There may have been a time when "gluten-free beer" was an oxymoron -- when the only option for someone with celiac disease or gluten sensitivity who had a hankering for a moderately alcoholic carbonated beverage was hard cider -- but that time is not 2015. At least a third of Americans are now trying to avoid gluten, and beer companies, not wanting to lose out on a huge share of their customer base, have rushed to develop a host of gluten-free beers, across all styles, over the past few years. So at this point, "gluten-free beer" is almost as well established a category as "decaf coffee" or "diet soda."
But among beer aficionados, gluten-free beers still get a pretty bad rap. When asked for a recommendation for a good beer for someone trying to avoid gluten, many of them would still recommend cider.
With that in mind, we decided to give gluten-free beer a chance by conducting a taste test of as many brands as we could find (in southern California) in an effort to identify at least one that actually tastes great.
We tried a dozen beers -- and, sadly, that experience mostly reinforced our negative impressions of gluten-free beer. Almost all the beers we tried had strange textures: fizzier and less substantial than you'd expect from a beer. And many also had flavor profiles that were, in one respect or another, seriously flawed. There was a preponderance of unpleasant piney, honey-like and tropical fruit flavor notes, and few of the beers struck the right balance between bitterness and sweetness.
Still, we found several beers that, even if they won't make our personal lists of favorite beers anytime soon, were completely acceptable. Even good! Scroll down to see which ones we liked -- and which ones we completely hated.
As always, the brands included did not in any way sponsor or influence the outcome of this taste test.
Cost: $14 per four-pack
Tasters Said: "That's really good. Reminds me of non-gluten-free beer. The texture is a little light and fizzy but the flavor is spot-on." "Refreshing and summery. Could sit on a porch with this baby. A bit sour but I like it." "Sweet, mild." "Tastes a little like coffee. Sort of a lighter dark beer taste. I could drink this if I were celiac."
Cost: $7 per six-pack
Tasters Said: "This tastes like grapefruit juice. I want to drink it outside. I'm into it." "Drinkable, pretty middle of the road. Light on the bubbles." "Decent. Not too sweet or sour. Somewhere in the middle." "Tastes like a typical beer -- no special taste -- a little sweet at the finish."
Cost: $9 per six-pack
Tasters Said: "Tastes like strawberry! Bizarrely fruity. But pleasant." "OK for hot summer parties. You'd have to drink it cold." "Not great but passable." "Sort of like a cider. Sweet -- but a little medicinal." "A little too sweet. Vaguely reminds me of champagne. Nice and crisp, though!"
Cost: $7 per 22 oz. bottle
Tasters Said: "This is all right. It has kind of a spicy thing going on. At least it tastes like something. Kind of like beer even, maybe." "Reminds me of raspberry soda, but with a bitter finish. Pretty good." "Flavorful, citrusy. Kinda nice and summery." "Not bad. Aftertaste is a bit strange -- but I wouldn't spit it out. It is refreshing."
Cost: $11 per four-pack
Tasters Said: "Very tasty IPA. Nice spice, not too strong." "So, so bitter." "Would be OK for any hop-head." "Quite bitter, with lots of aromatics. Heavy orange peel. Some coriander." "Hoppy, standard-ish IPA. Best of the bunch for sure. Still a bit odd."
ABV: 7.7 percent
Cost: $9 per six-pack
Tasters Said: "Ooh. I kind of like this one. It has a little bit of a ginger thing going on, and it tastes like real beer." "Not my type of beer, but I think people could like this one." "Bitter. Drinkable though." "Lots of clove and orange peel. Nice thick mouthfeel."
Cost: $9 per six-pack
Tasters Said: "Vanilla, smooth." "Very sweet, lots of tropical fruit notes. Too much. Treacly. Not revolting, but I don't like it." "This is coconut-pineapple suntan lotion, not beer. Frosting too." "Tastes like juice or cider. Doesn't really feel like a beer to me. But OK for a sweeter option, I suppose."
Cost: $10 per six-pack
Tasters Said: "Not sure what this wants to be. Not bad, but strange." "Funky, bitter, weird honey notes." "Could drink this all day on a patio -- sunny, citrusy." "Light and drinkable." "Tastes like a wet cardboard box." "It's not offensive, but like, why? I don't know, I guess it's fine."
Cost: $7 per 16.9 oz. bottle
Tasters Said: "Gross, like bad pineapple juice." "Weirdly mango-ish on the nose, but pretty flat in the mouth." "A little bitter, some apricot." "Unremarkable. Meh." "Uptown funk. Not in a good way. What are these flavors? No, thank you."
Cost: $9 per six-pack
Tasters Said: "Hoppy, lighter body, effervescent." "Celiac-friendly frat house beer." "Drinkable, but too light and boring. Thin, thin, thin." "Tastes like shitty, cheap college beer. Not a compliment." "Very light, almost on Bud Light level. No bueno, unless it's chug-o-clock."
Cost: $10 per 22 oz. bottle
Tasters Said: "This is basically kombucha, for better or worse." "It smells bad but tastes like lemonade. But like … sort of bad, rotten lemonade." "Tastes like a funky warhead, and not in a good way." "Tastes like rotten fruit juice." "Kombucha-like/sour, but also honey-ish and cloying. At least it feels intentional, not accidentally bad." "Well the smell alone is terrifying. The taste wasn't as bad, but I would definitely say it was sour and confusing."
Cost: $8 per four-pack
Tasters Said: "Disgusting. Literally made me gag." "Gross! Tastes like something went wrong." "Smells like vinegar. Gross! I nearly gagged at first. My least favorite by far." "An atrocity."
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