If you are looking for the ultimate guide for gluten-free beer you’ve come to the right place! Here you will find the best gluten-free beer brands, low gluten beers, and easy GF beer alternatives. This resource provides easy answers for those with celiac disease or gluten sensitivities!
Is Beer gluten-free?
If you are wondering if beer is safe to consume for those with celiac disease, gluten-sensitivity, or gluten-intolerance, the answer is no. Most widely available beer brands contain wheat, rye, or barley which are not safe for a gluten-free diet.
While some people with gluten-sensitivity are able to digest some beers, such as Corona or Bud Light, these beers still contain gluten ingredients. The only completely safe gluten-free beers to consume are those made entirely from gluten-free grains, such as rice, sorghum, or GF oats and produced on dedicated gluten-free equipment.
Some beers claim to be “gluten-reduced” or “gluten-removed.” These are made with grains that contain gluten, but gluten is removed or reduced through a process called hydrolysis. While some may not react to these beers, they still contain gluten and those with celiac or gluten-senstivities should use precaution or a doctor’s guidance before consuming them.
Gluten-free beer brands are labeled as such and safe to enjoy for those who need to stay away from gluten. They are brewed on dedicated gluten-free equipment and use safe 100% gluten-free grains.
ingredients to watch out for
Looking for gluten-free beers can be tricky because the ingredients aren’t typically listed like nutritional food labels, which can also be a problem when coming up with a safe gluten-free alcohol list. So how do you which grain a beer brand uses for brewing and it’s GF?
The easiest way to find out is to go to the manufacture’s website. For instance, if you were wondering if Corona is gluten-free go to their website and look under their product FAQs. There will be a question listed, such as “Does Corona contain gluten?” or they will list the ingredients for their products.
Safe gluten-free beers shouldn’t list barley, malt, base malts, wheat, rye, or oats that are not certified gluten-free as ingredients. Other common ingredients, like hops, yeast, and rice, are gluten-free.
Gluten-free Beer Brands List
Listed below are the most commonly stocked gluten-free beer brands, tasty for drinking or to use in recipes like chili or gluten-free beer bread. These contain less than 20 ppm gluten and are brewed on dedicated equipment. These craft beer brewers offer various styles, such as stout, pilsner, IPA, and Belgian.
While traditional beers use malted barley, wheat, or rye, gluten-free beers use only GF grains, such as sorghum, millet, buckwheat, and rice. They are also produced in facilities free of cross-contamination.
Fortunately the need for gluten-free beers are growing and many brewers are answering the call. For a complete gluten-free beer list, refer to the linked resource. And don’t forget the easy gluten-free snacks to wash it down with, like gluten-free Chex mix!
- Alt Brew
- Aurochs Brewing Company
- Bierly Brewing
- Buck Wild Brewing
- Coors Peak
- Ghostfish Brewing Company
- Glutenberg
- Holidaily
- Redbridge lager (brewed by Anheuser-Busch)
- Moonshrimp Brewing
- Mutantis Brewery
- Neff Brewing
- Red Leaf Gluten-Free Brewing
Low Gluten Beer Brands
Some brewers sell beers labeled “gluten-reduced” or “gluten-removed.” These beers are brewed with traditional gluten contain ingredients, but the gluten content is removed using an enzyme.
These are easier and cheaper to manufacture because traditional breweries don’t need to acquire separate dedicated equipment or buy more expensive gluten-free ingredients. Also they taste most similar to “regular” beers.
However, there is a drawback. They cannot be definitively tested for how much gluten remains, and therefore not safe for those with celiac or highly sensitive. If these are not a personal concern for you, refer the beer list below.
- Corona
- Pacifico
- Heineken
- Bud Light
- Budweiser
- Coors Light
- Heineken
- Michelob Ultra Amber Max
- Brewery Rickoli (several styles)
- Duck Foot Brewing (several styles)
- Stone Brewing Delicious IPA
- Two Brothers Brewing Co. Prairie Path Golden Ale
- Uinta Brewing West Coast Style IPA
- Allendale Brew Company Gluten Free Pale Ale
- New Planet (several styles)
- Omission (several styles)
- Odd 13 Brewing
Gluten-free Beer Alternatives
If you are having a hard time landing on a gluten-free beer you enjoy there are alternatives, such as canned seltzers, hard cider, canned mixed drinks, and hard kombucha. Always check the label before consuming.
