We independently evaluate all recommended products and services. If you click on links we provide, we may receive compensation. Learn more.

The 8 Best Gluten-Free Beers to Drink in 2024

There's a no-gluten revolution among brewers

Three varieties of gluten-free beers on a green background

The Spruce Eats / Lecia Landis

Beer is traditionally brewed from cereal grains like barley that naturally contain gluten. This makes it a challenge to find good-tasting beer when you need to cut gluten from your diet. Fortunately, a revolution has taken place in the brewing industry, and a good selection of gluten-free beers are now available in a variety of styles.

The gluten content varies—some breweries produce only gluten-free beer and don't allow any gluten ingredients in their facilities. Other beers are "crafted to remove gluten" ("gluten-reduced," according to U.S. FDA standards). Keep this in mind when choosing the best gluten-free beers to fit your personal taste and gluten sensitivity.

Best Overall

Glutenberg Blonde Ale

Glutenberg Blonde Ale

Courtesy of Drizly 

Glutenberg is a Quebec microbrewery that is completely gluten-free. Started in 2011, it has a growing distribution in Canada and the United States. If you can find the brand near you, it's sure to have a beer that matches your taste. 

All of the beers are made with naturally gluten-free grains, including amaranth, buckwheat, corn, millet, and quinoa. The impressive portfolio starts off with Glutenberg Blonde Ale. This golden, refreshing, 4.5 percent ABV beer was the brewery's first release, and it remains a favorite. Glutenberg also produces a hoppy American pale ale and a few IPAs, while Blanche is inspired by Belgian wheat ales but brewed without the wheat. A tart gose, robust stout, and nonalcoholic beer round off the collection, and each beer is so well-crafted that they taste like normal beer.

Region: Canada | ABV: 4.5% | Tasting Notes: Grainy, balanced, bready

Best Wheat Beer

Ghostfish Shrouded Summit Witbier

Ghostfish Shrouded Summit Witbier

Courtsey of Drizly

Ghostfish Brewing Company is a gluten-free Seattle brewery that offers an inspiring lineup. It's distributed to a number of states in the U.S. and a few Canadian provinces. The primary grain is malted millet, but some also use buckwheat, brown rice, or sorghum. It’s like any other craft brewery, with a variety of year-round and seasonal beers. The IPAs are a hit with hopheads, and the blonde and pale ales offer a pleasing maltiness. The seasonals include sour and spicy beers, a pumpkin ale, and a stout. 

In Shrouded Summit Belgian White Ale (4.8 percent ABV), you’ll find a beer that rivals any Belgian witbier. How Ghostfish pulled it off with millet, buckwheat, and rice is an amazing feat of brewing genius. With the help of a few adjuncts, this hazy golden brew even has the style’s signature kiss of sweet orange and coriander spice.

Region: Washington | ABV: 4.8% | Tasting Notes: Juniper, citrus

Best U.S. Craft Beer

Holidaily Brewing Co. Beulah Red Ale

Holidaily Brewing Beulah Red Ale

Courtesy of Drizly 

Colorado's craft-brewing reputation extends into the gluten-free realm. The state's first 100 percent gluten-free brewery was Golden's Holidaily Brewing Co. The company is impressing beer drinkers, winning awards, and growing quickly in distribution.

The brewery's flagship is Favorite Blonde Ale, and the Boombastic Hazy IPA won gold at the 2019 Great American Beer Festival. Among the other beers are brown and red ales, a dunkelweiss, and several stouts, including a seasonal Santa's Nightcap (which is a bourbon-barreled imperial stout). All of these are on point with the respective styles, and to make that happen with such diversity using buckwheat and millet shows off the talent and skill of these brewers.

Region: Colorado | ABV: 5.2% | Tasting Notes: Caramel, toasted malt

Best Ale

Two Brothers Prairie Path Golden Ale

Two Brothers Prairie Path Ale

 Courtesy of Drizly

Two Brothers Artisan Brewing produces some amazing beers that are sure to impress anyone. The Chicago brewery was founded by two brothers and remains family-owned. That independent spirit is evident in every well-crafted beer the brand produces.

Prairie Path is the bottle to look for when you want to cut gluten, and it’s not terribly difficult to find. This golden ale falls into the "gluten-removed" category but tastes like it is untouched. It's bottled at 5.1 percent ABV and has a moderate 25 IBUs. The taste is mellow, creamy, and refreshing with its fruity notes. It's designed to be enjoyed with a meal, and there are few others that can touch it in that sense.

