Tasting Panel: Andrea Waterhouse CAMRA
(Tuesday 7th February 2006) Alun Waterhouse  CAMRA
Nick Wheat CAMRA
Rob Kay Coeliac UK
John Boyle Guest
Mike Davidson Coeliac UK
Secretary to the Tasting Panel: Steve Ford glutenfreebeerfestival.com
With thanks to Norma Thompson and James Bacon for making the tasting possible


The Tasting Panel: Nick Wheat, John Boyle, Rob Kay, Andrea Waterhouse, Alun Waterhouse and Steve Ford
(picture courtesy Mike Davidson)

Click on the name of the beer to read the tasting notes and contact details for each beer.
Fine Ale Club: Against the Grain (4.5% ABV) 500ml
Free-aglut: Bierra (5.0% ABV) 330ml
Green's: Discovery (6.0% ABV) 330ml
Green's: Explorer (6.0% ABV) 330ml
Green's: Herald (4.0% ABV) 500ml
Green's: Pioneer (5.0% ABV) 330ml
Green's: Trailblazer (4.7% ABV) 500ml
Hambletons: GFA (4.2% ABV) 500ml
Hambletons: GFL (4.8% ABV) 500ml
Hambletons: Toleration Ale (4.2% ABV) 500ml
Heron: Beer (6.0% ABV) 330ml
Koff: Lager (2.6% ABV) 330ml
Koff: Läyteläinen Kevytolut 4.1 (4.1% ABV) 330ml
Laitilan: Kukko Pils III (4.5% ABV) 500ml
Laitilan: Kukko Dark Lager (3.8% ABV) 500ml
Lakefront: New Grist (5.0% ABV) 355ml
Les Bieres de la Nouvelle France: La Messagere (4.7% ABV) 341ml
O'Brien: Premium Lager (4.5% ABV) 330ml
Ramapo Valley Brewery: Passover Honey Beer (4.5% ABV) 355ml
TE Chestnuts: Trail's End (unknown ABV)
Bard's: Dragon's Gold (unknown ABV)
BC's: Pilsner (unknown ABV)
Beer Up: Beer (unknown ABV)
Bi-aglut: Bierra (unknown ABV)
Free-aglut: Bierra (unknown ABV)
Glutaner: Premium (unknown ABV)
Schlafly: Beer (unknown ABV)
Silly Yak: Aztec Gold (unknown ABV)		 Where you see this icon, the tasting panel thought the beer should be noted for a particular quality. See the awards section at the end of the tasting notes for details of why an award was considered appropriate.

Bi-Aglut / Free-Aglut (5.0% ABV)
Gluten: not thought to have any gluten-containing ingredients - awaiting confirmation.
330ml
Appearance:
Cloudy off-yellow appearance with slight head.
Aroma:
Very slight
Flavour, aftertaste, feel & comments:
Very little flavour. Quite insipid.
Public Feedback:
"Very poor”, “Its ok, if there was nothing else to drink”, “passable”, “tasteless”.

Fine Ale Club: Against the Grain (4.5% ABV) - Bottled Conditioned
Gluten: less than 13ppm
500ml
Appearance:
Pale straw-coloured traditional ale.
Aroma:
Citrus hop aroma.
Flavour, aftertaste, feel & comments:
No-nonsense easy-drinking session real ale. Lemony citrus flavour, dry aftertaste. After several pints, there is evidence of a hoppiness in the finish.
Public Feedback at the Festival:
"Excellent" - "Fabulous beery flavour" - "Twenty out of ten" - "Really good bitter beer".
The Mayor of Chesterfield enjoyed a glass of the handpull version and agreed it had a “distinctive taste”, and several pub landlords were surprised to find it “very pleasant”.

Glutaner: Premium (5.2% ABV)
Gluten: No gluten-containing ingredients
330ml
Appearance:
Bright clear and crisp pale lively beer.
Aroma:
Light fruitiness, subtly hoppy.
Flavour, aftertaste, feel & comments:
Slightly sweet refreshingly light flavour. Genuinely beer-like, but drinking it cold is highly recommended, to get the best feel of a premium lager.
Public Feedback:
"Very nice”, The best GF lager I have tried”, “a real `continental’ GF choice”

Green's: Discovery (6.0% ABV) - (aka 'Heron')
Gluten: No gluten-containing ingredients
330ml
Appearance:
Hazy brown appearance.
Aroma:
Very discreet appley aromas.
Flavour, aftertaste, feel & comments:
Slight fruit flavours becoming increasingly bitter.
Public Feedback at the Festival:
"Very nice" - "Definitely a beer I will be ordering"

Green's: Explorer (6.0% ABV)
Gluten: No gluten-containing ingredients
330ml
Appearance:
Beautiful ruby red, dark fruity beer.
Aroma:
Slightly sweet distinctly black cherry aroma.
Flavour, aftertaste, feel & comments:
Starting with a black forest gateaux taste in the initial flavours, this is reminiscent of a Belgian Kriek beer, or a strong dark mild. Dangerously drinkable and easy to forget it is 6%! Rich and deep.
Public Feedback at the Festival:
"Very enjoyable" - "Interesting flavours with a range of aftertastes"

