Beer, beer, beer. Glorious beer!

Anybody who knows me knows that I love beer. I really love beer. My husband and I never travel without a bottle opener so we can enjoy local brews. We collect bottle caps and eventually I will make a map of the world out of bottle caps from each place. A girl has to dream, right? Perhaps even some lonely scientist will make a brew whilst killing time in Antarctica and will send me a bottle to enjoy. Only in my fantasy world.

In the mean time I am attempting to adjust to my son's gluten free status. Since I am food supply numero uno around here, I am gluten free which means....gasp....beer free. Or so I thought!!!

So, gluten free beer has some room to grow. Considering that there are an estimated 3 million American's currently living with Celiac alone, there is a good market. Celiac Central has loads of facts about the populations. Many more people have gluten intolerance and some go gluten free simply because they realize that gluten is the devil. With all this, beer makers are taking note. I figured I would take a few notes on their progress to make something that not only fills the void but makes me happy in the process.

First attempts at gluten free beer was the $8 per 4-pack New Planet 3R Raspberry Ale. Sweet, watery and generally not worth $2 a bottle. As the only thing our local market offered, it was nice to pretend I was drinking a real beer and I enjoyed not feeling left out. After a few, the feeling waned and I decided to look for something better. 

Second attempt: New Grist Sorghum Beer  This was watery and could only make me think that the makers of PBR decided to get together and see if they could make a gluten free variety of their regular canned sadness. While I know that there are some people out there that swear by PBR, I am not one of them. I like my beer to have full flavor, a hoppyness that says, "yes, I am a beer and will never be confused for rainwater." 

Third attempt: This was kind of like our Goldilocks moment. This one was just right Redbridge by Anheuser-Busch. I was pleasantly surprised by this beer. I love a good (did I just say that about Budweiser?) Budweiser at the bar. It is constant which is always nice buy I don't but it unless I am out and looking for a $1 beer while I dance. Having said that, I am actually enjoying Redbridge. The beer is reasonably priced and available many places so it may become our go-to brand. 

While in Minnesota, aka Land O Celiacs, my husband surprised me with a build your own six pack filled with gluten free varieties. In that pack was the 

• St. Peter’s Sorgham Beer, a German pilsner from the UK
• New Planet Tread Lightly a blonde ale from Colorado
• Bard’s Tale Dragon’s Gold a brown ale from New York
• New Planet Off the Grid Pale Ale, an American pale ale from Colorado
• Green’s Endeavor a Belgian dubbel from Belgium
• Crispin Light Cider from the USA

Overall, the Green's Endeavor was the heartiest, tastiest, most delightful thing I have had since I gave up real beer. I would even venture to say that it was a real beer. It didn't not leave me feeling like I had drank something that was made to taste like something else. It was a real, hearty Belgian dubbel. I will gladly have one anytime. In all fairness, Belgian doubles and triples are always my favorite. I am a HUGE fan of La fin du  monde. On the lighter side I love a Duvel or trappist. Belgium makes the best beer, just sayin'

On the opposite end of the spectrum of reviews -The St.Peter's Sorgham Beer wasn't beer. It was sadness in an adorable bottle. This tasted skunked. It smelled skunked. I was pretty sure it was skunked. I was so sure it was skunked that I poured it out. Then I went online...the internet agrees....it is just that awful. I found a few reviews online where the reviewer was pretty sure theirs was skunked as well but found out it wasn't. How sad is that? On a good note, the reviewers and I have some of the same opinions on beers. Yeah me! For the rest of the list, check out Paste Magazine's review of gluten free beers here.  

On to New Planet Off the Grid Pale Ale. Yes, it was tasty. I will drink it again. It goes nicely with a veggie pizza, a seafood or a summer day. Pop a top and enjoy. Also, if you are in the mood for crisp and light, try the Crispin light cider. While I usually prefer my cider to be hard and crisp, this was a nice diversion and didn't leave me with the puckered face that some sad attempts at cider can. Way to go Crispin! I can see why some people consider it a good everyday cider. 

There you have it. As I continue to drink my way around the world, I will update my listings. Until then, I will not be fooled by Omission Pale Ale. It claims to be gluten free through science. They make beer the traditional way then remove the gluten. That seems fishy to me. If a wheat particle was in the air even near my son and I ingest it then nurse him, he will react. He is that sensitive. In other words, I will let someone else try this one and let me know how they react. I don't need to make my poor baby boy suffer for a review.