In the United States, we’ve come to understand that “gluten-free beer” means not just beer without gluten, but more specifically, beer brewed with gluten-free grains, such as sorghum, rice, corn, millet, quinoa and buckwheat. In Europe, on the other hand, the landscape of gluten-free beer is a bit more complicated. Yes, you have GF beers brewed from GF grains. But you also have GF beers brewed from barley – yes, barley – in which the gluten that would normally be present in the beer is removed through a specialized brewing process. Perhaps most confusing of all, you have brewers – such as Estrella Damm in Barcelona, Spain – who brew two “identical” versions of the same beer, one gluten-free, the other not.
Estrella Damm and Estrella Damm Daura provide a case in point. Both are essentially the same beer…described as a Spanish or Mediterranean style Pilsener. However, the Daura version goes through a special brewing process, reliably removing the gluten to a level below 6ppm, less than one third the international standard for gluten-free certification. (I won’t go into the specifics of how they get the gluten out here…that’s for a different post.) The beer has earned quite the accolades, taking home the title of “world’s best gluten-free beer” at the World Beer Awards in 2008 and 2009. (In an insult to us GF beer drinkers, for 2010 the WBA didn’t include a GF beer category. Harumph!)
When I saw a four-pack of 11.2-ounce bottles of the Daura beer at my local liquor store, I couldn’t resist picking some up (despite the $8.78 price tag). It’s been years since I’d had a barley-based beer. After drinking alternative gluten-free grain beers for the last 3.5 years, and hearing – seemingly incessantly – how inferior they were to “real” beer brewed from barley, I expected my first sips of Estrella Damm Daura to be like the clouds parting and the heavens singing. Instead, I was disappointed.
When I saw a four-pack of 11.2-ounce bottles of the Daura beer at my local liquor store, I couldn’t resist picking some up (despite the $8.78 price tag). It’s been years since I’d had a barley-based beer. After drinking alternative gluten-free grain beers for the last 3.5 years, and hearing – seemingly incessantly – how inferior they were to “real” beer brewed from barley, I expected my first sips of Estrella Damm Daura to be like the clouds parting and the heavens singing. Instead, I was disappointed.Sure, the beer had a distinct barley flavor that simply doesn’t come through in American gluten-free beers. And yes, the beer lacked any of the cider-y, sweet notes common to many GF beers, especially those brewed from sorghum. But its overall flavor was mediocre at best. It reminded me of all the cheap barley beer I’ve had in my life. In fact, the most immediate reaction I had to the beer was a flashback to my early college years, when we drank pretty much whatever we could get our hands on, or afford. (Ahh, what a trip down memory lane…)
Don’t get me wrong. The beer is good, and quite drinkable. A few cold bottles easily slide down the hatch on a warm fall afternoon. But if you find yourself faced with an American GF beer brewed from GF grains, and a European GF beer brewed from barley, you’d be wrong to immediately assume that the barley-based beer would taste better. Estrella Damm Daura is a good addition to the spectrum of GF beers, and it’s definitely worth a look – especially because it tastes so different from what else is out there. At the end of the day, though, I’m becoming increasingly convinced that the best GF brewers out there can do as much with gluten-free grains as other brewers can with barley.
– Pete
So you’re saying it’s the gluten free equivalent of Mickey’s?
I really liked the New Grist and the Redbridge is a nicer one too. I haven’t tried Greens as it’s just too darned expensive.
I miss Framboise Lambic.
Hey Amanda… I like Redbridge as well. Not as much a fan of New Grist. I like Green’s, but as you say, it’s expensive. New Planet has a GF Raspberry Ale…not quite a framboise lambic, but still very good, and just won bronze at the Great American Beer Festival, but only available in Colorado for now. Alchemist in Vermont brews a GF framboise lambic. Perhaps the best GF beer I’ve ever had, but alas, only available on tap in the brewery… I think my next home brew is going to be a cherry lambic. Stay tuned!
Cheers, Pete
Be careful drinking these. They are brewed with an industrial enzyme named Brewers Clarex. This enzyme is ridiculously cool because it actually breaks apart the gluten protein, and a lot of other proteins details.