Green's: Herald (4.0% ABV)
Gluten: No gluten-containing ingredients
500ml
Appearance:
Lightly carbonated brown ale.
Aroma:
Slightly sour aroma which we think is of buckwheat.
Flavour, aftertaste, feel & comments:
Lively citric Belgian style beer with cidery flavours throughout becoming increasingly evident in the aftertaste.
Public Feedback at the Festival:
"Nice stuff!" "Definitely a proper beer" "I could easily get very used to this"

Green's: Pioneer (5.0% ABV)
Gluten: No gluten-containing ingredients
330ml
Appearance:
Crisp and bright appearance.
Aroma:
Faintest of acidic appley aromas.
Flavour, aftertaste, feel & comments:
Light bodied and deceptively strong.
Public Feedback at the Festival:
"Very drinkable" - "Not too heavy"

Green's: Trailblazer (4.7% ABV) - Low Carb Lager
Gluten: No gluten-containing ingredients
500ml
Appearance:
Nice straw-coloured lager appearance.
Aroma:
Obvious but not unpleasant appley aromas.
Flavour, aftertaste, feel & comments:
Smoothly soft lager with appley flavours. Easy to drink with a long clean dry aftertaste.
Public Feedback at the Festival:
"Definitely a nice-tasting beer" - "I can drink beer again!"

Hambleton: GFA (4.2% ABV) (aka Toleration Ale)
Gluten: No gluten-containing ingredients
500ml
Appearance:
Classic Nut-brown colour, appearance of a traditional bitter.
Aroma:
Smells sweetly of nuts and raisons.
Flavour, aftertaste, feel & comments:
Clingy Christmassy sweet ale, perfect for winter celebrations. Syrupy and viscous, heavy and reminiscent of a fruity port. Burnt lingering toffee aftertaste.
Public Feedback at the Festival:
"Very drinkable" - "Not too heavy".

Hambleton: GFL (4.8% ABV)
Gluten: No gluten-containing ingredients
500ml
Appearance:
Straw coloured, reminiscent of a pale lager.
Aroma:
Faint aroma.
Flavour, aftertaste, feel & comments:
Burnt citrus flavours full of interesting character with distinctive sweetness.
Public Feedback:
"interesting" - "a brave attempt at a traditional lager" - "quite sweet".

Koff: Lager (2.6% ABV)
Gluten: less than 20ppm
330ml
Appearance:
Highly carbonated pale gold beer.
Aroma:
Traditional lager aromas.
Flavour, aftertaste, feel & comments:
This low gravity lager provides refreshingly easy drinking. Clean off the palate it represents a summer session lager.
Public Feedback at the Festival:
"Refreshing beer for summer" - "Light and Lively" - "Very drinkable".

Koff: Läyteläinen Kevytolut 4.1 (4.1% ABV)
Gluten: less than 20ppm
330ml
Appearance:
Clear pale golden appearance, highly carbonated pale gold beer.
Aroma:
Lager aromas.
Flavour, aftertaste, feel & comments:
This solid thoroughbred continental lager is easy to drink like the lower gravity version, but is clearly the more dangerous option.
Public Feedback at the Festival:
"A fine easy beer" - "This I would want again".

Kukko: Pils III (4.5% ABV)
Gluten: less than 4ppm
500ml
Appearance:
Pale golden highly carbonated beer.
Aroma:
Faint citrus aroma.
Flavour, aftertaste, feel & comments:
Classic pilsner lager which does all that it should to the palate initially, leading to a short bitter aftertaste.
Public Feedback at the Festival:
"Best pils I’ve tasted for years!" - "Very nice refreshing lager".

Kukko: Dark Lager (3.8% ABV)
Gluten: less than 4ppm
500ml
Appearance:
Dark red-brown beer
Aroma:
Gentle sweetly fruity aromas, subtly reminiscent of freshly opened jam.
Flavour, aftertaste, feel & comments:
A rich burnt start becoming increasingly bitter with a dry aftertaste, subtly malty.
Public Feedback at the Festival:
"Very nice" - "Great Bitter" - "My first real beer for years – great!"

Lakefront: New Grist (5.0% ABV)
Gluten: gluten-free ingredients
12 fl.oz / c.355ml
Appearance:
Clear bright pale gold
Aroma:
Aromas of toffee, vanilla, and honey
Flavour, aftertaste, feel & comments:
This beer has a complexity of flavours with a warming taste of chewy toffee flavours, medium to full bodied with a hint of grainy smoothness. Excellent, a beer to be enjoyed and savoured.
Public Feedback at the Festival:
"Very nice" - "I would buy again and again" - "Fresh taste" - "Very nice, a proper beer".

