<<Disclaimer: Verify this information before applying it to your situation.>>

A Word on Gluten and Beer

There have been numerous claims that traditional barley-based beers are
gluten free or that all beers are gluten free.  Unfortunately, the area
is very grey and substantiated on technicalities.  The purpose of this
post is to eliminate the confusion about gluten as it relates to beer.

Gluten is an umbrella term used to describe a mixture of individual
proteins found in many grains.  Celiac disease (celiac sprue or gluten
intolerance, gluten sensitivity) is an autoimmune disorder that is
triggered by the ingestion of some of these glutens.  People with
classic celiac disease are intolerant to the gluten proteins found in
wheat, barley, rye, spelt and a couple other lesser known grains.  All
these grains have a relative of the gluten protein.  Interestingly,
corn, rice and sorghum also have gluten proteins but are not toxic to
celiacs.  Herein lies one of the fundamental problems; the use of the
term "gluten intolerance" to cover only certain gluten containing grains
is confusing for consumers and food manufacturers alike.  Unfortunately,
it seems that the inertia for using celiac disease and gluten
intolerance as synonyms is unstoppable.  Therefore, it becomes the
responsibility of both consumers and manufacturers to make sure the
terms being discussed are defined and understood.

As this relates to beer, there is a gluten protein found in barley.
This protein is known as hordein.  Wheat gluten is known as gliadin.
Rye gluten is known as secalin.  Presently, assay tests (or lab tests)
are only commercially available for the testing of gliadin.  We are
unaware of any tests for hordein or any manufacturer that presently
tests for hordein (Note: If you know of anyone that does in fact test
specifically for hordein, please let us know).  Therefore the idea that
a barley based beer can be considered gluten free based upon the lack of
testing is very difficult to fathom.  It should be understood that a
company using an assay test for gliadin to test for hordein will not
return accurate results.

There has been widespread speculation that the brewing process
eliminates these hordein proteins making all beers gluten-free.
Although commercial assay tests for hordein are not available there is
conclusive evidence that the brewing process does not degrade hordein to
non-toxic levels.  A research study in Australia on improving beer haze
shows that hordein is still present in beer after the brewing process
(http://www.regional.org.au/au/abts/1999/sheehan.htm).  Therefore,
claims that hordein or gluten is destroyed in the brewing process is
unsubstantiated and clearly, based upon the Australian research, is
highly questionable.

Based upon the continuous claims by beer companies that beers are gluten
free, it is clear that the issue is misunderstood and, as always, it is
up to the consumer to educate them on the facts.  Hopefully, the
information provided here will give consumers and manufacturers alike
the ability to discuss these gluten issues intelligently and
effectively.

About the author:  Kevin Seplowitz is the President and Co-founder of
the Bard's Tale Research Company, LLC and organization that researches
the correlations between nutrition, diet, and autoimmune disorders.
Bard's Tale Research owns and operates Bard's Tale Beer Company, LLC
(www.bardsbeer.com <http://www.bardsbeer.com/> ) a company that develops
commercial gluten-free beers.  Mr. Seplowitz is a diagnosed Celiac.

*Support summarization of posts, reply to the SENDER not the Celiac List*