Low Gluten in Beer

A nice German beer from the Black Forrest is the Rothaus Pils. I am not so sure if it is available outside Germany but in Germany people like it and it is also much more expensive than other mainstreams beers like Warsteiner, Beck’s or Bitburger. More common than the 0.5 l bottle is the smaller version with 0.33 l called Tannenzäpfle (pinecone). But it’s the same beer and gluten level seems to be OK too, see test result below.

Beer: Rothaus Pils
Producer: Badische Staatsbrauerei Rothaus
Originating country: Germany
Brewing location: Germany
Bottle size: 0.5 l
Alcohol by volume: 5.1%
Ingredients: water, barley malt, hops
Miscellaneous: –

Test Kit: Imutest Gluten-in-Food Kit

Test result: The test result is negative. According to the instructions there should appear a clearly visible pink test spot on the left of the test area ( T ) to indicate the presence of gluten. The pink spot on the right test area ( C ) is a control spot and indicates that the extract/sample is suitable, the test has been performed correctly and all reagents are active. Even though the detection limit in this kit is very low (1-2 ppm) and the test is negative please note this is not a medical advice – please see also my facts page.

This is my first test of Romanian beer during my trip to Timisoara. Timisoreana is an average tasting beer – no bad but nothing special too. The brewery is the oldest in Romania and is part of SABMiller.

Beer: Timisoreana
Producer: Fabrica de bere
Originating country: Romania
Brewing location: Romania
Bottle size: 0.5 l can
Alcohol by volume: 5.0%
Ingredients: water, barley malt, corn, hops
Miscellaneous: –

Test Kit: Imutest Gluten-in-Food Kit

Test result: The test result is negative. According to the instructions there should appear a clearly visible pink test spot on the left of the test area ( T ) to indicate the presence of gluten. The pink spot on the right test area ( C ) is a control spot and indicates that the extract/sample is suitable, the test has been performed correctly and all reagents are active. Even though the detection limit in this kit is very low (1-2 ppm) and the test is negative please note this is not a medical advice – please see also my facts page.

A beer from the city of Herford in Eastern Westphalia. It’s a decent Pils I always have when I visit some relatives. I like it and it’s best enjoyed not too cold from the small bottle (in German called a Steinie).

Beer: Herforder Pils
Producer: Herforder Brauerei
Originating country: Germany
Brewing location: Germany
Bottle size: 0.33 l
Alcohol by volume: 4.8%
Ingredients: water, barley malt, hops extract
Miscellaneous: –

Test Kit: Imutest Gluten-in-Food Kit

Test result: The test result is negative. According to the instructions there should appear a clearly visible pink test spot on the left of the test area ( T ) to indicate the presence of gluten. The pink spot on the right test area ( C ) is a control spot and indicates that the extract/sample is suitable, the test has been performed correctly and all reagents are active. Even though the detection limit in this kit is very low (1-2 ppm) and the is negative please note this is not a medical advice – please see also my facts page.

During the famous Oktoberfest time a lot of the breweries brew a special beer which is only available during that time. This normally has higher alcohol content and is so very tasty as alcohol transports the taste in beer. Well, that’s also why I don’t really like alcohol free beer. Anyway here is the gluten test of Spaten Oktoberfestbier. I saved two bottles I bought in Oktober in my basement to enjoy them later. Despite the result below (*spoiler warning*) I had no reaction on it.

Beer: Spaten Oktoberfestbier
Producer: Spaten-Franziskaner-Bräu Munich
Originating country: Germany
Brewing location: Germany
Bottle size: 0.5 l
Alcohol by volume: 5.9%
Ingredients: water, barley malt, hops, hops extract
Miscellaneous: –

Test Kit: Imutest Gluten-in-Food Kit

Test result: There is a clearly visible pink test spot on the left of the test area ( T ) which indicates the presence of gluten. According to the instructions a “very low gluten” level of 20 to 100 ppm should give a test spot which is weaker or similar in intensity to that of the control spot ( C ). Please find some more information here.

On a scale from 1 to 20 I would rate the test spot intensity 3. As Imutest uses the R5 antibody since a while it is difficult to estimate the gluten level in ppm in comparison to Skerritt antibody they used earlier, hence I will mark the test just positive. Even though this test is positive please note it is not a medical advice – see my facts page.

During my last ski holiday on the Austrian side of the ‘Zugspitze’ (the highest mountain in Germany) I found a nice Austrian beer which I liked very much. It is not really local from that place but it is also not so much a mainstream beer like Gösser.

I decided for the Zillertal Märzen rather than the Zillertal Pils as the Austrian Märzen is close to Lager. The definition of Märzen in Germany is very different to the Austrian as the German Märzen is stronger in alcohol and more hoppy. Anyway, here is the gluten test result of Zillertal Märzen:

Beer: Zillertaler Marzen
Producer: Zillertal Bier GmbH
Originating country: Austria
Brewing location: Austria
Bottle size: 500 ml
Alcohol by volume: 5.1%
Ingredients: water, barley malt, aroma hops
Miscellaneous: –

Test Kit: Imutest Gluten-in-Food Kit

Test result: The test result is negative. According to the instructions there should appear a clearly visible pink test spot on the left of the test area ( T ) to indicate the presence of gluten. The pink spot on the right test area ( C ) is a control spot and indicates that the extract/sample is suitable, the test has been performed correctly and all reagents are active. Even though the detection limit in this kit is very low (1-2 ppm) and the test is negative please note this is not a medical advice – please see also my facts page.

A classic gueuze from Cantillon lambic brewery in Brussels made from a blend of 1,2&3 year old lambic. They use a high proportion of wheat in the grist so this was always likely to have a high gluten content. The reason I tested is due to the different varieties of wild yeast and bacteria which ferment the beer, the theory being that they produce protein enzymes which might break down the gluten.

Beer: Cantillon Gueuze
Producer: Brasserie Cantillon
Originating country: Belgium
Brewing location: Belgium
Bottle size: 750 ml
Alcohol by volume: 5%
Ingredients: Barley malt, raw wheat, hops, water
Miscellaneous: –

Test Kit: GlutenTox Home Kit

Tested with a threshold of 5 ppm. The limit of detection depends on the number of drops taken from the extraction solution, please find some more information here.

Test result: A red line appears on the right of the test stick ( T ). The red line indicates the presence of gluten equal to or above 5 ppm. The blue line on the left test area ( C ) is a control line and indicates that the extract/sample is suitable, the test has been performed correctly and all reagents are active. Even though this test is positive please note it is not a medical advice – see my facts page.

This is the first test from Zoe:

A hoppy lager from a relatively new craft brewery in Bristol, UK. A very refreshing and tasty lager, very balanced, not too malt forward or sweet.

Beer: Keller Pils
Producer: Lost & Grounded Brewers
Originating country: UK
Brewing location: UK
Bottle size: 440 ml can
Alcohol by volume: 4.8%
Ingredients: Pilsner malt, hops, water, yeast
Miscellaneous: –

Test Kit: GlutenTox Home Kit

Zoe tested with a threshold of 5 ppm. The limit of detection depends on the number of drops taken from the extraction solution, please find some more information here.

Test result: A faint red line appears on the right of the test stick ( T ). The red line indicates the presence of gluten equal to or above 5 ppm. The blue line on the left test area ( C ) is a control line and indicates that the extract/sample is suitable, the test has been performed correctly and all reagents are active. Even though this test is positive please note it is not a medical advice – see my facts page.