Is Bud Light Gluten Free?
Posted by Mike in GF Product Review, Mike's JourneyDec 8th, 2009 | 37 responses
NO, NO WAY, NOT A CHANCE, DON’T TOUCH IT!
This is the same for Miller Light, Budweiser, Coors, Coors Light, Corona, Corona Light, Corona Extra, Heineken, Natural Light, Busch, Busch Light, Michelob, Michelob Light, Michelob Ultra, Miller High Life, Guinness, Becks, Labatt Blue, Sam Adams, Fat Tire, Pabst, Stella Artois, Molson, Dos Equis, Sol, Tecate, Bass, Newcastle, O’Douls, Keystone, Milwaukee’s Best, many more, & BUD LIGHT!
Please see my article on Gluten Free Beers and leave a comment about the ones you have tried. Some examples of gluten free beer: Redbridge, Bard’s Tale, Green’s, New Grist, Messagere, Sprecher, & Woodchuck.
I have been asked this question a lot, and never covered it specifically, because I thought it was pretty self-explanatory. After getting the question twice today in my live chat feature, I figured it was time to set the record straight. NO, Bud Light is not gluten free.
Being freshly out of college and my old business catering to the summer vacation crowd, beer was one of the hardest things for me to give up. On a daily basis, I was offered beer by customers and friends. It was always hard to turn it down, led to lengthy conversations about celiac, and left them feeling very sorry for me.
Today, almost a year of 100% gluten free, I still miss normal beer only a little, I’d be lying if I said I didn’t. It was very hard in the beginning, but the desire is much less now. Now, I choose something different and don’t sweat over it. The gluten free beers taste much better now than they used to, probably because I am forgetting the taste of Bud Light.
I have gluten beer in my fridge that has been there from before I switched to gluten free. It has helped to have it in there, so that I can pass the willpower test every day. I even threw some gluten free awareness wristbands around a few to always remind me. It has worked.
Here is a before and after photo… of the beer I am drinking, not my weight, hahaha.
Before: In college drinking a Bud Light.
After: Recently holding a Woodchuck.
37 Responses to “Is Bud Light Gluten Free?”
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Woodchuck is my favorite GFree “Beer”. I prefer the Pear variety because it’s a bit sweeter. I also like Hardcore, another cider. And sometimes at World Market they have “Ace Perry Cider” which is from a small brewery out in California. That is delicious as well!
I’ve never been a fan of regular beer, so Redbridge doesn’t really float my boat.
woodchuck ftmfw
ya i wasnt a big beer person and the ones i like were the darker heavier beers. redbridge isnt bad, not the best beer but it will do.
we can just use celiac as an excuse to drink top dollar liquor since its hard to find a cheap gluten free version of the different liquors
-matt
You made a good trade up on the girl but not convinced about the beer.
Is Woodchuck really considered beer? I was very much enjoying the taste of beer when I was diagnosed with celiacs. Now, I feel I am stuck with hard apple and pear ciders for life that are much too sweet.
Tammy:
Not really… Woodchuck is a “hard” cider…beer. LOL
You know, there are gluten free beers: http://switch2glutenfree.com/gluten-free-businesses/gluten-free-beer-reviews/
tammy, try the other versions of wood chuck, the grany smith is much more tart, the 802 is a little less sweet than the amber. there is also hornsbys hard cider that tastes very yeasty but i thought it was bad.
redbridge is a god choice and pretty easy to find but you know its not the best thing in the world compared to “Real” beer
-matt
Im so sick of cider, and gluten free beer is so expensive, i think im just going to go off beer altogether. i keep hearing bud is gluten free but if its not on the bottle i dont trust it
@keegan if they used wheat, rye, barley, spelt, oats (other than those specially processed and transported to maintain GF) and they dont distill it, its not gluten free. heniken (sp) IIRC has a statement that says their product tests at 6ppm gluten (below the standards) they dont claim it to be gluten free but they say it meets the standards but its your place to figure out if its safe enough for you.
Bud light is a rice based alcohol unlike the other beers you grouped it with. the barley and hops are distilled so the gluten amount is very low. it doesn’t seem to bother me when i drink a few. I’m no expert another celiac waitress i met told this information and so far no problems with bud light. Same goes for sapporo rice based japanese beer.
I didn’t like woodchuck- couldn’t get used to the taste and dryness. I really do like Redbridge, however it is a bit on the pricey side.