While not all alcoholic seltzers are GF, many are widely available nationwide such as Bud Light Seltzer (not in Canada), Coors Hard Seltzer, High Noon Sun Sips, Michelob Ultra Organic Seltzers, White Claw, Mighty Swell, and Truly.
Hard ciders are also a tasty, refreshing alternative. You can find many gluten-free hard ciders in this helpful resource!
gluten-free pilsners and lagers
Looking for something crisp, light and refreshing? Try one of these gluten-free pilsners or lagers!
- Redbridge Lager
- Aurochs Brewing Company Light Lager
- Bard’s Tale Beer Bard’s Gold
- B.C. Brewery Blonde
- Bierly Brewing Felix Pilsner
- Green’s Premium Pils
gluten-free Stouts and Porters
If you enjoy a more full-bodied darker beer, these gluten-free stouts are not only tasty but safe to enjoy!
- Alt Brew – 1808 Robust Porter, Oatmeal Stout
- Aurochs – Cascading Dark Ale, Nitro Porter
- Bierly Brewing – Baker Street Porter, Blackbird Stout
- Epic Brewing – Midnight Munchies Peanut Butter Stout, Grandma Van’s Candy Cane Stout, Capt’n Ron Raisin Stout
- Ghostfish Brewing – Horchata Milk Stout Draft, Hull Breaker Imperial Porter
gluten-free Ales (IPA, APa, Blonde Ale)
IPAs, which stands for India pale ale are hoppy with herbal, citrus, or fruity flavors. APAs, also known as American pale ale, are malty, medium bodied beers. They can also be hoppy, herbal, floral, or citrus.
- Alt Brew – Copperhead Copper Ale, Hollywood Nights Blonde IPA, Ripped Jeans Hazy IPA
- Aurochs – Session IPA, White IPA
- Bierly Brewing – Amber IPA, Final Frontier IPA, Pumpkin Belgium Ale, Rendezvous Double IPA
- Epic Brewing – Escape to Colorado IPA, Pineapple Creamsicle IPA, Tart ‘N’ Hazy
- Ghostfish Brewing – Grapefruit IPA, Vanishing Point Pale Ale, Kick Step IPA
Non-Alcoholic Gluten-Free Beer
If you are looking for N/A gluten-free beer, or where to buy it, unfortunately it’s a little harder to come by. The only one I could find advertised was a Spanish brewery called Ambar 0.0 Gluten-Free Beer.
However, even though this beer is labeled “GF,” the ingredients contain barley and rye, which are not safe. I found other brands labeling similarly, such as Big Drop, Drop Bear, and First Chop. I’m assuming through the process of brewing, the gluten has been removed so some people may not react to it. I would proceed with caution.
fAQs about Gluten-free Beer
If you are wondering specifically which beers are gluten-free, look no further. Below are answers to over 25 of the mostly commonly asked about beers and what makes them gluten-free or not!
Is Bud light gluten-free?
Bud light contains barley malt, rice, and hops so it is not gluten-free. While light beers contain less gluten than full-bodied ones, they still contain gluten.
Is Bud light Next gluten-free?
Bud Light Next appeals to those who want to watch their calorie and carb intake and goes a step further than Bud Light. They are sold in slim cans like Bud Light Lemonade and Bud Light Platinum Seltzer.
However Bud Light Next is still a traditional beer and contains gluten from the barley malt. It also contains rice, hops, and natural flavors.
Is Budweiser gluten-free?
Budweiser, an American-style lager, contains barley malt, rice, and hops so it is not gluten-free. Like Bud Light, some tests indicate is has a low ppm of gluten, but still contains ingredients that are not safe.
Is Corona Gluten-free?
Corona beer is made with malted barley, which contains gluten. Corona’s website states they use a fermentation process with Corona Extra, Corona Light, Corona Familiar, and Corona Premier, which “significantly lowers its [gluten] content. While this may be safe for some people with sensitivities, it still contains traces of gluten.
Corona Hard Seltzer, Corona Seltzerita, and Corona Hard Seltzer Limonada are gluten-free and safe to consume.
Is Blue Moon Beer Gluten-free?
Blue Moon is a Belgian-style wheat beer that contains barley malt, wheat, oats, hops, and flavorings. Since barley and wheat contain gluten, it is not gluten-free.
Is coors Gluten-free?
Coors is a lager that contains barley malt, corn syrup, yeast, and hop extract. Since it contains barley, it is not gluten-free.
