As much as I get flack for being gluten-free (or gluten-frugal, as my sister-in-law says), there are simply some things my stomach cannot stand.
For years I would put myself through agony just for a cupcake or a pint of beer. However, with age comes a little bit of wisdom — and for me a little more self-control.
I’ve heard other people say they don’t miss gluten-riddled food anymore, but I don’t identify with that crowd. I miss everything about gluten. I especially miss really good beer.
I’ve tasted the gluten-free beers on the market and found that most taste like a high school student’s desperate attempt at making anything resembling an alcoholic beverage.
So, I’ve mainly stuck to drinking ciders and siphoning a sip or two from my husband’s beer, until recently when I discovered Draughtsmen Aleworks’ new gluten-reduced beer series. Their first gluten-reduced beer, Cereal Killer, debuted about a month ago in the tasting room and in select restaurants in Santa Barbara.
Cereal Killer, a pale ale at 4.5 percent ABV and 38 IBU, was pure bliss for this gluten-frugal gal. Enhanced with dry hops and grapefruit zest, this refreshing pale ale was the perfect pairing to a lazy Sunday afternoon spent on their patio.
If you’re wondering why you hadn’t heard a peep about their gluten-reduced beer until now, it’s because their first concoction practically flew off the shelf and quickly sold out everywhere.
But don’t fret! Round two of the series, Citracide, has just been released and is well worth the trek to the far reaches of Goleta for a frosty pint.
Citracide, like the first in the series, has citrus notes but settles somewhere between a pale ale and IPA style with a hops bite on the palate.
With the use of Brewer’s Clarex used during the barreling process, they are not able to technically say that their beers are gluten-free but rather gluten-reduced by 99.9 percent.
Still not convinced that gluten-reduced beer is worth the potential pain?
Just ask the celiac-inflicted customers that line the bar at Draughtsmen. They’ll tell you all is well.
Draughtsmen Aleworks, 53 Santa Felicia Drive in Goleta, is open from 2 p.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Thursday and from 11:30 a.m. to 9 p.m. Friday through Sunday.
— Tara Jones Haaf leads Eat This, Shoot That! and welcomes reader tips and ideas for future columns. She can be reached at tara@eatthisshootthat.com. Click here for previous columns. The opinions expressed are her own.