@sherry, dryness? which woodchuck did you try? the amber is super sweet. the grany smith is a bit dry, the 802 is in the middle, closer to amber though. the seasonal blends range some but mostly sweet.
if you think redbridge is expensive you should check out greens, 6 bucks for a half liter…. but ooooo so good, had a normal beer drinker that liked a lot of beers say it was good
Bud light is one of the few beers and doesn’t affect me. Some argue that is and some argue that it isn’t. If you can drink it and it doesn’t kill your insides then drink it. But coming from someone who is a beer lover it really does suck that GF beer is expensive and doesn’t have a tasty flavor.
@amy
I don’t think there is ANY debate whether Bud Light is gluten free or not. It absolutely contains gluten. To someone who has celiac, any amount of gluten will affect them whether they feel it or not. AB made Redbridge for the gluten free market.
I have been diagnosed with celiac through the blood test and endoscopy. I can eat a whole pizza and feel better than someone who doesn’t have any allergies. Doctors believe that if I were to continue to eat gluten on a regular basis, then it would catch up with me severely.
I agree, it sucks to have celiac and love beer. Nothing is better than a cold beer on a hot day… on most days. I’ve just learned to drink GF ciders or hard liquor.
right on mike (btw havent seen you on twitter in months, busy?)
@amy, redbridge is not great, and bards tale is a bit worse then new grist is horrid, but the ones like greens are amazing. use this as an excuse to drink quality liquors and from the small market of high end GF beers, yeah its more money but you gota go with the quality over quantity.
also a beer might test “gluten free” but there is no research into how the proteins that gluten is broken down into will effect celiacs, and most of us have allergies to wheat/rye/barley and/or oats on top of the gluten issues. this really is one of those situations that cheating is only hurting your self, and with risks of cancer and other major health issues from not sticking to the diet it really comes down to if you really want that beer, pizza, etc and get some disease earlier than you should or stick with the alternatives and not have the issues later on.
@Matt
I sincerely appreciate all your comments on my blog. Thank you!
Yes, terribly busy. I took a new job a few months ago and have been working 45-55 hours per week. I enjoy it, but not as much as doing my own thing. Plus, I am president of a couple associations/networking groups in town.
On top of it all, I am getting married April 30th. So, wedding planning has also consumed a lot of time.
It is on the top of my list to start blogging again regularly, but it will probably be after the wedding.
Thanks again!
totally understand, i barely have time to breathe now
bud light, being mostly a rice beer, is 20 PPM wheat gluten, almost wheat gluten free by UK standards, BUTT
its wayy more than 20 PPM barley gluten.
there is no test for the glycoprotein in BARLEY gluten.
i think red bridge tastes great.
Thanks for hosting this site, which has gotten out some useful info.
I don’t have celic but am somewhat allegic to gluten. Since I enjoy beer, I’ve done some experimenting over the last several months, and here’s what I’ve learned:
Redbridge is pretty good beer, although you can definitely taste the sorghum, which is a little sour. Nonetheless, it’s probably my favorite as far as an “everyday beer.”
Daura is ok. It’s made in Spain and billed as “the world’s best gluten-free beer.” I dont know if it’s made with sourghum, but it definitely does not tast sour.
Greens is made in Belgium and tastes like regular beer, or at least really close. It’s expensive and sold in 20 oz bottles. Pours with a thick head. And it is quite high in alcohol (more than double the norm.) They make a blonde and a dark, and both are good.
Bard’s is very malty, and is just not for me.
Tried a few others, but I’ve been mostly disappointed in those.
Ciders are gluten-free also, but tend to be way too sweet for beer drinkers. There is one called Magners, which is dryer and less sweet than most. It’s not bad.
I just started brewing my own, which offers a lot of options for those of us who should avoid gluten.
There are a lot of gluten-frees out there, but most stores dont carry them. I have found that liquor store owners will special order if there is something you cannot find.
Recently found out I have celiacs! Miss real beer red bridge is ok, bards is ok . Heard of 1called daura I hear is good,can’t find it in NJ
Hard ciders are like wine coolers, yuck
New Planet has been my gf beer replacement for bud,gf now for 1 year.
Which GF beer would be closest to Miller Light?
I just found out yesterday that I am allergic to gluten, soy, & egg. I am freaking out.
I have to say that I am a beer girl. From everything I have read, gluten free beer isn’t so great.
I was supposed to meet up with friends for drinks tonight, but I am so whelmed I just cancelled.
Any suggustions? If I switch to vodka what would I mix it with?
