As of the start of January 2022, all of our beers are gluten free, and that includes our cans, bottles, keg and now cask ales too.
Whilst we have been gluten free since January 2022, there may still be old versions of the clips still on the bar without the GF symbol. If you’re unsure, just check with your server.
It’s worth mentioning that absolutely NOTHING has changed in our beer or brewing process. Our casks have technically been gluten free for several years; however, COVID delayed our launch as gluten free. As a result, the taste of the beer didn’t change at all.
*Please always check product details for new beers in case the recipe used resulted in the beer not being GF. We will always indicate on the can/ bottle clearly whether the beer is gluten free or not.*
We brew our beer in the same way as most microbrewers: The process starts off with gluten – containing grains such as barley and wheat, (sometimes also other grains such as rye or oats) and goes through a standard brewing process. The process changes at the point where we add an enzyme which removes the gluten to sub 20ppm (gluten free as per UK law).
Technically, for the information of those people who are very sensitive or reactive to even small trace elements of gluten, our beer is gluten removed, however this is not yet an approved term which we can apply to our labels. If you are highly reactive to trace elements of gluten, NGCI beers would be a better choice as they are brewed with Non-Gluten Containing Ingredients.
We use an accredited laboratory to test our beer samples using the Elisa gluten test, and most samples come back much lower than the 20ppm standard, at sub 10ppm (this reading is the lowest the laboratory can record). Each beer from a new recipe is sent away to be tested and certified. Core range beers are tested when first produced, and are then tested on a regular basis throughout the year. Whilst all of our beers are brewed to GF standard, we don’t test every batch of our core range beers. For comparison however, industry standard Crossed Grain products are only required to be tested annually in order to use this label, and we test far more frequently than this.
For customers who have allergies to certain grains, you will always find an ingredients list on the beer product page in our web shop, and grains will be listed on the can or bottle label. As all our beers are brewed with wheat, our beers are not suitable for people with a wheat allergy.
Our cans, bottles, keg and cask beers can be enjoyed by vegans, however we may occasionally use ingredients such as lactose or honey which do not align with the vegan ethos. We will always state on the can or bottle label if the beer is vegan, or if it contains an ingredient which makes the beer unsuitable for vegans to drink.
Please always check the information on the product page, or on the can or bottle before you purchase it to make sure you’re happy with the ingredients.
There are various different health conditions, or life choices which lead consumers to follow a gluten free or gluten reduced diet. When considering buying a gift for someone on a gluten free or gluten reduced diet it’s usually best to have a quick conversation about what type of products they feel safe to enjoy ahead of buying the beer, and perhaps point them over to this page so that they can decide if our beers are ok for them.
These are two distinct conditions, each requiring different considerations.
Most people with an average level of gluten sensitivity (#1) that regularly consume GF products can safely drink this beer even though it’s originally made from barley and wheat because the gluten has been removed to below 20ppm during processing, which resolves their issue.
However, those with a wheat allergy (#2) cannot drink this beer, as it still contains wheat. Their allergy is triggered by something in the wheat other than gluten, meaning they would still have a reaction.
To help visualise this: imagine the beer is made from jellybeans (barley & wheat), with the white jellybeans representing gluten. We can remove the white ones, making the beer gluten-free and safe for those with gluten sensitivity. But even though the white beans are gone, the beer is still made from jellybeans (barley & wheat), so anyone with a wheat allergy needs to be aware that these ingredients were part of the original process. This distinction is especially important for gluten-free beers, as they are sometimes made from other ingredients like rice or sorghum, or they may use only barley without wheat.
If you’ve got any questions about our gluten free beer, please contact us and we will be happy to help.
