I like beer. Not as much as I like coffee (I cannot actually imagine having to give up coffee…I have been known to take it backpacking) but lets just say that while I gave up alcohol while pregnant, I did not give up beer. Instead, I developed a genuine appreciation for Buckler and St. Pauli Girl N.A.
However, my diagnosis made me a wine girl. Then I discovered gluten free beer. Which is great for those of us who otherwise have to stick with wine and tequila. Tequila is gluten free. There are other issues with tequila. Like being way too old to end up in any pictures where I am wearing a sombrero but have no idea where we were or when the photo was taken.
So her is my unscientific rundown of gluten-free beers
New Planet makes several gluten free beers including an amazingly hoppy Off Grid Pale Ale and for those of you who liked a lighter beer (Corona fans) the unmatched Tread Lightly Ale which has that light summery taste. They also have a raspberry ale which is not my thing but other people seem to love it. And I give them huge kudos for trying.
Check out their website here
http://newplanetbeer.com/homepage/
If you live near a Whole Foods, they are in the system so in states where Whole Foods sells beer, you can get them through Whole Foods if you ask the manager. Alternatively you can ask your local small store to carry the brand.
For those who were fans of beer like Anchor Steam Ale, Redbridge is widely available (it is, strangely, the first Budweiser product that I really like) and New Grist is our favorite of the classic ale / pilsner category. My husband actually likes New Grist as much as gluten containing beer. Again you may need to request that your store carry your favorite beer, but by now you are probably used to asking sulky chain restaurant employees for the allergy binder and this is a lot easier.
Bard’s is well marketed and widely available (well for a gluten-free beer anyway) but not my kind of beer.
These beers are not cheap, but they are competitive with premium beer prices. They run around $8 to $12 per six pack.