@lisa, STOP, BREATHE, RELAX. it feels like it sucks at first but you will feel better in a little while and realize how worth it life will be when you keep your allergens out of it.
now as to what beer is close to miller light, i cannot give you a good suggestion on that, i really didnt drink much beer before i went gf but your main options are going to be new grist, red bridge, and bards tail for a lighter beer. now for liquors, most are GF, even the ones made with grains (as long as they are distilled well, pretty much any mid shelf or up stuff is good to go but always call the manufacture to be sure). i would suggest asking for either a good vodka or something you know is made from potato to be extra safe if you are worried (i heard some reports of smirnoff causing issues with people but their triple distilled should be 100% fine). rum is safe unless they add crap to it but most main stream ones are totally safe. all main stream sodas and bar mixers are safe. wine can be tricky cause of how it is aged but that is a big debate and discussion.
when you get a mixed drink if you ask for it in a tall glass with extra mixer to make it longer it will also help you be able to drink the same way you drink beer (how ever watch out, you might have had some absorption issues from your allergies so as you get off of them you will get drunk faster, but you will also get more vitamins and all the other stuff you need too in general).
seriously i would suggest just going out tonight with your fiends and getting mixed drinks instead, it might help let you kind of see that you can still go out and have some drinks and not be to overwhelmed. also if you look up on things like gluten free registry you probably have some restaurants around that do GF and they usually have a few options of beer/ciders that are GF.
New Grist is actually a really great tasting gluten free beer that isn’t even too expensive! I’m quite happy with it. If only it were served in restaurants and bars.
@neil & matt
Thanks for the helpful information. It is going to take alot of ajustment- not just alcohol, but everything. Gluten free registry & alot of reading!!
@lisa, there is so much new GF stuff coming out all the time and such a high level of awareness now compared to even 2 years ago.
idk where you are located but plenty of stores have good selections. whole foods, martins/giant/ukrops (at least the martins here dose), kroger (not all but i would assume at least one in a local area), farm fresh, some food lions. just gota look. usually it is in the organic area.
i was Dx’ed early 2008 and it took me 5-6 months to go fully gf and another 6 months before i stopped accidentally eating things with small additives i didnt notice. you pretty much just need to cook from scratch for a little while, eat simply and then slowly add stuff in as you find it.
Lisa,
I have sensitivities to soy and gluten, as well as dairy and eggs. The gluten free part will actually be much easier than soy free, as soy is in almost everything and many products are not labeled for soy (for example, “natural flavors” almost always means soy). As Matt said, start cooking from scratch, then gradually add things you know you can have. And, getting back to the beer conversation, Greens is certified dairy, egg, soy and gluten free, and I believe they are the only ones certified as such (including the ciders, they may or may not contain soy). Hang in there, it gets easier!!
Estrella Damm Daura is made with barley not sorghum but has a very low ppm. Whole foods sells it but it’s really pricey at over $10.00 for a carton of 4. It had no affect on me. I usually buy Redbridge which is also pricey.
What is the alcohol content in New Grist?
Hey Matt and Mike (not sure who’s site this is and who is just an enthusiastic poster),
I think sites like this are great and really valuable to share suggestions and products. However I am troubled by the absoluteness of some of your statements.
“I don’t think there is ANY debate whether Bud Light is gluten free or not. It absolutely contains gluten.”
The simple fact is that there is quite a bit of debate over this issue. Most specifically over the issue of what amount of gluten is biologically tolerable for those, like myself, who suffer from Celiac. The FDA themselves are using generally accepted medical guidelines of 20ppm, as the threshold for defining “gluten free”. The way the laws are now, Wonder Bread could slap a gluten free label on it if they wanted to. There is no law regulating the statement that something is gluten free on any level currently. So I would respectfully ask that you provide data before publishing such definitive statements since Bud Light has comparable levels of Gluten to the entire Glutino line of products.
@Danny, its mikes site i just post a lot
At the end of the day it comes down to that ‘normal’ beers use malted barley that contains gluten, when fermented the sugars and proteins are broken down and the gluten level can be “reduced” according to tests that test for it. Now the problem with that is that there have been no studies to show that the proteins that result from gluten being broken down are actually safe (see http://www.bellaonline.com/articles/art34379.asp for the scientific and simplified explanation).
Anther MAJOR thing that most people do not know, overlook, or completely ignore is that most of us have allergies that accompany CD. If you have only CD then you could consume wheat/rye/barley if you are able to get the gluten removed from it where as if you have an allergy to one of those grains you cannot not consume any of it and may have very smiler reactions to the other elements of the grain as you do to the gluten.
