Author: Steffen Page 8 of 11

This is the second test of famous German beer Warsteiner. The first Warsteiner gluten test was negative and it actually became my favourite beer, also because of the test result. In the first test I used the Imutest test kit which uses the antibody Skerritt. To validate the result I wanted to see how Biomedal’s kit with the G12 antibody reacts. In a recent post I listed some test kits and information about antibodies and how they work. But to make it simple – the more tests are negative the safer it is for gluten-intolerant people.

Beer: Warsteiner Premium Verum
Producer: Warsteiner Brauerei Haus Cramer KG
Originating country: Germany
Brewing location: Germany
Bottle size: 0.5 l = approx. 16 Oz.
Alcohol by volume: 4.8%
Ingredients: water, barley malt, hops extract
Miscellaneous: –

Test Kit: GlutenTox Home Kit

I tested with a threshold of 5 ppm. The limit of detection depends on the number of drops taken from the extraction solution, please find some more information here.

Test result: There is no indication of the presence of gluten above 5 ppm. According to the instructions there should appear a clearly visible red test line on the right of the test area ( T ) to indicate the presence of gluten. The blue line on the left test area ( C ) is a control line and indicates that the extract/sample is suitable, the test has been performed correctly and all reagents are active. In this test there is no indication that Warsteiner has more than 5 ppm gluten. However, it is not a medical advice – please see my facts page.

During my recent trip to Spain I had the chance to test a famous gluten free labelled beer. As I always take a test kit with me when I go abroad I supposed to test the draught beer they sold in my hotel but then I saw Estrella Daura Damm in a supermarket and couldn’t resist. The price is rather high, almost as double as the regular Estrella Damm beer but I really wanted to enjoy an officially labelled gluten free beer. Well, not everywhere – in some countries (like in the US) Damm is not allowed to label it gluten free – I guess because it contains barley. Their marketing experts instead use the fantastic wording ‘crafted to remove gluten’ in the US – well done you marketing pals. Anyway, the European version clearly says “below 3 ppm” on the bottle which moreover is confirmed by the Spanish National Research Council so this all implicitly says it is safe for Celiacs and people with GS. And this beer really tastes like beer, actually no difference to the “normal” Estrella Damm, refreshing and crisp.

A gluten free labelled beer, below 3 ppm, researched and confirmed by a Spanish public institution and it even tastes like a real beer – everything seems to be perfect. And then happens this:

Beer: Estrella Damm Daura
Producer: S.A. Damm
Originating country: Spain
Brewing location: Spain
Bottle size: 330 ml = approx. 12 Oz.
Alcohol by volume: 5.4%
Ingredients: water, barley malt, rice, hops
Miscellaneous: officially labelled gf beer

Test Kit: Imutest Gluten-in-Food Kit

Test result: There is a clearly visible pink test spot on the left of the test area ( T ) which indicates the presence of gluten. According to the instructions a “very low gluten” level of 20 to 100 ppm should give a test spot which is weaker or similar in intensity to that of the control spot ( C ). Please find some more information here. The test spot appears almost identical to the control spot.

On a scale from 1 to 20 I would rate the test spot intensity 5 or 6 so in this test the level is above 20 ppm. Even though this test is positive please note it is not a medical advice – see my facts page.

Due to a huge amount of enquiries over the contact form, post comments and directly via email I decided to also test Miller Lite despite the fact it couldn’t win the American light beer poll back in January. Thanks to all for your kind feedback.

Please note I can do a few of your wishes but not all. It is impossible for me to test all the beer you want me to test. Very often I am simply not able to get your favourite beer here in Germany but it is also a matter of costs. I also need to pay for the test kits. Please consider to purchase a 5-test kit which is around € 60 / $ 80 / £ 50 and so you pay approx. € 12 / $ 16 / £ 10 per test which is a useful investment in your health. I have listed some gluten test kit manufacturers here.