As with anything that’s too good to be true though, it looks like this might actually be problematic because while the gluten no longer exists (and therefore avoids all gluten tests), but the truth is that people aren’t having problems with gluten protein, but rather 3 of the peptides in the protein. As of yet no research has been done to see if those peptides still exist in the final product or not.
article
If you’re very sensitive to gluten, then be careful drinking them. But if you’re not super sensitive then just know that there could be some problems. Then again, there’s some argument that almost any light barley-only beer probably meets gluten-free standards.
Finally, this isn’t a really great beer to begin with, so don’t look at brewers clarex and think that all variants are bad. This particular beer doesn’t taste great, but it works in all beers and doesn’t manipulate the flavors. Technically you can get a vial of the stuff, dump it in a keg of your favorite barley-only beer, wait a week and viola, gf beer.
Hi Otis… Thanks for your comment and caution. As you probably know, Brewers Clarex isn’t the only way brewers reduce the amount of gluten in their beers – selecting low-protein varieties of barley, several steps of the brewing process, and prolonged cold storage (or other clarifying methods) all incrementally serve to reduce the total gluten present in a beer.
As far as peptides go, I think your concern is understandable, but – in my opinion – unfounded. I’ve interviewed several prominent Celiac researchers and brewing scientists on this topic, and have also read the peer-reviewed journal articles on the topic. Here are some things to keep in mind:
For starters, if you’re interested in the citation for the original research mentioned in the LiveScience article link you provided, here it is:
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20650871
Brewers Clarex is classified as a prolyl endoprotease, which basically means a “protein eating” enzyme that specifically targets the amino acid proline. The research you cite found that three peptides – each about 12 amino acids long – seem to cause many of the Celiac related problems. Scientists have previously sequenced barley hordein (for example, in this study in Biomedical and Life Sciences: http://www.springerlink.com/content/a112273645778415/) and found that proline occurs more frequently than every 12 amino acids. It then stands to reason that barley hordein “digested” by proline-seeking Brewers Clarex would yield peptides too small to cause a Celiac reaction.
This seems to hold up in more recent studies. One study published in a 2006 issue of the American Journal of Physiology (http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16690904) and a 2008 study published in the journal Gut (http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17494108) both found that the prolyl endoprotease used in Brewers Clarex sufficiently degraded gluten to levels safe for Celiacs. They determined this not only by testing for full gluten, but also by looking for T cell immune reactivity to partial gluten peptides. In other words, the barley hordein peptides remaining after using Brewers Clarex are either too small or not the right type to cause a Celiac gluten response.
Cheers, Pete
Thank you for your review and for getting word out that this beer is now on the market here in the States. I really like Estrella Damm Daura myself. It quickly became my favorite GF beer (aside from the few German Pisners I could get this past summer while I was visiting…made the same way with Barley…but those are not available here Stateside). This beer now replaces my previous faves Bards and Shakparo. I’m glad to have more and more choices as the years go by that’s for sure and would never turn down the chance to order and drink a Red Bridge, New Grist, or Toleration Ale though if I ran across it. You’re not the first person to mention New Planet’s beers…and hopefully sometime soon they will stretch across the Colorado border and into the rest of the country. I’d really like to try some! Anyway, it’s just good to have so many GF beers now that we can all disagree on which is our favorite. Prost!
HAHA! “College beer”? Nice analogy! To me, ALL of the options are just “hints” at having a “real” barley/hops beer from your favorite microbrew. A far cry.
That said, the Daura is to me like a Strohs, or perhaps an Old Style. It would be fine at the ballpark with a hot dog (no bun), or iced down on a warm day with thai, mexi, or pizza (GF crust, of course).
That’s about it.
I’d still rather drink a nice red wine, or a cocktail than these GF beers – but don’t worry: as the market grows (my GI doc said today that he is seeing many more celiac diagnoses than ever before) we will see improvement in beer and bread choices.
HAHA! “College beer”? Nice analogy! To me, ALL of the options are just “hints” at having a “real” barley/hops beer from your favorite microbrew. A far cry.