Now as to the testing… first off we all know that 20ppm is not a safe level for many celiacs and the other huge question the ppm rating begs is that it doesn’t look at the actual amount of total gluten consumed; if you eat a bite of bread that is 20ppm or even 50 ppm of gluten compared to half a cake that is “only” 10ppm (in my opinion as someone with CD not as a scientist) you probably are going to have a better chance at reacting to the cake. remember our bodies allow gluten to pass into the blood stream (where it should not be) and it can take up to a month for us to clear the gluten out, so logic would only tell us that gluten consumption in a person with CD is at least somewhat additive.
Is Wood Chuck Hard Cider soy and dairy free? I’m allergic to gluten also. I saw something about Greens. What ciders are free of the above allergens? I was mostly wanting to know about Amber in Wood Chuck Hard Cider. I can’t find the full list of ingredients.
@Alyssa, i don’t know 100% for sure but i am pretty sure it is. they are very good about returning emails and tweets so if you don’t feel safe with the ingredients list on the bottle contact them. all that is in it is apples, carmel color, sorbate and sulfates and “natural flavors” of course the natural flavors could be anything but i don’t see how dairy or soy would be in there.
I am blood test negative for Celiac but doc says there is no denying the gluten allergy. The first thought in my mind when I was told 3 years ago was no beer drinking! I have found that Redbridge tastes a little better with a slice of an orange. It seems to be the only GF beer I can find in North Louisiana. The shipping costs are scary on other brands being that I like to drink too much..lol
Does anyone know where you can order GF beer and not have to pay so much in shipping?
Andrea,
your best bet will probably be to talk to local beer shops and have them order it in for you (since they order from probably just one or 2 distributors and get shipments in all the time you won’t have to pay out the nose to get it in)
and remember the blood test is only 80% correct. best way to really tell is if you had unusual symptoms that resolve after being gluten free for a while (i used to get colds for months at a time before going gluten free, now if i get one in a year it is less than a week… you know, like a normal person
)
I stumbled on this blog after trying to find other people who are in the same boat as me… I have an adult onset gluten allergy/wheat intolerance/celiac thing that was figured out by my doctor and I through trial and error (the tests were confusing and not conclusive). I can not handle any amount of flour/what (immediate bathroom runs within 15 minutes).. even if something is fried in oil that has been contaminated with flour products I am a mess.
However, I seem to be ok with soy sauce, even ones made with wheat. I am also ok with vinegar (just not malt vinegar).. then finally, for the last few weeks, I have been drinking light beer (Miller Lite) and there have been no problems.
I think there are multiple categories of wheat allergy/celiac… I know others who can’t do soy sauce or light beer.. but it seems that some of us can. Any idea as to what this means? Does this mean that I am not celiac but have a wheat allergy? My doctor was honest and says that the medical profession is currently in a weird upheaval about trying to understand gluten allergies fully and they don’t have all the answers.
I came across this blog trying to figure out if others were able to still drink light beers despite having problems with other wheat products. A friend of mine who is a doctor says that my body probably doesn’t react to the broken down gluten in soy sauce/distilled vinegar and light beer.
@JT… your doctor is awesome for the simple fact that modern medicine has no clue what they are talking about when it comes to celiac/ gluten intolerance.
the big question here is the IF you have celiac or gluten intolerance. i am a firm believer that there is not a black and white. my brother is “gluten intolerant” but i have celiac… how ever both of us have bad immune systems when eating gluten, i have been GF for 3.5 years and my immune system is great now… my brother is gluten light and still gets sick some what. there really is no way to prove if you do or do not have celiac. if you had a weakened immune system that resolves after total removal of gluten from the diet then its probably celiac… but there are literally 100s of symptoms associated with celiac and some people have no out ward symptoms but they are still having the damage done.
people with celiac will still have the damaging t cell response to gluten even if it is broken down (the test only can tell if the full chain of proteins that make gluten is there but the segments of amino acids will still set off t cell responses) but if you are just gluten intolerant you might not have a reaction to the broken down chains.
at the end of the day it is your choice, but regardless of if you have any gluten issue or not gluten is not great for the human body, it is an inflammatory agent and the human body is really not set up to digest grains (some what dependent on your specific genetic heritage but even then it is usually only one grain or another that you can handle fully).
as to vinegar, personally i don’t have an issue that i can tell with it (i am celiac and avoid as much as possible) along with well distilled liquor (single distillation can carry over but quality liquor is usually safe).
i know that wasn’t the yes or no you were looking for but most of this really ends up as the “it depends” answer; to be safe avoid fully, if you are willing to take the risk then its your call, it might be safe, it might not.