Sweet relief on the way for gluten-intolerant beer drinkers
With summer approaching, there is some comfort on the way for the tens of thousands of Kiwis unable to enjoy a guilt-free brew.
Gluten intolerance and the much more serious coeliac disease prevents many from sharing a beer with mates.
There are gluten-free brews available, but substituting traditional ingredients such as wheat or barley malt often leaves a bad taste in drinkers’ mouths.
But now there’s hope for beer lovers who feel excluded.
West Auckland craft brewers Hallertau is the first New Zealand brewer to use an imported additive enzyme which breaks down gluten components leaving less than three parts per million (ppm) – enough to meet New Zealand’s strict gluten-free legal requirements.
They say test results show their growing range of gluten-free beers taste the same as normal beer.
Head brewer Dave Huff is chuffed he could be helping ‘‘save the day’’ for gluten-intolerant beer drinkers.
‘‘You’d be hard pressed to tell the difference between this beer and normal beer,’’ he said.
For those who choose to avoid or limit gluten intake for reasons such as mild intolerance and weight management, the beers are entirely enjoyable.
Coeliac Society general manager Carl Sunderland said his organisation welcomes food tech that helps people with coeliac disease fit in.
‘‘[Gluten-free] beer would just normalise the situation, if there’s products out there that normalise, or not make you feel different, it’s just great, beers should be part of that normalcy.’’
It’s estimated 80 per cent of Kiwis who have coeliac disease are unaware of it and their diet is suffering since gluten consumption blocks the absorption of vital nutrients.
They are often not diagnosed until they are in their thirties, and by then many are confirmed beer drinkers, Sunderland said.
‘‘Having a beer with their friends is a way of life’’.
Yet the Coeliac Society remains cautious despite Hallertau’s results, saying more accurate gluten-level food testing on the way to New Zealand is needed.
These could well and truly prove that new beers like Hallertau’s are safe for coeliac sufferers.
‘‘It will provide greater assurance to the coeliac consumer that beers making a ‘nil detectable gluten’ claim are safe to drink,’’ Sunderland said.
Beer writer and critic Michael Donaldson diplomatically describes gluten-free beer as tasting ‘‘different’’.
Gluten-free substitute ingredients such as sorghum and rice ‘‘doesn’t deliver the flavour we’re used to,’’ he said.
‘‘They can’t carry the same weight of flavour [as normal beer]’’.
According to Coeliac New Zealand, wine is naturally gluten free, and spirits are almost always gluten free.
Sherry, port and ciders are all made from fruit and do not contain gluten.