That said, the Daura is to me like a Strohs, or perhaps an Old Style. It would be fine at the ballpark with a hot dog (no bun), or iced down on a warm day with thai, mexi, or pizza (GF crust, of course).
That’s about it.
I’d still rather drink a nice red wine, or a cocktail than these GF beers – but don’t worry: as the market grows (my GI doc said today that he is seeing many more celiac diagnoses than ever before) we will see improvement in beer and bread choices.
Please excuse the double post. The double post!
Hi E-Man… No worries (two times over) about the double post. Thanks for sharing your two cents. Indeed, the options continue to get better and better. And while many GF beers don’t taste like their barley counterparts, I still think they’re pretty enjoyable in their own right…
Cheers, Pete
Daura beer is BY FAR the best tasting beer for us Celiacs! Having drank beer legally for 34 years before being diagnosed I stand by my statement. I am “extremely” sensitive to glutens and I had no problem with this beer. It tasted like the German beer Dauba to me. Just having trouble finding it all the time.
*Sigh* I prefer Daura to the other GF beers, but I seem to react to it. It is a mild reaction, but it is unmistakable. Perhaps some or us are sensitive to some of the smaller peptides, or maybe I had a “bad batch,” or …? I have tried it 3 times, and the 3rd time I had eaten a 100% guaranteed gluten-free diet that day (I ate only steamed rice and steamed veggies the rest of the day, all cooked at home) and I still got a reaction (my reactions come quickly after eating). I will have to go back to Bard’s.
Hi Anonymous… Sorry to hear you reacted to the Daura beer. Bummer.
Cheers, Pete
I am newly diagnosed (7 months) and went out to dinner last night and tried this beer…I was very happy with it’s taste though a bit worried about a reaction. 24 hours later and I am fine! I may have had a very slight reaction earlier this morning but it certainly did not linger. I am happy.
I LOVED beer before, my favorite was a Canadian beer, Le Fin Du Monde, which I so so so miss 🙁
Thanks for reviewing this, glad to have come across this site.
I have had New Grist, Bards, Les Messengre and Redbridge. Having just returned to Canada from New York where a celac pal advised me of this as the best he had tried I found that Daura blows all others away. i could care-less if it’s like a cheap barley beer (which to me it isn’t).
I never aquired a taste for Bards or Redbridge fully as they are so far from any real beer that i ever had. I thus moved to cocktails and wine, which are always lovely in the right situation. But after a ball game or when needing more liquid that a wine can provide, i am so looking forward to Daura. I just ordered 6 cases to my local liquor store.
Haven’t tried all the GF beers, but have heard that this recently won the best GF beer in the world (in Europe). And given all these beers contain alcohol anyway (which is not good for you in quantity) I am not overly concerned with processes and enzymes that might be in the GF beers. This seems inconsequential to moi.
Still, thanks for all the posts and please keep posting about GF beers.
redbridge and bards have a bad after taste. i was advised Asahi super dry is GF. i’ve tried with no “apparent issues has anyone else heard if it is really GF? or anywhere in NJ to buy daura?
curt berlin NJ
Hi Curt… Asahi Super Dry is a low-malt Japanese rice lager. It DOES contain malted barley as an ingredient, and so by traditional definitions, is NOT considered gluten-free. That said, its low malt content and high rice percentage (an adjunct, in beer terms) likely render it effectively gluten-free, which is perhaps why you’ve enjoyed it to no ill effect.
Cheers, Pete
Hi Pete,
Interesting post and discussion; thanks! I am familiar with Brewer’s Clarex (I work in a small brewery) and have always considered it a process aid for haze stabilization. It would seem that the processes involved in haze reduction and gluten reduction might be mechanically similar, but enzymes are notoriously specific in their activities, so I am curious whether this product really provides both benefits (i.e. if the haze proteins and the Celiac-sensitive proteins are one and the same) or if maybe it is a different product you are referring to. Either way, if an enzymatic solution is out there I suspect it would be of great interest to craft brewers. Can you share where you learned about the Clarex?
