If you live with coeliac disease or gluten sensitivity, being told you can't enjoy a proper pint used to be part of the issue. Not any more. Gluten-free beer has moved from niche health-food-shop afterthought to genuinely excellent craft beer, and demand across the UK is growing fast as more people are diagnosed with coeliac disease or choose to cut gluten from their diet. This guide answers the questions we get asked most, from what actually makes a beer gluten-free to which of our own brews to try first.
What makes a beer gluten-free?
Beer is traditionally brewed from malted barley, and sometimes wheat, both of which contain gluten. So how can a beer made from barley ever be called gluten-free?
There are two different approaches brewers use, and the distinction matters if you have coeliac disease.
Naturally gluten-free beer is brewed from grains that never contained gluten in the first place, such as sorghum, millet, rice or buckwheat. These beers are gluten-free from the ground up, but they can taste noticeably different from a traditional ale or lager because the grains behave differently during brewing.
Gluten-reduced beer is brewed the traditional way, with malted barley, and then treated with an enzyme during conditioning that breaks down the gluten proteins. This enzyme reduces gluten to below 20 parts per million (ppm), which is the threshold the UK recognises as gluten-free. Crucially, the enzyme doesn't touch the flavour, so the beer still tastes like the real thing.
This second method is how Purity brews our gluten-free range, and it's what allows us to make proper session IPAs, pale ales and lagers that just happen to be gluten-free, rather than beers built around the limitation.
Is craft beer gluten free?
Not by default. Most craft beer, like most mainstream beer, is brewed with barley malt and will contain gluten unless the brewery has specifically treated or reformulated it. The craft beer boom hasn't automatically solved this problem; if anything, smaller breweries experimenting with wheat beers, saisons and barrel-aged styles can make things trickier for gluten-free drinkers, since these styles often lean even more heavily on gluten-containing grains.
The good news is that gluten-free brewing has become far more common within craft beer specifically, because independent brewers tend to be more willing to experiment with enzyme treatments and alternative grains than the big multinational lager brands. If you're drinking craft beer and need it gluten-free, always check the label, the brewery's website, or ask directly.
How does Purity remove gluten from its beer?
Our gluten-free beers are brewed in the traditional way with barley malt, then treated with an enzyme called Brewers Clarex during conditioning. This is a well-established, widely used technique across the brewing industry, not a Purity invention, but we've built much of our core range around it.
The enzyme denatures the gluten without affecting the taste of the beer, and reduces gluten levels to below 20ppm, the UK's recognised gluten-free threshold. That's why our gluten-free beers don't taste like a compromise: Bunny Hop still has its citrusy hop character, Session IPA still has its tropical fruit punch, and Longhorn is still the same full-bodied IPA drinkers already love.
A note on coeliac safety: the under-20ppm threshold is the UK's legal standard for labelling a product "gluten-free," but it isn't identical to the standard used elsewhere in Europe, and enzyme-treated beer is not the same as a beer that never contained gluten-bearing grains. Most people with coeliac disease tolerate under-20ppm beer well, but if you have severe coeliac disease or another condition where trace gluten is a concern, it's worth discussing with your GP or dietitian before making it a regular habit.
Best Purity gluten-free beers to try
Purity brews a genuinely wide gluten-free range, so whatever you'd normally reach for, there's likely a gluten-free equivalent. Here's where to start:
- Session IPA (4.5%) – Named the UK's best Session IPA at the 2019 World Beer Awards. Brewed with pale malt, Vienna and golden naked oats, alongside Simcoe, Eureka and Mosaic hops, it's fruity, hoppy and easy-drinking. A great first gluten-free beer if you're used to modern craft IPAs. Take a look here.
- Bunny Hop (3.5%) – A light-coloured, unfiltered pale ale that's zesty and sessionable, using Crystal, Caragold and Wheat malts with Pilgrim, Centennial, Chinook and Cascade hops (don't worry, the wheat malt is part of the enzyme-treated gluten-free process). Pairs well with a ploughman's. Take a look here.
- Mad Goose (4.2%) – A refreshing, citrusy pale ale made from Pale, Wheat and Crystal malts, smooth and easy to drink. Take a look here.
- Longhorn (5.0%) – A full-bodied, unfiltered IPA using Pale, Rye, Crystal Rye and Cara malts, fruitier and stronger for IPA connoisseurs who want more punch. Take a look here.
- Pure Helles (5.0%) – An organic, German-style lager, clean and refreshing, for lager drinkers who assumed gluten-free meant giving up their usual pint. Take a look here.
- Pure Pilsner (4%) – Made from just four ingredients – water, hops, malted barley and lager yeast – and lagered for at least four weeks to follow an authentic Pilsner recipe. Brewed with locally sourced British hops and East Anglian malts. Take a look here.
Where to find the best GF beer in the UK
You don't need to hunt through specialist health shops any more. Purity's gluten-free beers are stocked in supermarkets, independent bottle shops, and pubs across the UK, and available in cans, and bottles from our online shop. If you're after a genuinely varied lineup of gluten-free beer, from crisp lager to bold IPA, a single brewery covering that much ground is rare, which is part of why our range has become a go-to for coeliac and gluten-sensitive drinkers around the country.
FAQ
Is all beer from Purity gluten-free?
No. Purity brews both standard and gluten-free ranges, so always check the label or product page for the gluten-free mark before buying.
Does gluten-free beer taste different?
Enzyme-treated gluten-free beer, like Purity's, is brewed the traditional way and tastes the same as its standard counterpart, since the enzyme only breaks down gluten proteins, not flavour compounds. Naturally gluten-free beers made from alternative grains can taste noticeably different.
Is Purity beer safe for coeliacs?
Our gluten-free range is reduced to below 20ppm, the UK's recognised gluten-free threshold, using an enzyme during conditioning. Most coeliacs tolerate this well, but if you have particular sensitivities, check with your doctor.
What's the difference between "gluten-free" and "gluten-reduced" on a label?
In the UK, both terms are generally used for beer processed to below 20ppm gluten. Truly gluten-free beer (brewed from grains like sorghum or millet) never contained gluten to begin with.
