No Need to Compromise.

Celiac awareness as well as gluten-free diets that became trendy in the past couple of years. have both created a consumers’ base and demand for, well, gluten-free products. This of course includes beer. When we started blogging about beer – almost two years ago in our Hebrew blog beerdrinking – the only gluten-free beer available in the market was New Grist. As such, it was almost one of the most expensive beers available in the country and doubtless, one of the worst. Meanwhile other importers discovered the nieche andsome more brands appeared: Celia from the Czech Republic, Mongozo and recently – Estrella Dam Daura. A homebrewer who attempted at brewing buckwheat-based ale went commercial with the help of contract brewers Mivshelet Ha’am.

Predictably, There’s a gluten-free beer in the book. Bard’s The Original Sorghum Malt Beer is a lager-type  American craft beer that’s suitable to those who avoid gluten. I’m not one of them. Quite the opposite actually and not because of beer or bread even: the seitan-based vegan döner kebab that’s sold at the Vegetarian Shawarma in Tel Aviv is one of the best dishes a cruelty-free foodie can enjoy in the city. Anyway, Bard’s not available in Israel and my Excellent Little Brother got me a bottle from Wholefoods in New York. How was the beer? Greenish gold, clear and headless. It smelled sweet and apple-like and tasted at first a little sour, vinegar-like and then sweet. It had almost no carbonation, light body and short finish. Despite being craft beer, the target audience must be fans of pale lagers. Our beer buddies hated it, I didn’t really get the beer; it’s pretty tasteless. Maybe it’s a beggars can’t be choosers case and celiacs have to compromise? Uh, I beg to differ. Can’t drink good beer? Move on to distilled beer. Whiskey.

Anyway, apparently Bard’s The Original Sorghum Malt Beer is beer #167 I Must Try Before I Die. Oh well.