Gluten-free beer is not just about substituting the ingredients, it involves mastering a whole new brewing science. What goes into making for a gluten-free brew is rather interesting to the beer enthusiast or those seeking to eliminate gluten from their diet. In this article, we explore the science behind gluten free beer and few challenges brewers face when producing gluten free beer.
Gluten
What exactly, then, is gluten? In its simplest explanation, gluten is a protein found in wheat, barley, and rye. It gives elasticity to dough, letting bread rise. While all of this bodes well for bakers, it is not quite so wonderful for those who either have an intolerance to gluten or who have celiac disease. For some, this could be a minor source of discomfort; in others, it could mean some very serious health concern.
Traditional beer is brewed with barley rich in gluten, then gluten free beer comes to the rescue as an absolutely safe alternative that doesn’t detract one iota from the experience of having that cold one.
The Science Behind Gluten Removal in Beers
Gluten-free beer development is not a question of substitution, rather, it is manipulation of the brewing process, which avoids or reduces the gluten content totally. Meaningful methods used for gluten removal are explained below:
- Use of Enzymes: This process involves the use of enzymes when brewing, which break down gluten proteins. These are specifically targeted enzymes, which split gluten molecules to the extent at which the gluten content goes below the threshold considered safe for people suffering from celiac diseases.
- Gluten-Free Grains: Another, more obvious method would be to use gluten-free grains in the first place. This may include sorghum, rice, millet, and buckwheat. This set of grains not only takes away all concerns for gluten content, but also brings its own flavours into beers.
Finally, the yeast is an element of every brewing process, because it is a fermentation agent. On the other hand, one should be really careful in choosing the yeast so it doesn’t add any gluten.
Issues When Brewing Gluten-Free Beers
Gluten-free beer is anything but a picnic to brew. Maintaining flavour and aroma is the toughest challenge. This includes flavour and aroma of traditional barley that the beer connoisseurs are used to. Once one changes over to gluten-free grains, hitting those traditional tastes of beers gets very hard.
Sorghum itself has a unique flavour that does not always lend itself to reproducing beers people are used to tasting. It does demand a little creativity from the brewer in blending grains and adjusting recipes, to get it this right.
Another challenge is the clarity of the beer. Traditional beers are often bright and clear, partly due to barley’s nature. While gluten-free grains, may appear hazy. Beer drinkers aren’t bothered with a little cloudiness, some others want a crystal-clear pint. Various techniques may be used to clarify gluten-free beers, but it is not always easy.
Final Thoughts
Long story short, gluten-free beer has certainly come a long way from its humble beginnings. As long as demand keeps getting greater, so will the gluten-free beer market, both in terms of choices and quality. Whether you are gluten-intolerant or someone curious, there is a new world of flavour and craft gluten-free beer out there waiting.
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