One of the biggest brands in beer is no longer off limits for those with celiac disease thanks to its new gluten-free beer.
MillerCoors, manufacturer of Coors Light, recently announced that it is adding a gluten-free beer, Coors Peak Copper Lager, to its lineup.
“Unlike other gluten-free options, Coors Peak isn’t brewed with malted barley and crafted to remove gluten,” spokesman Jonathan Stern told Allergic Living. “Coors Peak is brewed with American brown rice, so it is naturally free of gluten.”
The new beer is certified as gluten-free and brewed separately from other Coors products to prevent cross-contact. Due to production capacity, this new brew is currently only available in Seattle and Portland.
MillerCoors joins fellow big beer maker Anheuser-Busch (with its Redbridge brand) and many craft brewers in a growing gluten-free field. Many of these beers use malted sorghum in place of barley to produce light-tasting naturally gluten-free beers.
“Our brewers scoured through as many naturally GF grains as they could find to malt, brewing with each until they found a recipe that delivered the well-rounded and balanced taste that they had been searching for,” Stern says of Coors Peak. The result is a light- to medium-bodied copper lager. “The malty, slight caramel profile is offset by subtle hops and the finish is crisp, clean and perfectly balanced,” says the beer aficionado.
MillerCoors is just one of many major food and beverage companies weighing into the gluten-free arena.
Recently Pizza Hut also grabbed a slice of the gluten-free pie – a marketplace that is expected to make more than $15 billion by 2016. The world’s largest pizza company now has a gluten-free option available across the U.S in cheese or pepperoni versions. The gluten-free pizza uses Udi’s Gluten Free crust, and received certification from the Gluten Intolerance Group, which includes requiring food handlers to wear fresh gloves and use specific gluten-free utensils when preparing these pizzas.
Cheerios has also gotten in on the gluten-free game, officially announcing that the brand’s original, honey nut, and three other varieties will now carry the gluten-free label. Though the cereals are made of oats, which naturally contain no gluten, they risked cross-contact with gluten products, so the best-selling cereal brand spent three years inventing a safe process at its facilities.
So whether you’re just waking up or ordering in for the big game, going gluten-free no longer means missing out big name food products.
