Does Gluten Free Beer Taste Good?

My Experience with Coeliac-Friendly Beers (From Someone Who’s Coeliac)

Being coeliac changes the way you look at food and drink — especially beer. For a long time, beer just felt like something I had to accept wasn’t for me. Barley, wheat, gluten… it’s basically the holy trinity of things a coeliac is told to avoid.

So when people used to say “you can still drink gluten-free beer”, I was sceptical. I assumed it would taste watered down, overly sweet, or like a poor substitute for the real thing.

I couldn’t have been more wrong.

What Makes a Beer Coeliac-Friendly?

As someone who’s coeliac, this part matters. Not all “gluten-free” beers are created equal, and understanding the difference is important.

Coeliac-friendly beers usually fall into two categories:

• Naturally gluten-free beers brewed with grains like sorghum, millet, buckwheat, or rice

• De-glutenised beers, where traditional barley beer is treated with enzymes to remove gluten to below 20ppm (the legal gluten-free threshold)

For many coeliacs (myself included), beers that are properly labelled gluten-free and tested to safe levels can be enjoyed — but everyone’s tolerance is different, so checking labels and certifications is key.

My First Proper Experience with Coeliac-Friendly Beer

The first time I tried coeliac-friendly beers seriously, I did it properly — tasting them the same way I would any other beer, not expecting them to “make do.”

What surprised me most was how normal they felt.

Some were light and crisp, others had proper body and bitterness. The flavour wasn’t “gluten-free flavoured” — it was just… good beer.

And crucially, I didn’t get the usual reactions I associate with accidental gluten exposure. No bloating, no discomfort, no second-guessing myself an hour later.

How They Make Me Feel Compared to Regular Beer

This is where being coeliac really shows the difference.

With coeliac-friendly beers, I personally notice:

• No stomach issues

• No bloating or heaviness

• No post-drink anxiety wondering if I’ve been glutened

That peace of mind alone makes them worth it.

Coeliac-Friendly and Alcohol-Free: A Perfect Match

I’ve also noticed that many coeliac-friendly beers overlap with the alcohol-free space — and that makes total sense. People choosing alcohol-free or gluten-free options are often doing it for health, clarity, or how they want to feel the next day.

For me, alcohol-free coeliac-friendly beers tick both boxes:

• Safe for my condition

• Still enjoyable

• No compromise on taste

The quality in this space has improved massively over the last few years.

Would I Recommend Coeliac-Friendly Beer?

Without hesitation — yes.

As a coeliac, it’s easy to feel excluded from social drinking, pubs, or beer culture in general. Coeliac-friendly beers have changed that for me. I don’t feel like I’m missing out — I just feel like I’m choosing differently.

If you’re coeliac and have written beer off entirely, I genuinely think it’s worth revisiting. The landscape has changed.

Good beer doesn’t need gluten — and being coeliac doesn’t mean settling for less.