Can I just say that 2012 has been my best year ever so far? I feel healthy, I have so much love, and I am filling my life with wonderful moments. In fact, just last week when the temperature topped at 65 degrees and the sun was warm on my face, Tim and I sat on our patio, listening to a Spotify playlist that I made for him, a cold beer in front of each of us, and chatted about our days.
Welcome back to my life, Beer. You are most welcome to keep coming around.
If you are looking for a gluten free beer for yourself or if you'd like to buy something special for when a gluten free friend or family member comes over for dinner, I recommend any of these options.
My very favorite beer is Green's Gluten Free Amber Ale (pictured above). I ordered it this past weekend at Brazenhead and even my husband agreed that it was a fantastic option as far as gluten free goes. It really has a smooth, rich taste without being too heavy and no metallic aftertaste. (Also, I'm so pleased that Brazenhead had several options for gluten free customers including a few gluten free beers and several ciders on tap. Way to go, Brazenhead!)
I also tried Green's Gluten Free Dark Ale at Dilly Cafe, and I was impressed that it was just as dark and thick as a Guinness. It had a strong chocolate and coffee flavor at the first taste but finished didn't leave a heavy or sticky mouthfeel. I thought it was awesome to have the option of a serious dark beer, but I'd prefer it as an after dinner drink rather than something to pair with food.
Also discovered at Dilly Cafe is DogFish Head Tweason'ale. It's a seasonal gluten free beer that has a lovely scent of strawberries on the nose but is not overly sweet on the palate. Also, the strawberry flavor doesn't last much after the first sip, and I appreciated that as I don't usually like my beers too fruity. It's a medium bodied beer, very refreshing and would pair wonderfully with some simple roast chicken or a salad. If you can find it, I'd definitely recommend seeking this out!
A big thank you to the Cincy Beer Festival for including New Planet Gluten Free Beer in their vendor list. I discovered this beer there and all of the selections offered were wonderful. I particularly liked their lightest beer, the Tread Lightly Ale. It's the perfect backyard barbeque beer, and it's light enough that it would probably be unnoticeable to any non-gluten free beer drinks that it's missing the gluten! Locally, it can be found at the Dorothy Lane Markets in Dayton, and trust me--it's worth the drive to check out DLM and get this beer! (I picked up some on Saturday and it was stacked in front of the beer coolers.)
Lastly, I might as well tell you that in just about every well stocked Kroger that I've been into around Cincinnati, you can find Anheuser-Busch's gluten free beer offering, Redbridge. It's not my favorite--just like Bud Light was never my favorite--but in a pinch, it's easy to find, not too expensive, and definitely drinkable. I've picked some up when I just wanted a convenient choice.
I truly appreciate every single one of these companies for pioneering--or jumping on the bandwagon of--gluten free beers! You all get a big thumbs up from me.
To my gluten free readers, am I missing any of your favorites?
Looks like a good beer!
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