Coors also manufactures Coors Pure, which is a lighter beer and Coors Edge, which is their non-alcoholic beer. Both of these contain barley malt, so they are not gluten-free.
Is coors light Gluten-free?
Coors Light Beer is not gluten-free because it contains barley malt. However, numerous reports show that is has less than 20 ppm of gluten, some of them showing 5-10 ppm.
Therefore, if you have celiac disease it is recommended Coors Light should be avoided because you may still react to it. Coors seltzer, which is fermented from sugar is labeled gluten-free.
Is Kirin Beer Gluten-free?
Kirin Ichiban beer is a Japanese-style pilsner brewed with malt and hops so it is not gluten-free with malt being the culprit. In fact, it seems to have a higher gluten content due to how it is brewed.
Is Miller Lite Gluten-free?
Since Miller Lite contains barley malt it is not gluten-free. The additional ingredients are yeast, hops, hop extract and corn syrup.
Is Omission Beer Gluten-free?
Omission beer, brewed in Portland, Oregon, is considered “gluten-reduced” but not gluten-free. This means it contains gluten ingredients (barley malt), but adds an enzyme to break the bonds of gluten to reduce the amount.
Omission’s website states they test the gluten amount of their beer. It registers below 20ppm, which is technically means it is gluten-free by the FDA. However, those with celiac disease could still react because of the ingredients.
Is Orion Beer Gluten-free?
Orion beer is described as a Japanese rice lager, which could be confusing considering rice is gluten-free. The ingredients listed are malt, hops, rice, and corn, with malt being the ingredient that is not gluten-free. Because Orion contains malt is would not be considered gluten-free.
Is Stout Gluten-free?
Stout beers, such as Guinness or other dark beers, are not gluten-free since they are made with malted barley, wheat or rye.
There are brewers who make gluten-free stouts, though. Alt Brew, B.C. Brewery, Bierly, Blueprint Brewing, and Departed Soles Brewing.
Is stella Artois Gluten-free?
Stella contains malted barley so it is is not gluten-free. Additional ingredients are maize, hops, and water.
Is Pacifico Gluten-free?
According to Pacifico’s website this beer contains malted barley, meaning it is not gluten-free. They do state their fermentation process “significantly lowers its content, however there are traces of gluten in all our beers.”
Pacifico, like Corona, could be considered a “gluten removed” beer, but it still contains ingredients that are not safe for those with celiac disease.
Is Pabst blue ribbon Gluten-free?
Pabst Blue Ribbon, also known as PBR, contains malted barley so it is not gluten-free. Additional ingredients are corn syrup, yeast and hops.
Is Sapporo Gluten-free?
Sopporo is a Japanese lager made with barley malt, yeast and hops so it is not gluten-free with barley being the culprit.
Is Michelob ultra Gluten-free?
While Michelob Ultra is lower in calories and carbs, it contains barley malt so it is not gluten-free. This also includes other varieties, such as Michelob Ultra Amber Max and Michelob Ultra Pure Gold.
Michelob also makes a hard seltzer, which isn’t beer, but refreshing gluten-free option to enjoy!
Is Redbridge Beer Gluten-free?
Redbridge lager is a widely accessible gluten-free beer brewed by Anheuser-Busch. Redbridge is made without wheat or barley, instead using the gluten-free grain sorghum to make this a beer safe to enjoy.
Is Rice Beer Gluten-free?
There are beers brewed with rice, such as Sapporo, Kirin, Michelob Ultra and Budweiser, but these are not gluten-free because they add malted barley as well. However, some gluten-free brewers make rice beer without the addition of malt so they are safe for those with celiac disease.
If you would like to enjoy a gluten-free rice beer try Otherwise Brewing Calrose Crisp Rice Lager, New Grist Pilsner, or Whistler Forager.
Is Heineken Gluten-free?
Heineken beer contains barley, when means it is not gluten-free. Similar to Corona or Pacifico it is processed in a way that significantly lowers the gluten to below 20ppm, so some people can tolerate it. For those with celiac or highly sensitive, it still contains a gluten ingredient and can cause reactions.
Is Busch light Gluten-free?
Since Busch Light contains barley it is not considered gluten-free. Additional ingredients are grains, hops, and yeast.
Anheuser-Busch does make a gluten-free beer, Redbridge, which is made from sorghum and safe to consume.
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