gluten free familyA mum's blog about gluten-free living in Australia

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... or would bread be better?

I’m glad to see those brainy folk at the CSIRO have got their priorities right. They are developing a gluten free barley strain with one particular end product in mind….beer!

In case you were wondering, yes it is a gluten free bloke at the head of this project.

Now it’s not that I am averse to a tipple. No indeed. But it does make me wonder if perhaps he doesn’t have gluten free kids like we do here at GFF.

If he did I reckon we might soon be looking forward to munching into a lovely gluten free barley loaf instead. Read the rest of this entry »

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are they gluten free?

Thanks to months of label gazing, I can now intuitively detect gluten in most food products. My inner dial still fails me, though, when it comes to drinks – both the boozy and non-boozy varieties.

Modern day sage, Google, has saved me yet again with some guidance on the topic. The main rule of thumb is to avoid barley-based drinks, malted drinks and beer.

Following is a more detailed snapshot.

FOR KIDS

Cordials and juices

Usually gluten free but watch out for barley-based drinks

Hot Chocolate

Pure cocoa (and milk of course) is okay but drinking chocolate may contain wheat. Watch out for malt extract and malt flavour which is made from barley (as in Ovaltine). Some people can handle small quantities of malt.

Fizzy drinks

These are mostly gluten free but lemonade and ginger beer may use a wheat-based ingredient to get a cloudy appearance so check. Some drinks like cola may use caramel colour which may be gluten-based depending on how it is made.

FOR GROWN-UPS

Tea and coffee

Black, green and herbal teas are okay as is coffee but decaffeinated versions and substitutes are sometimes wheat-based

Beer

Beer usually has some gluten in it. Look for gluten free varieties.

Wine

Wine is generally gluten free but I did read that some makers use hydrolysed wheat gluten as a clarifying agent though the quantities are considered too small to count.

There is also potential for cross contamination in barrel storage with some sealed using a flour paste. This tends to only apply to more expensive wines.

Wine coolers on the other hand are not gluten free as they contain malt.

Spirits

Spirits are usually made from gluten-containing grains (malt whisky for example) but because the proteins are removed in the distilling process they are considered gluten free – unless gluten-based additives such as caramel colours are used after distilling.

Other

Cider, sherry, port and liqueurs are generally classed as gluten free unless caramel colour is used. Cocktails obviously come with risks.

MB

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It’s pricey and hard to get hold of but if you know the right people you can get your hands on it.

Yes I’m talking about gluten free beer.  A couple of Aussie companies brew the stuff and though it costs between $70 and $80 a case, I am assured by a beer enthusiast (co-blogger, Lucy) that at this price, it does at least taste good.

The gluten content in ordinary beer varies but can be found in the grains used or in the yeast. Apparently sorghum is most commonly used in gluten free beer.

Lucy has sampled the gluten free range from O’Brien – a brewery dedicated to gluten free – and can vouch for its flavour.  We also like the fact that it is preservative free and has no artificial colourings. It comes in three varieties, a lager, a malty bitter and a brown ale.

Although O’Brien is a Victorian brewer, you should be able to find a retailer that stocks it near you via its website. Dan Murphy’s in particular seem to stock it and you can order it online for just under $70 a case.

Billabong Brewing in Perth makes four gluten free beers, a lager, a bitter, a ginger beer and an apple beer with plans to rollout more including a mid-strength and a dark ale. It also lists retail outlets and you can buy online. Billabong notes not all outlets listed sell the entire line, which also includes traditional beer. The gluten free beers sell for between $75 and $80 a case.

German brewer, Schnitzer Bräu also sells gluten free beer here in Australia. It  makes a traditional lager and a lemon and lime-infused lower alcohol version and these are sold at Dan Murphy’s. You can buy them in a six pack for just under $30.

Ouch. Perhaps I will learn to brew my own!

MB

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