At Renegade inclusivity is one of our core values. So what better topic to talk about than our range and its availability to the majority. We are always looking at new ways to improve our beers and one of those is having a wide range of Gluten Free products available to our customers.
What is the point of Gluten Free beer? Is it healthier?
From being brewed by ancient monks to being consumed in almost every country in the world. The beverage that we all enjoy is typically brewed with with cereals containing gluten, such as barley, wheat and rye. The inclusion of these ingredients means around 1 in 100 people can’t participate in a nice cold beer without health complications. Not to fear, the ever evolving world of beer means that people with Coeliac Disease and other gluten intolerances are now able to enjoy a Gluten Free beverage along with the rest of us. To comply with UK laws and standards, a beer must measure below 20ppm to classify as a gluten free product. Defined by Coeliac UK ‘that this tiny amount of gluten is not toxic to people with coeliac disease‘.
Although designed to be inclusive to those with tolerances, an increasing amount of people have made the switch over to GF beers for a healthier lifestyle, to avoid bloating and some even claim it also has a lessening hangover effect… but don’t quote us on that.
How do you brew a Gluten Free Beer?
There are two ways of producing a gluten free beer:
- The first method is to remove the use of gluten products completely, by using gluten free grains such as buckwheat, maize and rice instead of your standard grains. It may seem like the best way to make a gluten free beer is to avoid all gluten inclusive ingredients at the get go, but by doing so you won’t end up with a beer quite like you know.
- The second way to produce a gluten free beer and the way in which we produce our beers at Renegade is to add an enzyme to the beer before fermentation, that breaks down the gluten in the beer to below 20ppm. By brewing the beer this way, all the flavours and aromas will be unaffected and you are left with the same great tasting beer suitable for coeliacs..
What Gluten Free Beers do Renegade Offer?
Within our range, our entire core range of craft products are both vegan and gluten free, covering 4 styles of beer, so there is something for everyone. And to add to this, we have recently adapted our best selling ale Good Old Boy, to be gluten free.
