugars needed for yeast nutrition and "mouth feel".

The first international gluten-free beer festival[20] was held in February 2006 in Chesterfield, United Kingdom, as a joint enterprise between the Campaign for Real Ale (CAMRA).