Beer & Your Health

Healthy beer? Do you think this is crazy?! Not if you are one in 133 Americans that suffer from Celiac Disease. Most of this disregarded population has not enjoyed a beer in many years. This is a crime against beer and beer lovers worldwide. Finally some companies are realizing this undiscovered market and are brewing beers just for them.

First we need to address what is Celiac Disease? This disorder makes gluten proteins found in wheat, barley, rye and malt toxic to the small intestine. With out getting into the gory details, symptoms of Celiac have to deal with what gets expelled by your body and even has links to diabetes, weight problems and depression. Many people that suffer from this disease have not even been diagnosed with it yet. A gluten-free diet is the only treatment for this disorder.

This means that brewers must find different products to make beer from. The alternatives are sorghum, rice, millet, honey, dark sugars and molasses.

• Red Bridge brewed by Anheuser-Busch and is made from sorghum. This is a fuller-bodied lager with a mild hop flavor.

• Bard’s Tale Beer is brewed by Bard’s Tale Beer Company in California and is made from whole grain sorghum. A light bodied American Lager, with mild hops and all products are natural.

• New Grist is brewed by Lakefront Brewery in Wisconsin and is made from sorghum and rice extract. Brewed in the “session” style ale, it has a light, crisp and refreshing taste.

• Shakparo is brewed by Sprecher Brewery in Wisconsin and is made from sorghum and millet. An unfiltered, light, crisp ale with a cider or fruit profile, it is an easy-drinking “session” ale.

• Toleration is brewed by Hambleton Ales in North Yorkshire, England and is made from non-malted dark sugars. Enjoy the pronounced fruity, citrus taste that combines with the sweetness of full bodied tawny ale.

• Passover Honey Beer brewed by Ramapo Valley Brewery in New York and made from molasses and honey. This is sweet ale that has a honeyed flavor and is good enough to be a kosher beer, so you can drink during Passover.

The once thought of “forbidden beer” is finally waiting to be enjoyed by all. For more information on Celiac Disease and other items that are available visit www.celiac.com or www.bittersweetgf.com.