Cheers,
Jaime
Hi Jaime… If you look earlier in the comment thread, my reply to “Otis” has links to many of the references you’re looking for. Charlie Papazian has also done some writing (and experimenting) on the topic and shared his findings on Zymurgy.
Cheers, Pete
I’m surprised to see so many negative reviews of the taste of Daura. I’m not gluten intolerant, but my wife was having issues that she suspected might be gluten related so we tried a number of different GF beers.
New Grist lacked any flavor whatsoever. Redbridge is actually my favorite A-B product (not really saying much though!) But we tried Estrella Damm Daura and I though it was great! It is a lager and even though I’m more of an ale guy, but I thought it had a great flavor.
I picked up a 4-pack today at Total Wine and when I got home I realized they only charged $1.99 for it (too bad I only got one 4-pack!)
Hi Lance… I agree. I’ve never been much a fan of New Grist. Redbridge (and Bard’s) are two of the old standards. Redbridge is great for wide distribution, and in the absence of other options, but it’s grown tired on me, too. The Daura is a fine beer, but I’m still waiting for more GF brewers to give us something darker and more complex. New Planet’s Off Grid Pale Ale is a step in that direction, with heavy hops. But I can’t wait for more offerings.
Cheers, Pete
I am totally new to this GF thing, and as a HUGE beer fan (I actually help select beers for my friend’s bar’s beer list) giving up conventional beer is the most devastating aspect of going GF. In my less than a month of GF, I have tried Redbridge, Green’s, New Grist and some Hitachino Nest rice beer-NONE taste like beer.
Mock Estrella Damm Daura if you will, but I actually had to double-check online to make sure it was really gluten free. It may be a lager, but at least there isn’t the cloying sweetness present in every sorghum beer, trying to kill the hideous bitter nasty taste. And as a former double-IPA drinker, I like some bitterness from hops.
I like wine (having worked in a French restaurant for nearly a decade), and drink vodka, scotch and bourbon- but neat, or with club soda. Cider is too sweet, so the sorghum beers are repulsive to me.
Give Estrella a chance if you miss the taste of real beer, and you don’t like sweet.
WOW, Gluten free beer that actually tastes like beer. I have been gluten free (beer free) for the last 3 months (which sucks). I tried Barts and Redbridge and these sorgham based beers taste nasty. I thought I was done with beer. I just stumbled upon this beer and I am in beer heaven again. Before I might drink 3 or 4 beers at a time. Now because of the cost I am just having 1 for the taste. My only question is The beer is Estrella Damm, Daura but nowhere does it say it’s gluten free. I see the same beer on the internet and it shows a gluten free label. Is it possible the beer I purchased is not gluten free?
Since there is a minute amount of gluten in Daura (below 6 ppm), the U.S. will not allow the designation of “gluten free” to appear on the label. It seems they had to re-label their beer sent to U.S. since even last Spring I saw the GF label on Daura beer. I contacted them using, Encarna Martinez Benacloche EXPORT , and they assured me it was still GF by their standards. Having said that, I do actually get a minor reaction from drinking Daura…sad.
New Planet’s Tread Lightly Ale is something to try though!
I got this beer last night after my bllod test came back strong positive for celiac. Let me say, that going down, I was happy with the beer. I had 3 total. About 2 hours later, serious headache that I usually get from drinking anything besides Heineken. Either the gluten is still there, or something else is triggering the headaches. GOing to my GI on Tues for an official celiac test with a scope down the throat. At the moment, I wouldnt recommend this BEER!
My wife is not celiac, but is sensitive to both gluten and corn – which limits her options for many drinks. Even lemons aren’t good for her – but limes are OK, thankfully.
I’m wondering whether anyone knows which of the “GF” beers out there don’t use corn in the process.
From what I gather, Estrella Damm Daura doesn’t, but it’s hard to find out.
She has had New Grist and Redbridge without any issues, but found the flavour to be so-so.
Any responses would be appreciated.
By the way, those in the U.S. who think Estrella is expensive, try being in Alberta, Canada, $15 for a four-pack.
