What Kind of Alcohol is Gluten Free?

Published on www.ndtvfood.com
Though a little early to think of Mannat drinking he is only 9 years old but the kind of mum I am I do think of what will be like when he starts drinking? Who will he date? What kind of restaurant will go on a first date too and always worry about his first drink well it can’t be a “Beer” the other day I told my hubby the minute he is older no beers for you unless they are gluten free.
The most important thing to understand in a gluten free lifestyle is the knowledge of each ingredient that go into your stomach. Remember to be a “Food Detective” always searching for gluten.
I read this someone where that the toughest thing to give up for a young adult is “Beer” it’s like a beer-football thing. I hope that by the time Mannat grows up the market is full of “Gluten Free Alcohol”.
Let’s start with three types of alcohol the ones allowed, ones off the table and ones under debate. A lot of my knowledge of alcohol comes from my Oberoi School days.
Beer: Beer is made from barley hops and is nothing but lots and lots of “gluten”. Including Rice Beers use barley as an ingredient.
The good news is that a large variety of gluten free beers are available made from millets like sorghum, rice and buckwheat. All the beers that are available that are gluten free are certified so very safe a few brands are Redbridge, Bard’s, Coors Peak, Green’s, New Grist, New Planet and many more.
“Gluten -Removed” Beers these are basically beers from which the gluten is removed from the beers after it is fermented. It is not a full proof method and the ppm is low of gluten but it is present so best is to avoid it. These are not gluten free though are labelled “Gluten Removed Beer” these are not safe. Until or unless we can verify the safety the best option is stick to the beers that are 100 percent gluten free.
Cider: Hard Cider is fermented apples, so generally ciders are safe. However, some local brands use yeast and sometimes the yeast they use might be made with barley. Cider brands that you can try are ACE, Angry Orchard, Crispin, Woodchuck and many more.
Wine Coolers: Wine Coolers are traditionally made of part wine and part fruit. Today a lot of wine is replaced by Malt and malt is derived from barley so a complete no no.
Malt-based wine coolers are off -limits and pass on “gluten removed” wine coolers until better testing is available. The best is to make wine coolers yourself part wine and part fruit juice.
Wine: Wine is your best friend as it is naturally gluten free as it is made from grapes. These include all wines red wines, white wines, champagne and dessert wines. The best is grapes are great for heart health so drink on.
An issue of oak barrels was a concern as wheat paste was used to seal the barrels but over the years most wines are aged in stainless steel casks and not oak barrels.
A tip if you are having very expensive European wines please check what kind of barrels were used to age it in.
Distilled Hard Alcohol: Technically all distilled alcohol is safe as the process of distillation removes everything that might contain gluten. Some kinds of distilled alcohol are naturally gluten free like Brandy is distilled from wine, rum is fermented molasses or sugarcane juice, tequila is from agave cactus.
The best is to try it and see how your stomach reacts to it.
Liqueurs: Liqueurs are hard alcohol with added flavourings like cream, sweeteners. Like Amoretto, Bailey’s, Grand Marnier, Kahlua. Almost all are gluten free unless you find something that contains a gluten ingredient.
Happy Gluten Free Drinking!