New Grist by Lakefront Brewery
New Grist is the first gluten free beer produced. It won a gold ribbon in the Experimental Beer category at the 2006 Great American Beer Festival and a silver ribbon in 2007 in the Gluten Free Beer category! It's made by a little microbrewing company in Milwaukee, WI (my backyard!) called Lakefront Brewery.
Lakefront is quite innovative! Not only did they get the government to change the definition of beer so they could legally label New Grist as a beer, they are also the first to brew a certified organic beer!! Come on...that's exciting!! Before they petitioned against the legislature a beverage had to be at least 25% malted barley to be considered beer. Now it is malted grain, not just barley!
"New Grist is brewed from sorghum, hops, water, rice and gluten-free yeast grown on molasses. These ingredients are carefully combined to form a crisp, refreshing “session ale” brewed for those with Celiac Disease and anyone with an appreciation for great tasting, handmade beer.
New Grist is the first beer brewed without malted barley or gluten-containing products to be authorized by the U.S. Government. Each batch brewed at Lakefront’s Milwaukee headquarters is tested for gluten prior to fermentation, before being bottled and shipped. New Grist is currently available nationwide in six packs of 12-ounce bottles." Lakefront's site for New Grist
And here are the reviews:
"The New Grist pours a light and clear orange-yellow color. There isn’t any head to speak of, and the carbonation is much less dense than most beers. Rather, the bubbles are large and almost soda-like.... The aroma of this isn’t terribly pungent or terribly definable. It’s quite generic with a light sweetness, almost reminiscent of a ginger ale, only with a subdued sugary note. In the mouth, this initially tastes quite smooth and doesn’t have any major bite. Across the tongue, some light sweetness develops that then blends into a slightly herbal note that reminds me slightly of a cold green tea. There is also a slight CO2 flavor that I’m picking up, which makes me believe that this probably is artificially carbonated. All in all, it’s not bad. It’s easy-drinking and quite refreshing and would probably make a good session beer, depending on the ABV, which isn’t listed. I’ve had much worse beer than this, and I would definitely choose this over any of the major domestic brews. It’s obviously a bit neutered when compared to more adventurous normal brews, but it does taste smooth and refreshing and well-balanced - much better than I expected, to be honest." Ben at SevenPack
"New Grist poured very pale and had a grassy aroma. There's also a faint green apple aroma there and this note carries through to the aftertaste. My wife and I agree that this beer both smells and tastes a bit like our homemade hard cider. (In fact, if I was suddenly struck with gluten intolerance I would probably switch over to hard cider.) After you swallow, way on the back of the tongue there is a faint bubblegum note. The beer has no head retention at all. Pleasant hop bitterness. It's refreshing. It's a decent summer beer." David Palm
"Appearance: Pours a very light golden color with little to no head. Very clear and only a few bubbles.
Aroma: Not much aroma. A bit of citrusy or apple scent, but, of course, no malt aroma.
Taste: While this beer comes off a bit watery, it’s not bad. There isn’t a strong hop flavor or rich maltiness, but it does taste like a beer. There’s a bit of an aftertaste of the rice that New Grist is brewed with, similar to the aftertaste of saki, but nowhere near as strong. If you’re familiar with the taste of sorghum (think cous cous, porridge and molasses), you’ll find it here.
Mouthfeel: Watery, like it’s taste, but very crisp and refreshing.
So in the end, New Grist is never going to be the beer I reach for in times of need. But I think it’s great that those who can’t eat glutens have a beer choice at all, and if this is going to be it, well, it ain’t too shabby." Carrie Miller
I will be grabbing a six pack of New Grist this weekend and I'll add my review to these. I can't wait!!! Hmm...now I'm hoping that my local liquor store carries it. Eh, I"m sure they do since it's a local brew. I'll let ya know!!
Redbridge by anheuser busch
Redbridge is a gluten free beer that Anheuser Busch (maker of Budweiser) released in Dec '06. They used sorghum as the grain (instead of wheat or barley), making it gluten free. It's actually the first gluten free beer made by one of the big brewers. Here are three decent reviews that I came across:
"Redbridge pours a deep honey gold, with a creamy, eggshell head that settles like a gauzy veil over the surface. Effervescent bubbles rise through the glass in a constant stream. Initial aromas are of light malt and a tempered, gentle nuttiness. Some florals rise in the nose. The tongue interprets flavors that echo as a softened pale ale, without the characteristic grassy, earthy flavors of more intense cultivars of sorghum. Cascade hops are not initially prominent in the foreground, but provide a lingering, bitter presence at the back end." Carolyn Smagalski
" *4 of 5 stars*
Pros
Decent body, very drinkable, even a touch of hops.
Cons
Just a tad too much buttery diacetyl.
The Bottom Line
For those who cannot digest glutens, this is a product worth checking out." The entire review, with the author's comments, is here.
"The pour of this is significantly darker than the New Grist. It is a dark amber, almost brown. Again the head of this isn’t dense at all, and looks almost soda-like with big, burly bubbles. The aroma here is pretty bland - you can catch a light sweetness peeking through an aroma that is otherwise much like cardboard. In the mouth, the first sensation is a brown sugar sweetness on the tip of the tongue that then moves to a bigger, more cloying sweetness around the middle of the tongue that floats into the aftertaste. This sweetness is obviously from the sorghum that comprises most of this beers fermentable sugars. It’s a syrupy dark sweetness that blends with a papery malt flavor (yes, I meant ‘paper’ not ‘pepper’) that I suppose is trying to emulate the actual malt in a grain-based beer. Overall, I think this beer tastes much more artificial than the New Grist. It has a greater level of sweetness, and the sweetness tastes like it’s trying to mask what is, underneath it all, a worse beer. However, it is a nicer looking beer in the glass, and it does more closely emulate an amber ale. So, if you’re drinking for appearance sake or you just really like darker beers, this might be the one to go with." SevenPack
The official site for Redbridge is www.redbridgebeer.com. I used to drink Bud Light back in the day so I'm definitely going to have to try this. I am overly positive I am going to like it because I'm not a huge fan of the darker, nuttier tasting beers. We shall see, my friends. Never hurts to try!!