Hi Randy… Bard’s is GF, made from 100% sorghum, and widely available. Many of the other sorghum beers in the US do have a small amount of corn adjunct.
Cheers, Pete
Thanks very much. Peter
By the way, there’s a vodka available some places around the U.S., FAIR which uses quinoa.
I’ve picked it up a couple of times in Chicago and although pricey by U.S. standards – nothing out of the ordinary in Canada – it’s another option for people who need gluten free but don’t really like the taste to potato vodka.
Hi Randy,
Should I assume from your comment about vodka that not all distilled liquor is gluten-free? I was told years ago (form a reputable source) that the gluten is removed during the distillation process.
Paul
Hi Paul… Traditionally, all distilled spirits—regardless of ingredients—have been considered gluten-free. For more on the science behind why, you can read our blog post on the topic here: http://noglutennoproblem.blogspot.com/2009/01/distilling-facts-about-distillation.html
Some people argue they still react to spirits made from gluten-containing grains, and stick with spirits made from GF ingredients.
You should make an informed personal decision about whether or not you are okay doing so.
Cheers, Pete
Mary Ann from Pittsburgh: I just purchased two bottles of Estrella Damm Daura but was confused I couldn’t find it marked as “gluten free” anywhere. This is the Estrella Damm Daura so it should be the gluten free one, is it possible I am confused? It seems like there should be some indicator on the lable but where I purchased it said that it is. Hope so, don’t need any more issues with the dreaded gluten. Anxious to try though!
Hi Mary Ann… My suspicions for the labeling change are two-fold. Let me say – these are both educated guesses. I don’t have definitive info.
First, because Daura is made from barley, it does not meet the FDA’s proposed guidelines for GF labeling, and so Estrella Damm has pre-emptively removed the GF claim, even though the beer may be so in practice.
Second, a recent scientific study of GF beers found higher levels of gluten in supposedly GF beers made from barley. I wonder if Daura was one of those offending beers.
Cheers, Pete
I have found Daura to be quite acceptable vs. others more redily available. BTW, I have been most fond of St. Peters. Better tasting,not easy to find, the only real knock is the size, it is not 12 oz. They are all expensive, but if you miss the taste of beer, you pursue it. Have gravitated to cocktails als, especially gin.
Hi Anonymous… Yes, Daura, St. Peter’s, and others can be quite expensive. I, too, am a fan of cocktails made with gin…especially a tried and true gin and tonic made with quality gin.
Cheers, Pete
I was excited to hear about Daura because I am allergic to quinoa and sorghum. Not many GF options out there for me! Haven’t had a chance to taste it yet. Thank you all for your reviews and info about Daura’s GF status.
Seeing people reporting negative effects after drinking this beer is upsetting. It’s not the immediate effect that is worrying, it’s the long term negative health effects.
Hi Anonymous… Agreed. While the short-term acute impacts of gluten are unpleasant enough, it’s the chronic, long-term health impacts that are really troubling.
Cheers, Pete
I bought this beer some time ago, but had been hesitant to try it as I so hate the bad reactions I get to even just a little barley. Last night it was hot and I was working in the yard (perfect time for beer) so I tried half a bottle. Delicious! I loved it! But I was cautious and didn’t drink any more. Sure enough … a little after midnight I woke up sick to my stomach and throwing off the covers with fever. That lasted two hours. It wasn’t a BAD reaction, as reactions go, but it was enough to keep me from ever drinking this beer again. Too bad ’cause it really tasted good!
I have been celiac diagnosed for 10 years and have tried every gluten free beer I can find. I have to say that Estrella Damm Daura is the closest to a regular beer that I have had. The Green’s are also very good (albeit expensive), and the New Planet Off the Grid Ale is also close to a “real” beer. I recently moved to Ft. Collins CO and have the good fortune that one of the local microbreweries (of which there are tons in this area) Pateros Creek, has begun brewing 2 different gluten free beers which are hands down the best GF beers I have ever had. If you are ever in the Ft COllins area, be sure to try their Greyrock GF Cream Ale, and if they have it on tap – the Duncan’s Ridge – which is a dark beer with hints of coffee and cocoa and is the first “stout” type beer (aside from Greens) that I have had in a long time. Both are the best GF beers you can find! Kudos to Pateros Creek!
