Gluten Free Beers, and the winner is!!

Before I quit gluten I loved having an ice cold beer after a long hard day of yard work, BS at the office, or while relaxing with a movie and popcorn. However since then I've had a very limited choice of beverages, and while I like wine... it's just not the same.

A year or so ago, I found Redbridge. I was very excited as I finally had a gluten free alternative to the beer I used to drink. It was passable, while certainly not on par with my former beer of choice I made due. If I drank it ice cold it wasn't to bad, however even a little bit warm and it left a lot to be desired. I'd put it on par with the Bud/Coor's light beers I used to drink on occasion.

I've tried Bard's gluten free beer, it's a step up from Redbridge with a slightly bolder flavor and more body. If they were on the shelf side by side, I'd reach for this first. I just found that my local grocer Yokes in West Richland carries this beer now. It's much more affordable than the next beer I'm going to mention. Which makes it a decent tasting pocket friendly beer.

I've recently tried a gluten free beer called Toleration. Don't bother. This beverage can't even be classified as a beer. From the moment you open the bottle you're taken over by a whif of sickly sweet fruitiness. If you can stomach the smell enough to actually taste it you'll be dissapointed to find that while slightly bubbly, its syrupy flavor and slight bitterness will make it difficult to swallow. I tried to give it a decent go, but after 6 oz or so I poured it down the drain. For an expensive bottle of "beer" I was quite upset that it was undrinkable. Not only did it taste and smell bad, a couple of hours later I was quite sick from it and subsequently spent much of the late evening hours in the bathroom. This is one you should just leave on the shelf.

There has been only one gluten free beer that has completely impressed me, they have a variety of brews so I can get a "darker" beer just like I want. Drinking an ice cold Green's gluten free beer leaves me wanting for nothing. Just enjoying the flavor and remembering what a great beer tastes like. The ability to get it locally also moves it up on my list.


So if you were to ask me which gluten free beer I recommend, they would be in this order. Green's first and foremost, Bard's and then Redbridge. Try one, or two of these and see what you think.