It goes without saying one wouldn’t expect a brewer to be Coeliac, however this February just gone, that is exactly what happened to me. Merrily coinciding with this news was our quest at Anspach & Hobday to brew our first Gluten free beer.
What is Gluten Free Beer?
Put simply, beer that is Gluten free is packaged to a standard whereby it has reached the threshold of having a Gluten level of 20ppm (parts per million) or below. In order for a brewery to sell a beer marked as Gluten free it must be laboratory tested, to ensure that it is safe for people who are Gluten intolerant. The Gluten Free Pilsner passed with flying colours!
Brewers have two main ways in which they can go about producing Gluten Free beer. The first way, which is the method we chose, is to brew as you would normally using grain that contains Gluten, for instance Wheat, Rye and Barley, and ensure that an Enzyme is used to break down the Gluten. The other method open to Brewers is to use a naturally Gluten Free cereal or a pseudo-cereal and brew the beer knowing no gluten will be present at all from the beginning.
On the brew day, the brewers will go through all the processes they would normally do right up to the transfer of the Wort into the Fermentation Tank. At this point folks the brewer will have made sure an Enzyme will be pitched into the vessel. These Enzymes are vital because they will be able to break down all the Gluten present in the Wort.
We wanted to brew a great beer that just happened to be gluten free. We settled on a Pilsner style Lager, brewing it as we usually would, but using the naturally occurring Enzyme Prolyl Endoproteasse, to break down the Gluten.
This process happens while the beer is fermenting in tank. After the brewers have ensured fermentation is complete we can begin conditioning, and one of the many great things about Lager is that it is stored. This means we can drop out more haze forming particles that exist in beer as well as residual Gluten. We thus ensure that not only do we have a wonderful bright beer, but a beer that has had another round of Gluten removal.
One of the best things we’ve found about this method of production is that it's done very little to detract from the flavour profile we would want from a Pilsner. It’s a clean and crisp beer with an excellent hop profile we would want from a Lager. At no point did we notice that the addition of the enzyme did anything other than breakdown the Gluten.
As always, there are things to consider.
Of course, aside from our practise on the brew day we must consider other risks faced by brewing Gluten free beer. Cross contamination is an issue. All brewers are careful in this regard. No professional brewer tolerates any contamination in their product so we’re always strident in our efforts to keep things tracked, traced and clean in every beer.
This applies especially to the Gluten free production. The effects of Celiac disease are wide. Though the effects are minimal for me, some who suffer can get seriously ill when consuming only a minute amount of Gluten. We have to be careful, so we insure as we always do, that our equipment is sterile.
The result of all this care and attention?
A wonderfully crisp Pils Lager - Our simple malt base of English Pilsner malt and Chit set a clean, precise stage for the gentle aromas of Hersbrucker and Loral hops to perform upon. A touch of malt sweetness is quickly balanced by a smooth hop bitterness, keeping the beer fresh, light and easy to drink. AND it happens to be Gluten Free.
I hope you’ve learnt a little bit about Gluten free brewing, we’ve certainly learnt a few new things, we’ve enjoyed the opportunity to improve our practices and learn new techniques. I think the Gluten free market is an ever expanding one, I’m sure more brewers will be looking at Gluten free beers. There’s a thirst for variation and diversity amongst craft drinkers, I think, we’ll see Gluten free in a great many styles of Beer. The Gluten Free Smoked Lager anyone?!
You can get your hands on The Gluten Free Pilsner on our web shop here.