Les Bieres de la Nouvelle France: La Messagere (4.7% ABV)
Gluten: less than 1ppm
341ml
Appearance:
Beautiful clear ultra-pale appearance.
Aroma:
Slight appley aromas.
Flavour, aftertaste, feel & comments:
Perry like flavours throughout. Probably the finest looking label of all the GF beers
Public Feedback at the Festival:
"I like this" - "Most unusual" - "Please import this to the UK".

O'Brien: Premium Lager (4.5% ABV)
Gluten: no gluten-containing ingredients
330ml
Appearance:
Bright clear and crisp pale gold beer.
Aroma:
Controversially pleasant hay meadow aroma
Flavour, aftertaste, feel & comments:
A classic Australian lager, the lack of malt not a loss for this brew, definitely one to remember for the lager drinker, coeliac or not – anyone can enjoy this!
Public Feedback at the Festival:
"Very nice, it grows on you" - "Lager – no doubt!".

Ramapo Valley Brewery: Passover Honey Beer (4.5% ABV)
Gluten: no gluten-containing ingredients
12 fl.oz / c.355ml
Appearance:
Beautiful honey coloured.
Aroma:
Honey present in aromas, along with a floral hoppiness.
Flavour, aftertaste, feel & comments:
Sweet syrupy texture and a sharp appley finish and aftertaste. A pleasant beer to be enjoyed, perhaps to accompany a desert
Public Feedback at the Festival:
"Very nice, sweet, but easily drinkable".

TE Chestnuts: Trail's End (unknown ABV) - Prototype

(temp image)
Gluten: no gluten-containing ingredients
12 fl.oz / c.355ml
Appearance:
Initially cloudy, clearing to white .
Aroma:
Pear-drop aromas, going to a sharp lemony & hoppy aroma.
Flavour, aftertaste, feel & comments:
As a prototype, it still needs a little work, but it is an interesting solution to the gluten problem that might be improved by more hops and perhaps maize to strengthen the brew. This brew has the potential to be a very special brew one day.
Public Feedback at the Festival:
(From brewery employee, now with coeliacs): "would benefit from more hoppy flavour, very good effort". (from another) "Very, very interesting, definitely on the right track."

Bards: Dragon's Gold (unknown ABV)
Gluten: unknown
Appearance:
Aroma:
Flavour, aftertaste, feel & comments:
Public Feedback at the Festival:

BC's: Pilsner

(temp image)
Gluten: unknown
Appearance:
Aroma:
Flavour, aftertaste, feel & comments:
Public Feedback at the Festival:

Beer Up
Gluten: unknown
Appearance:
Aroma:
Flavour, aftertaste, feel & comments:
Public Feedback at the Festival:

Schlafly

(temp image)
Gluten: unknown
Appearance:
Aroma:
Flavour, aftertaste, feel & comments:
Public Feedback at the Festival:

Silly Yak
Gluten: unknown
Appearance:
Aroma:
Flavour, aftertaste, feel & comments:
Public Feedback at the Festival:

AWARDS

It is impossible to give every beer an award, and we decided to limit ourselves to five awards. The only prize is the glory of putting together a prime brew suitable for coeliacs.

Of course every beer is a winner, because it has been produced so that coeliacs may be able to join in with a normal part of society, particularly certain western cultures. The two lagers from Koff are recognised as genuine Scandinavian brews, with the weaker version an excellent accompaniment to a summer day. Still in Finland, Laitilan have made a good solid pilsner, and a dark lager that Brit.s will associate with a solid English bitter.  Green’s have offered a decent range of brews, and also in the UK, Hambleton sell a good wintery ale that bears comparison with the full-gluten brews they also make.

Travelling further from Chesterfield, America and Canada have produced a range of gluten free beers from the beautiful Messagere, the fascinating Passover Honey Beer, to the promising Trails End.

I wish all the brewers had been at Chesterfield to see tears in the eyes of hardened working men from Derbyshire, who had been years without a beer, or worse were cheating on their diet and taking a risk with their health. The real prize is the knowledge that all brewers must have that they are handing to a lot of people something that was snatched cruelly away from them, sometimes decades earlier.

Cheers !

Against the Grain wins an award for being the realest of real ales.  A real pleasure to drink. This beer is a quaffable option to the coeliac that can be enjoyed by the non-coeliac Greens Explorer wins an award for depth of character and finesse in its range of flavours. Intense and deep, this ale stands as a fascinating array of tastes. New grist wins the award for a combination of reasons: Not just most promising new option, but also for excellence in its range of flavours. This warm grainy brew offers some very interesting aspects that deserve a little time to take in.
The Passover Honey Beer may not have been originally brewed for the coeliac, but it wins an award for a really original range of flavours.  For those drinkers not Jewish, we can be grateful to the belief system that has led to this extraordinary brew and its series of flowery honey aspects, from such a modest range of ingredients.

For the lager drinker, this offers a real choice, and the non-coeliac may not even notice it is a gluten free beer.  The award is for downright honesty.  It is a lager.  It is a good honest lager.  End of!

 Well done all brewers who were involved this year, but watch out for next year, there are a fistful of new brews to be launched in time for the next festival

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