A Guide to Gluten Free Beer

When malted barley is a such an integral part of making a beer, you would be well within your rights to ask this question! There are two, arguably three ways that you can make a gluten free beer. 

The first possible method is to use gluten free grains, or gluten free extracts, in place of your standard grains. Options available to brewers include corn, rice, buckwheat, or lesser known grains like millet or sorghum. It might sound like an obvious way to go, so why are these drinks not commonplace?

On the plus side - this is the optimal way to make a beer completely free of gluten, as you’re not touching any gluten-containing ingredients. On the down side - it’s very difficult to make beers like this taste like beer as we know it. There’s a reason that barley, and to a lesser extent wheat and oats, are the established base malts. Did you know - even corn lagers or rice lagers will likely be made with just 30-40% corn or rice, with barley still being an important part of the grist.

That’s not to say that brewers aren’t trying. One example is Tweason'ale by Dogfish Head, which uses a sorghum base. Sorghum is primarily used for its sweetness, and you’d more commonly find it in syrups. At Siren, we’ve never made a beer without barley. But never say never!

Products that contain 20 parts per million (ppm) or less can be labelled as 'gluten free', because as communicated by Ceoliac UK: “research shows that this tiny amount of gluten is not toxic to people with coeliac disease.” This policy is widely adopted worldwide and guidance is provided to us under EU law.

The method we use at Siren is to take advantage of a very special enzyme that breaks down gluten to below the 20ppm threshold. By adding this enzyme at the start of fermentation, we are able to make gluten free beer without any change to aroma or flavour. This means that there is no ‘downside’ at all, it’s the same great tasting beer that you expect, which just so happens to be suitable for ceoliacs.

Okay, so this one is a curve ball! The thing is, some beers you will find naturally fall below the 20ppm threshold, which we’ve discovered when testing. Beers with light malt profiles and lower alcohol are more likely to be naturally gluten free. However, there can be big variance in gluten content, even in beers following the same recipes in the same conditions. This is why it’s integral to check the labelling of products. At Siren, we have a very stringent and consistent policy and every single batch of beer labelled ‘gluten free’ is tested and verified at an external lab.

Our most famous gluten free beer is Lumina Session IPA. Highly rated since its launch in 2020, Lumina has become our best selling beer. In celebration of its anniversary last year, ‘Lumina Hour’ helped to raise an incredible £10,000 for good causes! It’s a soft, hazy session beer with a beautiful tropical-fruit-filled hop profile.

For the lager fans out there (and let’s be honest, that’s all of us) we present Siren Pils. This beer was born out of years of experimentation and refinement, and is designed to be an accessible pilsner, and an ideal as a 'gateway' into craft beer. It's crisp and refreshing, and enlivened by bright citrus notes and the fresh, floral aroma of sun-kissed Bavarian hops—sourced straight from the fields. A modern classic for our brewery, and one we're proud to call gluten free.

The Pilot is our most recent addition to the gluten free lineup. This was the first beer we brewed in January 2026, and we're pleased to add such a hazy, fruit-forward pale ale to the offering. Citra, Krush and Nectaron hops deliver citrus, nectarine and sweet tropical fruit in abundance, carried in a soft, approachable body.

A brief history lesson: Our first ever foray into gluten free brewing was Futurist IPA. At 4.8%, this beer packed far more of a punch than you’d expect, and while it's currently out of brewing rotation, it has certainly not been forgotten - and will be back one day.