This week is coeliac awareness week, (or celiac if we’re doing a US spelling test ;-). So what better excuse do I need to taste a few fab gluten-free beers?
In case you are wondering what gluten is…. don’t worry; you are not alone!
Joking aside, sadly many people who are diagnosed with coeliac disease or a gluten intolerance belive beer is a no-go as most beers are made from barley and barley contains the composite protein gluten 😦
Big news! It’s possible to have delicious beer that is also coeliac friendly, let me tell you how….
Gluten free beer tends to be made on one of two ways
1. Beer can be brewed with grains that are naturally gluten-free such as rice, maize, buckwheat or sorghum (many macro largers are brewed with rice and of course many asian brews)
or
2. the gluten can be removed: as luck would have it the gluten molecule is actually pretty big so it can be filtered from barely or wheat or even rye based beers. To be approved as safe for those following a gluten-free diet, the beer just has to have to have less than 20 gluten parts per million.
So where can you get coeliac friendly beer in Ireland?
Well , lots of places!!! Yay!!!
I got in touch with the Deans (there are two of them McGuinness and Clarke) at Beer Heaven. They supply a huge selection of interesting and damn tasty beers from all over the world to all over Ireland. These are the guys to answer any beer questions. I knew they’d point me in the right direction.
Dean Clarke told me gluten-free beer is available country wide…yes…get that COUNTRYWIDE in lots of restaurants and off-licences up and down the land. Yay! Especially brilliant considering how many people in Ireland have coeliac disease, it’s us and the Basque country with highest rates of coeliac disease in the world if I’m to believe wikipedia. I think our tiny gene pool probably had a role to play in that.
I digress…. back on track, the gluten-free beer tastes great! Dean also said that if you can’t find it, ask to have it ordered in. I’m a firm believer that the consumer should set the agenda for what’s in shops. Rise up people! Gluten-free beer drinkers unite! Your local independent off-licence would love to make you happy and stock the beer you want! What’s more, mention it next time you’re in a bar or out for dinner, your bar tender is not a mind reader, let them know and you’d never know what will be on the shelves by next weekend!
If you are interested in research about gluten-free products and coeliac disease Cork is where it’s at! Both Cork Institute of Technology and University College Cork at the School of Food and Nutritional Sciences are working and researching extensively on gluten, gluten-free products and coeliac disease. If you fancy a read, check out this paper from Dr. Elke Arendt!
So this week on TV3 ‘s Late Lunch Live’s drinks slot I’m featuring 3 gluten-free beers. Stockists ( ‘cos the list is loooong which is great!) are at the end!
This is the first larger in the world brewed to combine 3 unique elements it’s fair trade, organic and gluten free!
This easy drinking beer has a mild, slightly bitter, hoppy flavour.
It is brewed using organic malt, organic hops and fair trade organic rice
RRP €2.99-ish
StockistsThe Woolshed, Parnell Stree
Koh Restaurant, Dublin 1
Zucchinis Restaurant, Navan, Co Meath
Yamamori Izakaya, Georges Street, Dublin 2
Molloys, Clonsilla
Molloys, Francis Street
Bradley’s Supermarket, Cork City, Cork
Castle Street Off Licence, Tralee, Co Kerry
Matsons Wines, Bandon, Co Cork
The Bierhouse, Cork
Desmond’s Next Door, Raheen, Limerick
Myles Creek, Next Door, Kilkee, Clare
Matsons Grange, Douglas, Cork
Tom Ryans Bar, Waterford
Thai Spice, Talbot Place, Dublin1
Red Torch Ginger, South Andrew Street, Dublin 2
Baggot Street Wines, Baggot Street, Dublin 2
Lotus Restaurant and Off Licence, Wexford
Blackrock Cellars Off Licence, Blackrock
Next Door, Sundrive Road, Dublin 12
Kavanagh’s Off Licence, Lower Dorset Street, Dublin 1
Saba, Clarendon Street, Dublin 2
McSorleys, Ranelagh, Dublin 6
Fibber Magees, Parnell Street, Dublin 1
The Merrion Inn, Booterstown, Co Dublin
The Hole in the Wall, Blackhorse Avenue, Dublin 3
The Brew Dock, Amien St, Dublin 1
The Central Bar, Navan, Co Meath
Next Door, Meath Street, Dublin
Joe Mayes, Skerries, Co Dublin
Conrad Hotel, Earlsfort Terrace, Dublin 2
Whelan’s, Wexford Street, Dublin 2
Corks Off Licence, Terenure
Deveneys, Rathmines
The Comet, Santry
Kellys Wine Vault, Clontarf
Lord Mayor Pub and Off Licence, Swords
Martins Off Licence, Fairview, Dublin 3
Redmonds of Ranelagh
Callans of Dundalk
Delaneys, Angier Street, Dublin
Sweeney’s Wine Merchants, Phibsboro
Against the Grain, Wexford Street
The Black Sheep, Capel Street
Ice Box, Finglas
Probus Wines, Fenian Street, Dublin2
The Malthouse, Trim, Co Meath
Mitchell & Son, IFSC, Docklands
Nealons, Capel Street
McHugh Off Licence, Malahide Road
Molloy, Tallaght
Molloy, Nutgrove
Molloy, Crumlin
Molloy, Clonsilla
McHugh Off Licence, Kilbarrack
Molloy, Francis Street
Lohan’s Bar and Off Licence, Next Door, Salthill, Galway
Next Door, Forum, Waterford
World Wide Wines, Waterford
Dicey Reilly Bar and Off Licence, Ballyshannon, Donegal
Clada, Galway
Fine Wines Head Office
Matsons Wines, Bandon, Cork
The Slate bar, Cork
Desmond’s, Next Door, Raheen, Limerick
Coopers, Cahir
Next Door, Shannon, Clare
The Highway bar, Limerick
Tom Ryans Bar, Waterford
The Seanachi, Kinsale, Cork
The Merrion Hotel, Dublin 2
Timothy Crowes Next Door, Dublin 12
Dwans Off Licence, Ballycullen, Dublin 16
Foleys Off Licence, Sligo
Baggot Street Wines, Baggot Street, Dublin2
Centra, Enfield
Lotus Restaurant and Off licence, Wexford
Blackrock Cellars Off Licence, Blackrock
Boyles Next Door, Kildare
Next Door, Sundrive Road, Dublin 12
Fitzgeralds of Sandycove, Dub Laoghaire
The Hungry Monk, Greystones, Wicklow
Kavanagh’s Off Licence, Lower Dorset Street, Dublin 1
The Sky and the Ground, Wexford
Bewleys, Leopardstown
Murrays Bar, Kilmainham, Dublin 8
A Wine Goose Chase 