Is there such a thing as a good gluten-free beer?

[ChiknNutz]

Ya I know taste is in the tongue of the beholder, but my wife being the GF offender in the family, has tried various GF beers. None have met with her approval. She resorts to wine, ciders and seltzers, but I'd really like to surprise her with a good GF beer (to help her appreciate all the recent gear too). Her preference is a Hefeweizen or similar if possible. Her gluten intolerance is not due to desire, but out of necessity. She doesn't have celiac or crohn's, but suffers pretty badly if her gluten intake is much at all, a taste or two of a normal beer is about all she can tolerate w/o consequences.

 

[videojunkie1208]

This is a recipe that I am hoping to brew this summer for my first brew.

(Notes from Zero Tolerance Gluten Free Homebrew club on FB.)

Alright, for a 2.5 gallon batch, what I'd do is:

4 lbs Vienna millet malt
1 lb Biscuit rice malt
1 lb flaked quinoa
0.5 oz Hallertauer hops @ start of 90-minute boil
3/4 tsp ground coriander @ 10 minutes 'til flame-out
1/6 tsp ground sweet orange peel @ 5 minutes 'til flame-out

Ferment with S-33 or maybe US-05; a quick Google search suggests the Chico strain for Blue Moon clones, which would be US-05, basically. Or you can throw in some WB-06 and make a proper wit, instead of the blander American version

My standard mash is a bit involved, but I've found it's the best way to maximize yield. 60min @ 170-180°F w/ Termamyl. Chill to 130°F. Add Ondea Pro and Fungamyl (or Sebamyl L). Hold 20 min. Raise to 140°F. Hold 30 min. Raise to 170°F. Vorlauf 15-20 minutes then drain to the kettle. If you want a simpler brew day, just leave out the first step and do a longer Vorlauf. You'll get somewhat lower yield, but it's less of a PITA not to have to chill the wort.

The mash we used was a two-step two-hour mash with the enzymes Ondea Pro and Termamyl Classic, both dosed at 1 mL per lb of grain. The temperature steps were 90 minutes at 145°F, then 30 minutes at 175°F. We adjusted the pH down to 5.0 at the start of the mash using 88%-concentration lactic acid..

 

[videojunkie1208]

You should also check out Gluten Free homebrew supply shop.

https://www.glutenfreehomebrewing.com/store/

 

[ebbelwoi]

Hefeweizens have a ridiculous amount of gluten, compared to all-barley beers. IIRC it's something on the order of a slice or two of bread.

A few years back, I tried some Brunehaut beers that were quite good. You could also take a look at Low Gluten in Beer – test the gluten content of your beer.

Some people claim that Clarity Ferm helps homebrewers make beer that their GF friends and family can tolerate.

 

[videojunkie1208]

Hefeweizens have a ridiculous amount of gluten, compared to all-barley beers. IIRC it's something on the order of a slice or two of bread.

A few years back, I tried some Brunehaut beers that were quite good. You could also take a look at Low Gluten in Beer – test the gluten content of your beer.

Some people claim that Clarity Ferm helps homebrewers make beer that their GF friends and family can tolerate.

Clarity Ferm is a highly debated topic in the GF homebrew community, generally the guideline that I agree with is: if you are doing GF for lifestyle reasons (no allergy, celiac, etc) then Clarity Ferm is ok - with the understanding that it's gluten reduced, not 'made from no gluten containing ingredients'.

For those with a severe allergy, celiac, etc. it's best to brew from no gluten containing ingredients, because there may be other proteins that are causing the issue beside the gluten protein.

 

[videojunkie1208]

Ya I know taste is in the tongue of the beholder, but my wife being the GF offender in the family, has tried various GF beers. None have met with her approval. She resorts to wine, ciders and seltzers, but I'd really like to surprise her with a good GF beer (to help her appreciate all the recent gear too). Her preference is a Hefeweizen or similar if possible. Her gluten intolerance is not due to desire, but out of necessity. She doesn't have celiac or crohn's, but suffers pretty badly if her gluten intake is much at all, a taste or two of a normal beer is about all she can tolerate w/o consequences.

Oh, and if you're used to the price differential on GF groceries, wait till you see what prices for GF brewing grains go for. the grain bill for that recipe I listed is about $30-$40 (plus shipping) and if you're just getting started, you'll need $20-$40 worth of enzymes to make it work at all.

at my previous job I worked next to a guy starting a nano brewery, and he got excited about trying to make at least one GF beer - until he realized that a 50# sack of GF grain was 6x the cost of his normal supply. He rightly suspected that the number of people willing to drop $20/pint for a beer is pretty small.

 

[ChiknNutz]

...For those with a severe allergy, celiac, etc. it's best to brew from no gluten containing ingredients, because there may be other proteins that are causing the issue beside the gluten protein.

This is what we are wondering as well, that there could be other ingredients/proteins that may be causing issues we are unaware of.

 

[videojunkie1208]

generally if you're doing both GF and non GF in the same setup, you can clean SS pots so there is no residuals, but it's recommended to use a dedicated hose set for GF batches. (if you're using an igloo cooler for a mash tun, you'd probably want a separate one there too...)