Brewing Process Reduces Gluten

A study done in the Czech Republic shows that the brewing process breaks down gluten in finished beer to a fraction of the gluten found in the original raw malt. Czech Republic is the world’s highest consumer of beer per capita. They are also the proud inventors of the world’s first Pilsner. The Czech love their beer, so much so that when celiac and allergies came to the forefront of food and beverage discussions, they studied Czech beer for allergen content, so that they may advise their Czech beer-drinking population.

The study was undertaken to find out whether beer contains any gluten that could be toxic to coeliacs. They tested 19 beers using two R5 antibody kits: sandwich ELISA and competitive ELISA.

The results were interesting. I reflect back to a hypothesis that started this site:

If, according to the ADA, distillation removes all allergens from libations such as Vodka, then could the processing and filtering remove or breakdown enough allergens in beer to an acceptable level?”

It was fortunate to find this study as the scientists behind this effort are a team of credentialed, experienced PhD’s that have a wealth of background specializing in this area. While not specific to the hypothesis, the outcome of their study is both relevant and encouraging.

The study measured gluten at key phases of the brewing process, starting at the top with raw materials and measuring at each phase through to the final beer produced. So they started with the grain or raw malt, where you would expect there to be 100% of gluten for that grain in its pure state, which it was. Then they went through the processing steps. What happens next is the interesting part: Gluten levels decreased during the mashing process, then they were further reduced in primary and secondary fermentation and, even further reduced during beer stabilization. Table 1 shows a summary of the results:

The data reflects a clear and significant reduction of gluten through the process, with the most profound reduction happening in the malting phase. The study indicates:

“The gluten content in beer is, thus, approximately three orders of magnitude lower than in the raw malt.” ¹

Here is an idea of the starting point of the amount of gluten contained in the raw malt for several malt types. Wheat malts carry the highest gluten content.

Malts	Gluten g/kg-1
Barley	18.8-45
Wheat	44-68
Rye	41.6
Spelt	21.2

Yet, when measuring gluten in several types of beer were compared, here is what they found:

Beer Type	Gluten content (mg -l-1)
Alcohol-free beer	<3.0
Lager beers	<3.0-8.7
Stouts	9.0-15.2
Wheat beers	10.6-41.2

While the study does support the theory that the beer making process breaks down and reduces proteins, including gluten, it ultimately concludes that even with a significant reduction of gluten in the brewing process, most Czech Pilsners are not safe for consumption by those with Celiac disease. Take a look at this table that cites the study:

Even with that in mind, I thought I would test one of Czech Republic’s most beloved and longest-produced beers.

Pilsner Urquell

Pilsner Urquell is one of the largest producers of beer in the Czech republic. If you are in Europe, it is fairly easy to get a 6-pack at a local grocery store. In the states, you need to look a bit, though I did see it is sold at Target.

The special hops used are known as Czech Saaz Hops, and have been around for 700 years. That’s old. And while now grown around the world, Pilsner Urquell hand-harvests Saaz hops only grown in Žatec, in the Czech Republic.

The brand itself is 175 years old and first came to the U.S. in the early 1870s, so it has been in the states for a while. It is now owned by Asahi group, acquired as part of a large group purchase from InBev in 2016.

The photo of the test kit below shows a red line over/ at position “C” (control), a red line over/ at position  “O” , and a line over/ at position  the “T” (test).  A positive result is observed if there is a line at position “T”.

Result: positive for >5ppm

Of course, I am disappointed, but it aligns with the findings of the study. So I did not try to drink this beer. But, if you have friends that have no concerns about gluten content, they might enjoy this pilsner, its worth a try, at 4.4% ABV it is light and the nose on it is crisp. For reviews see untappd. And if you want to learn about the tests kit used here, see the test kit page

And yet the study is still very encouraging. I hope to see more in the future. In the meanwhile, check in for new updates on the Beer Test Table.

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[1] Dostálek P, Hochel I, Méndez E, Hernando A, Gabrovská D. Immunochemical determination of gluten in malts and beers. Food Addit Contam. 2006 Nov;23(11):1074-8. doi: 10.1080/02652030600740637. PMID: 17071509.

[2] PAVEL DOSTÁLEK, JOSEF DVOŘÁK, PETR HULÍN Allergens in beer
Ústav kvasné chemie a bioinženýrství, VŠCHT Praha, Technická 5, 166 28 Praha 6
Department of Fermentation Chemistry and Bioengineering, Institute of Chemical Technology, Prague (ICT), Technická 5,
166 28 Praha 6