If your favorite gluten-free beer is Dogfish Head Brewery’s Tweason’ Ale, we have some bad news.
You’ll soon be saying it was your favorite beer because the Delaware brewery has discontinued it’s only gluten-free product.
“We wish it was a better seller, but it wasn’t to be,” the company said on its Facebook page in response to our inquiry about the fate of the beer after we read that it would no longer be available on Gluten-Free Philly’s blog.
The beer had been distributed in about 30 states. It first hit shelves in January 2012, and you may still find some at your local beer store. But once it’s gone, that’s it.
Tweason’ Ale was made with sorghum instead of barley. “The hints of molasses and pit-fruit are balanced by vibrant strawberry notes and a unique complexity that comes with the addition of a malty buckwheat honey,” the brewery says in a description of the beer that’s still on its website.
You can also still watch a video about the beer. If you loved Tweason ale, have a tissue ready.
Breweries that continue to offer gluten-free beer include, New Planet, Glutenberg, Greens, Ground Breaker, Bards, Redbridge and Lake Front New Grist.
Note that New Planet is now also making gluten-reduced beers—Seclusion IPA and Tread Lightly Ale.New Planet beers that are gluten free are Belgian, Blonde, Raspberry and Pale ales.
Gluten-reduced beer, which is typically made with barley that is processed to remove gluten is not currently considered safe for those who have celiac disease. The Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau (TTB), which regulates beer made with barley and hops, does not permit a gluten-free label on gluten-reduced beer. The label can say that the beer has been processed to remove gluten, but it must also note that trace amounts of gluten may remain.
Beer made with gluten-free ingredients is regulated by the Food and Drug administration (FDA). The FDA is currently looking at a new proposal for use of fermented ingredients in foods that are labeled gluten free, and beer is likely to be covered. The TTB has said it will review it’s policy on gluten-free labeling of the beers under its jurisdiction depending on action taken by the FDA regarding other fermented ingredients and products.
