Now, I’m not much of a drinker but over the past few months I’ve tried a few new gluten free ciders and beers that I felt I should share. I find it good for my mind and body, especially being on a limited diet, to experiment with trying different things.

Samuel Smith’s Organic Cider
http://www.samuelsmithsbrewery.co.uk/index.html


I tried this at Barenaked Burger in Queens, NY. It paired well with burgers, and was light and refreshing. The bottle was large, serving two full glasses of beer.  The best part had to be the bottle itself. Since it is large it allows for a big label with lots of writing room.  There was a full serving and nutritional information section, which you hardly see on beverages. In addition, the company offers you suggestions as to what your product will pair well with, what a great Idea. Unfortunately, this is the only gluten free product by them, made to avoid cross contamination, but I would love them to make more flavors!

Fox Barrel Ciders
http://foxbarrel.com/cider/

Made from the makers of Crispen Hard Apple Ciders, these ciders are unique because they are pear derived. While companies, such as wood chuck, do make pear ciders there is often not a wide range of flavors. This company however, offers many and they are ALL gluten free. Given to me as a Christmas gift, I was able to try Apricot Pear and Blackberry Pear. Both were more carbonated than I love my beverages, although the flavor factor far outweighed this minor personal issue. The Apricot Pear flavor was very sweet, and uniquely smooth to the mouth. I don’t know exactly how to explain it but I can say it was a very delightful treat. Blackberry Bear was more on the dry and bitter side, having a different feel all together than the Apricot. I would say the Apricot is my favorite of the two, but all in all these are products worth trying! I hope to get my hands on some of their other products soon, such as their Ginger and Black Currant reserve which sounds fantastic. Check out their website for cooking recipes too!

New Grist Beer
http://www.lakefrontbrewery.com/gluten_free.html

This is a Sorghum and rice beer, with a very unique taste that is more akin to normal beer than Redbridge in my opinion. The beverage itself was light, reminding me simply of relaxing outside on a mild summer night. I would highly recommend it any time though, as it is a good lighter alternative to some other options. From what I can tell, this is the only gluten free product made by this company. That doesn’t really matter though as they seem to pull it off well.