Gluten-free beer

Originally posted by HornyDevil
Any of you guys ever brew one? If so, what was the recipe and how did it turn out? I have a mixed microbe fermentation going on now with Briess white sorghum syrup, which, although the beer isn’t totally gluten-free (I used second runnings of another beer), I’m very curious as to the flavor profile that it will bring to the table. Any input from you guys would be greatly appreciated.

I am not a fan of sorghum. It has a tang that is hard to mask with other flavors, though I did have a coffee sorghum beer at a competition before that was delicious.

Use Clarity Ferm! The enzyme (Brewer’s Clarex) in Clarity Ferm causes gluten to settle out and break down. Widmer uses the enzyme now to make their gluten free beer.

We did tests with gluten kits on the beers and the results were:
(Typical threshold for celiacs is 20ppm)

Standard barley beer (5.5% abv brown ale)
-started at about 25ppm
-after Clarity Ferm, down below detectable levels (less than 1ppm)

Wheat wine (11% abv- as much wheat as possible)
-started very high, I can’t remember how much
-down to about 5ppm after Clarity Ferm

The flavors did not seem to suffer any hits with use of the clarifier. Make sure to leave the trub behind, as it did contain more gluten than the beer (though not the full amount). We had celiacs consume the beers with no reaction whatsoever. I add it to almost all of my beers now so that anyone can drink them. Someone I know with an intolerance claimed to have a reaction still, but I think their issue with beer is carbonation and not gluten (especially since it was relatively low to start with- 25ppm or so).

Originally posted by HornyDevil
Thanks for all the info, dude. Will have to give that a shot.

You bet. I hope yours turns out well.

I forgot to mention that Clarity Ferm can be used post-fermentation and still works quickly (24-48 hours). The instructions say to use it at the start of fermentation, which definitely helps it clear more effectively, but the effect on gluten happens well at either time.

I have been meaning to try adding it to a commercial keg of beer, but haven’t gotten around to it. You’d have to draw off the sediment first, but I think it would still work on carbonated beer.