DeProef Brouwerij – Belgium
Green’s Amber Ale – 6% ABV – 16.9 oz.
Gluten Free Beer. “Green’s ales DO NOT contain any of the following: wheat and/or barley, crustaceans, eggs, fish, peanuts, soya beans, milk, lactose, nuts, celery, mustard, sesame seeds, sulphur dioxide and sulfites.”
Ingredients: water, millet, buckwheat, rice, sorghum, hops and yeast.
According to the German Purity Law, beer can only contain water, barley, hops and yeast. So, according to the Germans, this is not beer. None-the-less, let’s go through this gluten free beer and see how close it comes to the real thing…
The pour is certainly amber with red highlights. There is some visible carbonation in the glass, but I would say it’s below the amount of a regular beer. That leaves a description of the head. Here is the first interesting thing about a this gluten free beer.
The head in barley beer is created by proteins from the barley that clump together from the agitation from the pour. Similar to foam in the ocean waves. The ingredients in gluten free beer have different proteins than barley beer. The head is not creamy and inviting. It’s chunky, aggressive and much stickier. The head is ½ inch thick and as it fades, it leaves very thick froth on the sides of the glass.
The aroma is another diversion from the normal beer. There is lots of yeast in the aroma. Bread dough yeast; old bread dough yeast. There are also some hop aromas. A powerful acidic aroma is present, and I’m not sure if it’s pleasant. It verges on sour.
So, the taste… Well, it’s not too bad! Interestingly, there are so many unique flavors, it’s difficult to describe. The flavor is subtle. It has more characteristics in common with a lager than with an ale.
The sip starts with a sweet flavor and a fresh grass flavor. It develops into some hay-like notes and finishes with a very clear reminder of apple cider?!? Others might taste other things, but that’s what I taste here. The finish is dry. There is a very mild taste of alcohol. It most resembles something like a common lager.
The mouth feel is very light and a bit watery. There is mild carbonation.
Drinkability is surprisingly good! I could drink a couple of these in an evening. It’s currently available at Wegman’s.
Would it replace normal beer? Nope. But for anyone with a gluten allergy… Have at it!!
Overall – C+
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