Wheat Free Ales

Several people have come into the dispensary complaining that they feel rather worse after drinking real ales than they do after , say, wine. I’ve always assumed it might be the hops that causes this, but have recently caught on to the idea that it might be the presence of wheat.

So many people seem to have an intolerence to wheat, with symptoms ranging from a mild nasal stuffiness to full on allergic reactions with mouth ulcers, IBS, bloating etc. I often advise people to try cutting out wheat for a few weeks just to see what happens. This is far from easy, especially when you consider that wheat, and wheat derived products are also present in many non-food products, such as deodorants, make-up, soaps etc.

So, for starters, here is a list of wheat free ales available in Bristol:

• Butcombe Bitter (but not the Blonde)
• All Wadsworth ales - although be careful as they are busy acquiring other breweries and some contaminents might get in.
• Fullers ales
• Timothy Taylor’s Landlord
• Adnam’s

Please note these are wheat free, not gluten free. There are some gluten free bottled beers in the UK, for example Greens, but these don’t seem to be widely available in pubs.