Asahi – Low Gluten in Beer

Asahi Super Dry (アサヒスーパードライ)

Asahi Super Dry is Japan’s top-selling beer domestically (and probably internationally, too). It is everywhere in Japan. It’s not my beer of choice, but I tested it because I thought it had the best chance of any of the Japanese macrobrews to have a low gluten content, since its ingredients include rice and corn.

Beer: Asahi Super Dry (アサヒスーパードライ)
Producer: Asahi
Originating country: Japan
Brewing location: Japan
Bottle size: 500ml
Alcohol by volume: 5.0%
Ingredients: (translated from the bottle): barley, hops, rice, corn, starch (not sure what kind — it just says “starch”)
Miscellaneous: In December 2015, Steffen posted test results for an Asahi Super Dry that was brewed in the UK (and labeled “Product of CZ”). The following test is for a bottle of Asahi Super Dry that was purchased and tested in Japan.

Test kit: Imutest Gluten-in-Food Kit

Test result: There is a faint, but visible, pink spot on the left side of the testing area, which is an indication of the presence of gluten. 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.

Note: Out of curiosity, I sent these photos to Imutest, asking if they could estimate the gluten content. They first pointed out that the test isn’t designed to be quantitative, but then estimated that “your photo would suggest a value slightly below 10ppm if it was a regular food sample, which means that it is probably less than 1ppm for beer provided you used the recommended protocol of eliminating the extraction step and adding the beer directly…”

Imutest has been quite helpful, and I’ve ordered five more testing kits.

Asahi Dry Zero is a non-alcoholic (alcohol-free) “beer” that is made without a wort. Basically, that means it isn’t brewed… I think. It’s more like a soda, I suppose. That being said, when poured into a glass, it looks and smells a lot like beer. As far as taste goes, it’s one of the better non-alcoholic beers I’ve had.

Asahi claims that Dry Zero is the best-selling non-alcoholic beer in Japan. Neither barley nor wheat is listed in the ingredients, so I’ve been drinking it for the last few months under the assumption that it’s gluten-free.

Beer: Asahi Dry Zero
Producer: Asahi
Originating country: Japan
Brewing location: Japan
Can size: 350ml
Alcohol by volume: 0.00%
Ingredients: (translated from the Asahi website): dietary fiber, soybean peptide, hop, fragrance, acidulant, caramel color, antioxidant (vitamin C), sweetener (acesulfame K)
Miscellaneous: I usually add about 15-20ml of 190-proof grain alcohol (Spirytus Rektyfikowany or Everclear) per can when I drink Dry Zero, to more closely simulate real beer.

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 result does not constitute medical advice – please see Steffen’s facts page.

I conducted two tests. The first time was with a can of Asahi Dry Zero, using the extraction solution provided with the kit. No gluten was detected. I wanted to be absolutely sure, so I contacted the people at Imutest, who told me that the test would be more sensitive without the extraction solution, so I ran the test again, this time with the bottled version, bypassing the extraction solution and adding the beer directly to the diluent solution. That’s why you see both a can and a bottle in the pictures. The results were negative (no gluten detected) in both tests. Also, Peter at Imutest was quite helpful (and patient) when I had questions about the testing process.

test the gluten content of your beer

Tag: Asahi

Asahi Super Dry (Japan)

Asahi Dry Zero