And here you go with the Miller Lite test on gluten:

Beer: Miller Lite
Producer: Miller Brewing Company
Originating country: USA
Brewing location: USA
Bottle size: 16 oz (approx. 470 ml)
Alcohol by volume: 4.2%
Ingredients: water, barley malt, hops, yeast
Miscellaneous: Ingredients listed in German as product sold in Germany

Test Kit: Imutest Gluten-in-Food Kit

Test result: There is no indication of the presence of gluten. According to the instructions there should appear a clearly visible pink test spot on the left of the test area ( T ) to indicate the presence of gluten. But this test is negative. The pink spot on the right test area ( C ) is a control spot and indicates that the extract/sample is suitable, the test has been performed correctly and all reagents are active. Even though the detection limit in this kit is very low (1-2 ppm) and the test is negative please note this is not a medical advice – please see also my facts page.

Clear winner of the recent Asian beer poll was Tsingtao, a Chinese beer from one of the world’s largest breweries – founded by German settlers at the beginning of the 19th century. The taste is actually good – refreshing and crisp, not watery. It contains rice so my assumption was that it is rather gluten free but my test showed it is not:

Beer: Tsingtao
Producer: Tsingtao Brewery/青岛啤酒
Originating country: China
Brewing location: China
Bottle size: 330 ml = approx. 12 Oz.
Alcohol by volume: 4.7%
Ingredients: water, barley malt, rice, hops (translated from German)
Miscellaneous: Ingredients listed in German as product sold in Germany

Test Kit: Imutest Gluten-in-Food Kit

Test result: There is a clearly visible pink test spot on the left of the test area ( T ) which indicates the presence of gluten. According to the instructions a “very low gluten” level of 20 to 100 ppm should give a test spot which is weaker or similar in intensity to that of the control spot ( C ). Please find some more information here. The test spot appears slightly lighter than the control spot but almost identical.

On a scale from 1 to 20 I would rate the test spot intensity 6 so in this test the level is above 20 ppm. Even though this test is positive please note it is not a medical advice – see my facts page.

Michelob Ultra is ranked 8th of the best selling beers in America in 2013 (see here the Top 20). It is a typical American light beer with a watery taste but generally OK as it was not as sweet as other American light beers, a bit like a light European style Lager beer. The level of gluten is very low, see test result below.

Beer: Michelob Ultra
Producer: Anheuser-Busch
Originating country: USA
Brewing location: USA
Bottle size: 16 oz (approx. 470 ml)
Alcohol by volume: 4.2%
Ingredients: water, barley malt, hops, yeast (translated from German)
Miscellaneous: Ingredients listed in German as product sold in Germany

Test Kit: Imutest Gluten-in-Food Kit

Test result: There is a barely visible pink test spot on the left of the test area ( T ), almost not visible in the picture but it is there. According to the instructions a “very low gluten” level of 20 to 100 ppm should give a test spot which is weaker or similar in intensity to that of the control spot ( C ).

On a scale from 1 to 20 I would rate the test spot intensity 1. The spot is hardly visible so it seems the gluten level is very, very low as the test kit also has a very low detection limit. Please find some more information here. Even though this test is low positive please note it is not a medical advice – see my facts page.

This is the first test of Canadian beer. Moosehead is not the best selling beer in Canada but I gave it a try as one of my website visitors told me that Moosehead, Labatt and Molson are the most common beers in Canada. Well, honestly I didn’t like it as it has an unpleasant sweet taste. But taste differs and here is the result of the Moosehead gluten test:

Beer: Moosehead Lager
Producer: Moosehead Breweries
Originating country: Canada
Brewing location: Canada
Bottle size: 12 oz can (approx. 355 ml)
Alcohol by volume: 5.0%
Ingredients: water, malt, corn, hops, yeast
Miscellaneous: –

Test Kit: Imutest Gluten-in-Food Kit

Test result: There is a clearly visible pink test spot on the left of the test area ( T ) which indicates the presence of gluten. According to the instructions a “very low gluten” level of 20 to 100 ppm should give a test spot which is weaker or similar in intensity to that of the control spot ( C ). Please find some more information here. The test spot appears lighter than the control spot.

On a scale from 1 to 20 I would rate the test spot intensity 4/5 so in this test the level is above 20 ppm. Even though this test is positive please note it is not a medical advice – see my facts page.