So happy to hear about a GF stout! Is Pateros creek available outside of CO? I will have to research this.
I unfortunately will not try this beer, the chance of getting sick is not worth it.
I usually drink wine, it’s more affordable and available. For beer I only drink Bards gf beer or occasionally Greens-but prior to being gf-5 yrs ago-, I only drank beers from microbreweries, so sad and expensive to give up beer for wine.
Redbridge I cannot stand and will not drink. I get severe gluten reactions and would not even try a barley beer because the reaction and long term health effect is debilitating and not worth the damage. I prefer stout beers, but I do like bitter and sweet flavors.
Thank you for recommending Pateros!
Daura is easily my favorite GF beer. At my diagnosis last 9 months ago, beer was one of the things I was most sad to give up.
I’ve tried most of the affordable GF beers (Green’s and others are just too expensive), and Estrella Damm Daura really stood apart from them. It tastes like real beer to me, and not college beer at all – light pilsner taste. I like one of the two New Grist Pale Ales, but neither tastes “real” to me. Their raspberry beer is pretty solid.
As to your labeling theory, I’d say your FDA comment is probably the right reason (though I don’t claim to know about their guidelines). My personal theory was it that they wanted to sell it to everyone! Volume makes for better prices and/or profits. Here, it is at cheaper than most GF beers that aren’t Redbridge (which is only OK for me).
Thanks for a nice post on the beer!
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The immediate effects are indicative of creating long term health effects. I drank this beer and had a gluten reaction.
The western and the antibody competition assay in the cited 2008 article don’t guarantee there are not protein fragments left over that are problematic for celiacs.
I’m going to defer to my gut.
I live in Europe and have had two different beers – both with so called glutenfree barley malt…One of them Daura Estrella…It does not work! I had a medium bad reaction – which means weeks and weeks of mending my gut…
I do not understand why it can be called ‘glutenfree’!!
I am very sad to say I had a gluten reaction to this beer. I ended up with red itchy welts and am still wiped out two days later. I would recommend people be very careful with this one….I will be sticking to New Planet and Greens from now on.
A response to the breakdown peptides of gluten is very real. I measure it regularly in my practice utilizing cyrex labs array 3. Hope this helps.
There is a beer made by a small brewing company outside of Chicago that is a barley-based GF beer. The company is called Two Brothers and is located in Aurora, IL. The beer is called Prairie Path. I personally love Estrella Damm Daura for a refreshing summer beer taste, but Prairie Path has a more complex taste to it that I also sometimes prefer. They distribute to several midwestern states as well. I now live in Cincinnati and thankfully, Ohio is one of those states where they distribute. Check it out if you get the chance! Definitely worth the try.
I was out last weekend and tried Omission lager (http://omissionbeer.com/) – looks to me like they use Barley and remove the gluten but are upfront with admitting that it is not a 100% sound scientific process and it may still contain gluten. What is exciting is that they offer both a lager and a pale ale, the latter of which I did not get to try. I have to say it was quite delicious. If I didn’t know it was… what I’ll term “most gluten removed,” I would not have known the difference. Later that night I had my first Estrella and thought it was divine in flavor, perhaps slightly better than the Omission lager.
This post is purely about taste – based on previous posts with people reacting to Estrella, I would guess that Omission might produce similar problems, but if you are not super sensitive… thumbs up for flavor!
For all those who had a reaction, I tried it several times but the bottle was explicitly marked with the GF sign.
Maybe you got the wrong bottle.
In any case, I liked it very much and it reminded me of Miller beer (that is, if I remember the taste correctly as it’s been 9 years since I last had a Miller beer).
I was diagnosed Celiac 4 days ago and have been surviving on Chilean Merlot; not a bad life, but after a couple of hours at the gym tonight, a beer was in order. Thankfully, there is a World of Beer a block from the gym & I figured they would have a GF beer if any bar in Arlington, VA would. They had 4, and after a couple of questions about my taste preferences, the Estrella Damm Daura was recommended.
