Gluten Free Beer: Red Bridge

Red Bridge: Gluten-Free Sorghum Beer (Made without wheat or barley)

Red Bridge: 6-pack, 12-oz. bottles about $8

Any beer lover can tell you that barley is the basic cereal grain used in the beer-making process. Barley is combined with water, hops, malt and yeast. Most beers have the same basic ingredients.

Although barley is most commonly used is making beer, it also contains gluten which means  gluten-free drinkers have to sit out when everyone else cracks open a brew. It's usually difficult to find gluten-free beers. It's almost impossible to find next to your mainstream Bud Light or Budweiser at a local convenience store. BUT! There are some specialty stores where you can find GF beer.




The ingredient label tells you the whole story: water, fermented sorghum, hops and yeast.

One, Red Bridge, which offers you the 6-pack you're used to, or she said they had another single-bottle option. In the spirit of sharing, I opted for the 6-pack.
 

In my search, I called over to Twin Liquors in central Austin and put them to the test. I asked the sales person what their gluten-free selection was and she told me they actually do have two brands.

There's no worry of gluten contamination or having any wheat involved. They post gluten-free all over their packaging, on their bottle and bottle cap, making it very easy to ensure you won't be in doubt. Their slogan, "Beer made with you in mind" says it all. Per their website, redbridgebeer.com, the company mission focuses on ensuring safe processing to avoid wheat allergy by preventing blending or mixing with wheat.

They even have a  partnership with the National Foundation for Celiac Awareness to increase awareness about Celiac disease, as they define it on their website:

"Celiac disease is an auto-immune disease, often hereditary, that causes a chronic reaction to gluten in the small intestine which interferes with the absorption of food and then triggers other seemingly unrelated health conditions. Antibodies eventually attach and destroy the small intestine. Currently, the only known cure is to follow a gluten-free diet."

Without the barley you may wonder what a sorghum beer tastes like. It's surprisingly smooth and doesn't have that bitter taste regular beers usually have.

It has a light taste, not too dark or heavy like some beers that leave you feeling extra-full.

Although it's a saving grace for gluten-free eaters wanting to swig one back, it does have a lightly different flavor than barley beer, which you might notice at first. But, that's not to say it's not good. It has a great flavor and I definitely recommend it!

On their website they even offer a retail locator where you can put in your zip code and find the closest locations to try it out on your own: BROWN DISTRIBUTING COMPANY LTD 8711 JOHNNY MORRIS RD, AUSTIN, TX 78724
(512) 478-9353