All of our core range of beers are labelled gluten-free, and that can sometimes cause confusion in our customers.
We’re asked: “How can it be gluten-free when barley and wheat are in the ingredients?”
Firstly, what is Gluten-free?
It’s defined by UK law as containing less than 20 parts per million of gluten.
We do use ingredients that contain gluten in their raw form, such as barley (often referred to as malt), wheat and oats. However, this gluten is broken down during the brewing process. This is through the addition of a specialist enzyme which acts to break apart the gluten protein chains so they are no longer recognisable to the body as gluten.
If you want us to get more technical, the product contains a proline-specific endoprotease that degrades only proteins with proline amino acids. The chain of amino acids that forms the gluten protein gets broken down into harmless peptides, making our beer gluten-free. Also, as a bonus, this prevents protein-polyphenol complexes forming, which improves the shelf-life and colloidal stability of beers.
This means that those on a gluten-free diet are safe to consume our products. We also know many coeliacs enjoy our beers with no problems; however it must always be a personal decision based on an assessment of your own risk factors.
We are confident that the development of this process has had no effect on the flavour or quality of the products and only makes them more accessible to those who suffer from gluten intolerances. Read the reviews of our products on our online shop to see how much people enjoy them.
Our products are rigorously and regularly lab tested to ensure the effectiveness and consistency of our process.
If you have any questions about this process do get in touch – we’re always happy to chat or supply you with more information.