Review #9: New Grist Gluten Free Session Ale

New Grist is a Pilsner-style session ale brewed by Lakefront Brewery in Milwaukee. It contains 5.1% ABV. According to their website, New Grist was the first beer to get the "certified gluten free" stamp from the US government. New Grist is brewed with sorghum and rice. It is, however, their only gluten-free variety among many gluten-containing beers.

I put off trying New Grist for a long time after reading some scathing reviews of the beer online. However, I decided to give it another try while at a pub with my extended family because everyone else was having beer. I also figured it was worth a shot because most of my pagehits come from my reviews of beer and ciders that are more commonly available. :) I drank this beer out of some weird tiny beer glass that made smelling difficult. I got beer up my nose twice trying to get a good smell in and made a fool of myself in public. All for you, dear readers!


Appearance: New Grist poured a pale, crystal clear straw yellow with no head.
Smell: Has that familiar sorghum smell, but is very faint (note smell-testing issues above). There is a slight sweet fruit smell in there as well.
Taste: Obvious sorghum flavor in this one. New Grist is also slightly sweet, with a grassy flavor note not unlike spinach.
Mouthfeel: Slightly astringent mouthfeel with medium-light carbonation level.
Overall: This beer gets a big "meh" from me. As far as gluten-free beer goes, I've had a lot worse. But this definitely wouldn't be my first choice.

Review #3: Bard's Gold Original Sorghum Malt Beer

I'll admit; I was a bit hesitant to try this beer. It's got quite a few horrible reviews on Beer Advocate. Most gluten-free beers I've seen there do, though. But when someone says,

"When your beer is so bad that it causes you to cough and gag because of the flavor, you know something's wrong."

Or,

"This by far is the worst tasting beer we ever had. We both couldn't spit it out quick enough."

 ...I'm bound to be a little scared. However, I think these two were being a bit dramatic.

Bard's Gold is made by Bard's Tale Beer Company, and claims to be the original sorghum beer. It's a American lager that sits at 4.6% ABV, though I had to go to their website to find the latter - it's not printed on the label. I poured the Bard's into a conical pint glass. It had a small white head that disappeared shortly after pouring. Clear amber color with lots of carbonation.

It has a slightly sweet, earthy smell, with a bit of, well... that ocean smell.The taste is watery and hard to find past all the bubbles. I'm getting bitterness, with a definite bitter aftertaste, and a little bit of saltiness. There's also kind of a toasty grain flavor in there.

Overall, this beer is okay. Kind of boring. Nothing I'd throw away, but not anything I'd buy again either.

Review #1: Redbridge Gluten-Free Sorghum Beer

For my first review, I decided to start with one of the most easily-found gluten-free beers: Redbridge.

Redbridge is made by Anheuser-Busch, the same company that makes Budweiser, Michelob, Shock Top, Busch, and other well-known brands. It is marketed as a "full-bodied lager" or as Beer Advocate says, an "American Amber/ Red Lager." I'm more inclined to call it a lager, because this beer would be pretty weak as an amber. Redbridge sits at 4% ABV.

I had avoided trying Redbridge again after a bad experience at a local burger joint. I ordered a Redbridge and I think it may have gone off. Maybe it spent too much time in a warm part of the kitchen. Maybe it spent too much time in the sunlight, or was just old. Either way, it was very bitter, almost metallic. I hated it. However, after hearing a gluten-free friend say it was her favorite, I thought it was worth another try.

I poured the bottle into this conical pint glass. It has a deep honey color with a big foamy white head that dissipated quickly after pouring. My first impression: "not bad." The beer has some fruity notes and a bit of a toasty flavor. I can definitely taste the sorghum in it, which for some people is off-putting. It's an acquired taste, I think. Redbridge is light on the palate--  moderately carbonated, but easy to drink, and refreshing.

The verdict: I liked this beer. It's nothing special. That is, it doesn't seem that different from most of Anheuser-Busch's offerings. However, it's an easily-found, moderately-priced gluten-free beer that is pretty tasty and definitely enjoyable.