KevinM

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Here's a bit more about the EZ test.
"The EZ Gluten strips are based on the Skerritt antibody, which sees both the gliadin and glutenin fractions of gluten. We prefer this antibody because people with gluten sensitivity have shown reactions to both fractions, and in our experience we have seen samples which come up positive with a Skerritt-based test that are negative with a gliadin assay.

That being said, there are a lot of factors which might effect the results of testing in beer, especially when enzymes are added. There is the processing of the product itself, the grains that the beer is made from, and the possibility that the enzyme is interfering with the test rather than destroying the gluten in the sample."

It seems that malt vinegar also doesn't trigger a gluten detection on the strips.

Oh, and of course: "Our goal with the EZ Gluten is to have a screening test with the lowest possible limit of detection. There is no way to prove the absence of gluten or any allergen, and I agree that all those who are sensitive should know that there is a limit to the sensitivity of all tests, and that some samples are going to fall below that detection limit."

pintail78

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they have updated their site and information. they claim that it works on beer now, and show a series of ez gluten test strips on barley, it looks like it works but at a higher level than wheat.

BTW Fawcett oat malt tested high positive with this, my gf beers test as negative.

KevinM

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The response I got was an inquery I made to them after seeing the Zymurgy article where even with a test Papazian said he had some detectable gluten amounts in his Slithy Trove beer. I received the response on 1/18/2011.
The key point of the strips I think are to say "Yes, there is definately gluten in this" vs, "It's probably under the limit (providing there isn't an interaction problem.)" Either way, there are plenty of people who can't trust this as a complete test, even if the strips test as negative.

I had asked about the vinegar tests where they say they "never had a vinegar sample test positive" and that included a malt vinegar and malt vinegar is essentially unhopped beer that had the acetobacter eat away the alcohol. No distillation involved. (compared to white vinegar which is distilled and watered down). (And yes, I'm really looking forward to turning one of my gluten free beers into vinegar at some point.)

Some barley beers were said to not show a positive, but people still have a reaction. Same thing with malt vinegar.

Personally, I just feel safer when I don't randomly eat things sourced from gluten and things with a high chance of cross contamination, so it was more informative than anything. I'd probably buy strips if I traveled outside the US, or didn't trust the waiter or something.

pufffee

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Hi Everyone!

I am new to site and to brewing in general. I actually have my first wine in clearing stages now, I think it is about 10-15 days away from bottling. I did not see this mentioned but figured I would let you know about this beer if you did not know already.

Daura - it is from Spain and certified but GF society because it is less the 6 ppm of gluten. It is made from real barely. Tastes like stronger lite beer if that makes sense lol. It is made by Estralla. I bet you they use this protein eliminator that is talked about on this thread. Either way, figured I would let you know. I have Celiac and have no reaction, other then paying $9 for 4 of them lol. I am going to be making the honey kit soon and look forward to learning from you guys and gals!

FYI. Celiacs are born with Celiac disease. You do not just get it. You sometimes do not develop or diagnose symtoms until late in life. It is one of the misdiagnosed diseases around.

DKershner

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You are born with the genetic capability of developing the disease and have the ability to pass it to offspring, but if there are no symptoms, there is no disease. This is why you can test children nowadays to see if they have the possibility of developing it.

Also, Daura definitely uses Clarex to make their beer. There are a few other European examples as well. They have either been listed in this thread or another...forget. No American company has done this yet because the FDA defines gluten free as 'comprised of no gluten containing ingredients'. Barley doesn't meet this definition and so is not deemed gluten free.

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tmwilkin

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I found a lab that will do a sub 20ppm test for gluten. My next several batches I am going to run those tests. I'll do a kit and one if these and see what results I get. It will be a early winter before I getbsome numbers though.

tmwilkin

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Well I was born with it but the genetics track back to northern europe as the start not America, not that it matters. Europe has been well ahead on the gluten free front for decades. America is only starting to recognize it, regardless there are certainly different levels of sensitivity...as with most things I suppose. Me one beer even light and I notice...

Noontime

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I would love to know where you're having it tested, how much it costs, and what their margin of error is. Not sure if I'll ever use it but its great to have that resource if needed.

I would also like to comment on "if there are no symptoms, there is no disease", and please keep in mind I'm not trying to start a debate or argument, merely wish to voice my opinion. I disagree with the statement...if I have a brain tumor that grows to the size of a grapefruit for 5 years and don't know about it until I slip into a coma, that doesn't mean I didn't have a disease for 5 years. There may be reasons for scientific and/or medical definition of disease, but from a practical standpoint it doesn't matter. If someone has anemia or osteoporosis but doesn't have any gastro-intestinal issues, that doesn't mean they don't have a disease just because anemia is not considered a "symptom" of celiac disease. Just my opinion.

__________________
David Noone
Noontime Custom Labels
www.noontimelabels.com

brew78

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Indeed, its not American in origin - if anywhere its northern European. As I understand it, its widespread enough in Finland that McDonalds commonly carries GF buns for the burgers. My mom's side of the family is from Finland so.. we're thinking thats where it came from.

That being said, I was diagnosed celiac while testing for general stomach problems but "lucked out" and got the "silent" variety. Its good because I can eat bread and drink beer without my innards feeling like they're ripping themselves out. Its bad because if I don't know something has gluten, my innards still rip themselves out without me knowing it. (Autoimmune disorders are so WEIRD to me).

I try, I read labels, I stay away from known gluten sources like soy sauce at a Chinese restaurant, but I think my lifestyle is "generally gluten free" at best. As such, I'd be really interested to learn more about this Clarex stuff.

tmwilkin

Recipes 

"Noontime" I'm using a company called Microbac out of Boulder, with a quantative test of about $80 per test. I'm a few weeks away from getting a sample tested but I have two batches to test. One traditional brew pumpkin ale control and a second batch with clari-ferm.

We'll see what the data shows in the end.