Gluten-free

General brewing information, questions and discussion. Topics that do not seem to fit elsewhere.

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Push Eject
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Location: Lancaster, CA, US
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Nice Work

Post by Push Eject »

Way to be a pro, Mac.
By nature we homebrewers are inventive and self-sufficient -- you're off to a world-class start!
Cheers,
Ollie
l48shark
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Joined: Sun Apr 22, 2001 11:02 pm

Interested

Post by l48shark »

Mike,
My friend's wife has this condition and only drinks wine. It would be neat if I could brew a beer she could drink, so I am interested in your project. I guess your recipe would not be in the library due to the unusual grain schedule. I do not have your e-mail address, so please contact me via L48Shark@Yahoo.com. Thanks in advance.
Cheers,
Ford
mickeymac
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Gluten-free

Post by mickeymac »

My wife was diagnosed with gluten intolerance, which means she can't consume anything containing barley, wheat, and several other grains. I'm in the process of brewing her a batch of gluten-free beer. I malted my own corn, buckwheat, and quinoa and included all of these grains in the first batch. I'm new to brewing and, as a result of the unusual grains, had to jump right into all-grain brewing. With a combination of about 6 lbs malted corn, 6 lbs. malted buckwheat, 1 lb. malted quinoa, and 2.5 lbs of honey, I ended up with an OG of 1.042 and an FG of 1.008. The brew is going into bottles tonight. I tasted some when checking the gravity today, and it has a nice mellow flavor with a definite honey taste. Anyhow, it's been a lot of work, and I don't yet know the final results. However, I'm happy to share any experience I've had with anyone else who is considering a gluten-free brew. I've done a lot of internet research and have learned a fair amount about gluten-free grains. Feel free to e-mail me with any questions or suggestions: mmarkmc@pacbell.net.

Mike
andytv
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Excellent!

Post by andytv »

I've been drinking homebrew all might, but was barely able to read your posting. My wife has also expressed interest in finding a glutton-free bar. Most of my local haunts allow me to make quite a slob of myself and I get into all kinds of trouble. Jokes aside, what an excellent project you have completed (almost). It will be interesting to see your results. Best of luck blazing new trails!!
l48shark
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Just remembered...

Post by l48shark »

My friend's wife's intolerance is microscopic, so I would be afraid that anything I brewed with my equipment that typically touches barley malt would contaminate any other batch with gluten. Is your wife this sensitive? I suppose a really good washing of everything might suffice. Be careful where you crack your grain too, for sure.
Cheers,
Ford
mickeymac
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Joined: Sun Feb 10, 2002 9:18 pm

Pretty careful

Post by mickeymac »

My wife isn't ulta-sensitive, but I was pretty cautious about avoiding any possible sources of gluten. After using rice syrup solids in the beer (forgot to mention that ingredient in the original post), I learned that it sometimes contains trace amounts of wheat. Since then, I've found a source of gluten-free rice syrup solids. I cracked the grain myself, so cross-contamination wasn't a concern. I plan to buy a grain mill before doing the next batch.

I'm still hoping for the best after the major foul-up I told you about in the e-mail last night. I feel a bit better just now because I just opened the first bottle of the Imperial Stout that I recently brewed, and it tastes pretty darn good.
mickeymac
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Update

Post by mickeymac »

My wife tried the beer and swears she can't tell the difference between my brew and "real" beer. However, it has been a while since she had a real beer. It definitely tastes a bit different from any beer I've ever tried. However, I think most casual beer drinkers would not notice anything unusual about it. We're brewing the next batch this weekend and will be using sorghum, buckwheat, and corn. I'm going to make this batch a bit darker, adding some brown sugar and skipping the rice syrup.
Fraoch
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Awesome

Post by Fraoch »

That's what it is... awesome, I'm impressed, extremely.A true brew. i really am in awe of your dedication and thought process. I'd actually love to try one. Glad your wife likes it. good on ya mate!
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