I’ve got to say I was surprised at how good it tasted. To tell you the truth, I was expecting a cross between Carling Black Label and PBR. [I hope I’m not offending anyone.]
There is still a lot to learn about Celiac, but I’m happy to have found EDD and this blog.
Cheers…Steve
I love the taste of this beer. However I am starting to think that I am having mild reactions to it. I’m going to test it out again but I may be switching to another beer.
I had this at a bar last night that had it labeled on their menu as gluten-free. I without question had a gluten reaction to this beer. Until now I was unaware that there is beer marketed as gluten-free that is still made with barley. I will definitely stick to beer made without barley in the future. I recommend celiacs be careful with this one if at all sensitive.
I too loved the taste of Daura and was so glad to find it, but each time I have had it, I have mild stomach upset for the next 2-3 days. So disappointing, because I have really missed having a good beer in the 18 months that I have had celiac disease. Of the other ones I have tried, Glutenberg is my favorite.
Hi.
I just wanted to comment on the taste –
I’m a Spaniard who was raised on Spanish beer, and this is just that – Americans have a different palette for beer, but if you’ve been abroad and enjoy a good bold Spanish beer, ie: Estrella, San Miguel, Cruzcampo, etc., you’ll love Daura. 😉
If I could, I would drink this beer all the time, unfortunately though, I seem to react adversely to it.
Only slightly, but for me it’s enough for me to stay away.
-Hope my two cents were useful.
Not sure why the OP blasted daura as mediocre at best. I love beer! and was devastated when diagnosed with Celiac. After finding Daura I was again in beer heaven.
It is very good for a gluten free beer, better than any others I’ve tried, save Redbridge, which I can’t find. Other than Daura’s price its excellent. I can’t stand beers that have a fruity aftertaste and this does not.
I have been a celiac for 19 years and went without beer for 12 of those years. Here in Canada the first 100% GF beer I tasted was a from a small brewery in Quebec called Les Bieres de la Nouvelle France and the beer was La Messenger (3 different kinds). Let me tell you that many went down in short order. It had been so long since I had a beer that I had forgotten what a beer tasted like but man were they good!!. Since that time I have been able to try most of the beers listed above and agree with the people who post there dislike for New Grist and Red Bridge etc.
I have recently found 2 new beers that are now my go to beers. Neither have been listed here as most of the posts are from the US or western Canada. The first is from a Montreal Quebec brewery called Glutenberg (https://glutenberg.ca/en). They are 100% GF product and make at least 5 different types along with smaller seasonal batches. They have won world competitions for GF beers and spreading like wild fire. The second and quickly taking over as my #1 spot is a small brewery in Berth Ontario simply called Perth Brewery. (http://www.perthbrewery.ca/). 45 min west of Ottawa. They are 100% natural non pasturized beer that uses Clarity Ferm (Brewers Clarex) is all the beer they brew. They make everything from light ales to dark deep stouts (13 in total). They are incidentally the first beer that I had on tap in 18 years. A co-worker and I split batches and have not felt any ill effects from the Gluten reduced beer.
If any of my fellow Celiacs finds themselves in eastern Ontario western Quebec region know that we have your back with our versions of the golden nectar.
cheers
Jim
For any Europeans – these beers/lagers taste amazing. I think some American beer tastes may vary. As a life long lover of continental lager these were great – only problem being I detect a possible slight reaction to these – I can’t 100% confirm, need to test, as it seems very slight. Shame if so.
I am a silent celiac, which obviously has it’s good and bad points. But I got a reaction after drinking the Dauras. I ended up with a black eye and i woke up in jail with a raging headache. But i did have about 25 apparently. The first five tasted great.
This product is not safe for celiacs. I drank one of these only to have my face and arms break out in red inflammation as well as had an anaphylactic attack. Looked on the back of the bottle to read in bold lettering that it is made with barley malt. My stomach was swollen for days. I do not think staff of the bar where taugh enough about this product from the representatives. Would recommend avoiding this product if you’re Celiac or if your body can’t break down sugars like fructans from barley.