Region: Illinois | ABV: 5.1% | Tasting Notes: Grainy, smooth, balanced

Best Lager

Omission Lager

Omission Lager

Courtesy of Drizly 

Omission Brewing Co. produces reduced-gluten barley beers that any beer aficionado can appreciate. The company is transparent about exactly how much gluten is in each batch on its website, and tests reveal that the gluten content is consistently at less than 10 ppm. Beyond that, Omission's beers are simply enjoyable to drink. 

Omission offers four styles, including an IPA and pale ale, and each fits right in with regular beers of that variety. The Ultimate Light Golden Ale is also an excellent choice in the light beer category. The lager is unique in gluten-free beers, and it’s as refreshing as any other lager. This crisp beer has won awards against other lagers and is brewed with Millennium and Cascade hops. At 4.6 percent ABV, it’s an easy drinker worthy of a backyard barbecue.

Region: Oregon | ABV: 4.6% | Tasting Notes: Fruity, hoppy

Best IPA

Stone Brewing Delicious IPA

Stone Delicious IPA

Courtesy of Minibar

Stone Brewing is known for its portfolio of India pale ales that are bold, flavorful, and well-distributed. Following the reduced-gluten trend, Stone Brewing released Delicious IPA (7.7 percent ABV) in 2015. Its bright green cans and bottles are unmistakable and hold a beer that (true to its name) is rather delicious.

The year-round release is hoppy (75 IBUs) and rather strong at 7.7 percent ABV. Using a combination of Nugget, Calypso, Lemondrop, and El Dorado hops, it has a tongue-tantalizing citrusy flavor and a bitter-dry finish. It's everything that the brewery's IPAs are known for, but an enzyme leaves only traces of gluten behind. The brand also employs methods to reduce gluten contamination in any of the equipment that this beer touches.

Region: California | ABV: 7.7% | Tasting Notes: Hoppy, tropical, dry, nectarine

Best Belgian-Style

Ipswich Ale Brewery Celia Saison

Ipswich Celia Saison

Courtesy of Drizly 

Massachusett's Ipswich Ale Brewery is known for crafting a nice selection of ales, a crisp pilsner, and a great variety of tasty fruit beers. Within its non-seasonal beers, you'll find the alluring Ipswich Celia Saison.

The name comes from the Styrian Celeia hops used in this 6.5 percent ABV ale. It is brewed from sorghum, so it's naturally gluten-free. Taking that grain into account, it's interesting how well the brewers stayed as true as possible to the saison style of Belgian farmhouse ales. It has a pleasant sourness of zesty orange and is a fascinating addition to the gluten-free beer scene.

Region: Massachusetts | ABV: 6.5% | Tasting Notes: Lightly spicy, hoppy

Best Macro Brew

Redbridge Gluten-Free Sorghum Beer

Redbridge Gluten-Free Lager

 Courtesy of Drizly

Macro brews typically stick with barley, so it's rare to come across one like Anheuser-Busch's Redbridge. It’s nothing new and was originally released in 2006. While Redbridge may not be the best gluten-free beer compared to those of the craft breweries, it has availability on its side. It's stocked in many U.S. supermarkets, making it an easy-to-find option for drinkers who do not have a lot of options in their area.

Sorghum beers naturally have a sour taste, so a beer like Redbridge takes some getting used to. It's brewed like a lager, and there are some characteristics of the company's macro lagers in the taste. If you enjoy sour beers, it's a good option, and the taste can grow on you.

Region: Missouri | ABV: 4% | Tasting Notes: Fruity, toasty. grainy

Final Verdict

If you're on the hunt for a go-to gluten-free beer, we recommend Glutenberg Blonde Ale. Not only is it completely gluten-free, but it is so well-crafted that you can hardly tell it's not a regular brew. If you're an IPA drinker, check out Stone Brewing Delicious IPA.

What to Look for in Gluten-Free Beers

Style

Jonathan Eichholz, Advanced Sommelier and Certified Cicerone, reveals that gluten is a relatively broad-stroke word for a family of proteins in plant seeds. “It's present in beer’s most common grains, which are barley, wheat, and rye,” he says.

To make beer without gluten, Eichholz shares that brewers must utilize other sugar-rich grains, stating that the most common alternatives are sorghum, corn, rice, and buckwheat. “Out of these, sorghum is quite exciting,” he says, describing it as a grass that is popular in Africa and also the backbone of the extremely historic brewing community across the continent.

Gluten-Free vs. Gluten-Reduced

Zach Mack, beer educator and owner of ABC Beer Co., explains that gluten-reduced beer relies on a process that removes gluten from the product, even though the recipe uses barley, rye, wheat, or other grains that will add it. “Somewhat surprisingly, many of these beers can actually still be lower parts per million of gluten in the final product than even the beers made using alternative grains,” he says.

According to Mack, many brewers claim that the process allows beer to keep more of its innate flavors and mouthfeel. “However, even though this is the case, each person's sensitivity is different, and each person can react differently to each type," he says. "So it's always best to tread lightly (or even speak to your doctor) until you figure out what's best for you."

Alcohol Content (ABV)

Depending on the context in which you're drinking the beer, you might want something a little bit lighter in taste or one that is on the lower end of the spectrum as far as ABV goes. You might want something in the 4 to 5 percent range if you're planning on drinking a few, whereas you might or might not consume a beer with a higher ABV in the same way.

Freshness

Most beers will provide either a "best by" or "bottled on" date on the bottom or side of the can or label. Look for beers with dates that are at least six months out, and try to buy from purveyors that move a lot of beer on a regular basis and refrigerate a sizable proportion of it. Buying refrigerated beer is generally an assurance that the beer is fresh.

FAQs

How can you tell if a beer is gluten-free?

Beer can only be classified as gluten-free if its original recipe does not contain any gluten whatsoever. “Just as common as it is to see all varieties of food coming in gluten-free versions lately, there are also many ways to make gluten-free beers,” says Mack, stating that for a long time, brewers relied on using grains besides barley and wheat, including sorghum, millet, buckwheat, or even corn and rice. However, technology has caught up, and breweries can now use a process to remove gluten after brewing—which Mack says can often create beers that have fewer parts of gluten than those made using alternative grains. 

“Of course, each process requires a special skill set to get the results you want, and not all gluten-free beers are created equal when it comes to flavor,” he says. Beers made with grains such as sorghum, millet, quinoa, or buckwheat will typically contain less than 20 parts per million of gluten.

What is gluten-reduced beer?

While shopping for gluten-free beer, you may come across beer that calls itself "gluten-reduced." These beers start with a recipe that contains grains with gluten, such as malted barley, wheat, or rye. They are not gluten-free, but instead, an enzyme is added during the fermentation process that neutralizes the gluten in the beer. Eichholz describes gluten-reduced beer as a “halfway point,” as brewers can utilize glutinous grains to get common flavors and textures of classic beer, but cut the mash with high amounts of adjuncts like corn or rice.

Garrett Oliver, James Beard Award-winning brewmaster and brewmaster at Brooklyn Brewery, finds that many gluten-free beers rarely taste like “regular” beer, as they are not made from standard beer ingredients. The solution? Gluten-reduced beers. “Gluten-reduced beer is beer that is often made from standard gluten-containing ingredients such as barley, but then treated with enzymes that break down gluten to nearly undetectable levels," he says. This treatment is generally sufficient for those following gluten-free diets to be able to enjoy them without any gluten-induced ill effects.

What is dedicated gluten-free beer?

A beer that's labeled as "dedicated gluten-free" is a gluten-free beer that's produced in a brewery with absolutely no gluten-containing grains whatsoever. There's little concern about cross-contamination in facilities that are dedicated to producing gluten-free beers, whereas gluten-free beers produced at other breweries may contain some cross-contamination of gluten that could cause reactions for certain drinkers.

Why Trust The Spruce Eats?

Colleen Graham is a food and beverage writer with over a decade of experience writing about cocktails, beer, and wine. Over the years, she has researched and reported on many aspects related to the art and practice of creating fine drinks. She is also the author of two books, including “Rosé Made Me Do It.”

Vicki Denig is a wine, spirits, and travel journalist based between New York and Paris. She additionally updated this roundup with an interview with Zach Mack, Garrett Oliver, and Jonathan Eichholz. Her writing regularly appears in major industry publications, including Liquor.com, WineSearcher, Decanter, and beyond. 

Updated by
Carrie Havranek
Carrie Havranek
Carrie has 10+ years experience as a food writer and editor. Her work can be found in her cookbook, Tasting Pennsylvania, and her site, the Dharma Kitchen.
Learn about The Spruce Eats' Editorial Process
Additional reporting by Vicki Denig
Article Sources
The Spruce Eats uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read our editorial process to learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.
  1. Food and Drug Administration. Gluten-free labeling of foods.

  2. Food and Drug Administration. Food Labeling; Gluten-Free Labeling of Fermented or Hydrolyzed foods. Federal Register.

  3. Thompson, Tricia. Naturally Gluten-Free Grains and Gluten Contamination. Gluten Free Watchdog.

  4. Blanco CA, Caballero I, Barrios R, Rojas A. Innovations in the brewing industry: light beerInt J Food Sci Nutr. 2014;65(6):655-660. doi:10.3109/09637486.2014.893285

  5. Beyond Celiac. Is sorghum gluten-free?

Continue to 5 of 8 below.