When I had to go gluten-free, beer was something that naturally phased itself out of my diet. The truth is, I had tasted decent beer and found a lot of the gluten-free options to be sadly lacking (save for one splurge-worthy favorite). I learned more about wine and started exploring the world of cocktails.
Still, I keep my eye out for new gluten-free beers coming on the market, hoping to be pleasantly surprised. Recently, Dogfish Head Craft Brewery contacted me to try* their new (it’s available now!) seasonal brew Tweason’ale, a gluten-free beer made with sorghum, strawberries, and buckwheat honey.
One thing that made me happy before I even opened the bottle (besides this adorable packaging) was the gluten-free certification, which I hadn’t remembered seeing before on a gluten-free beer. More importantly, this stuff is good. And it sounds good right? Sorghum, strawberries, and buckwheat honey sound delicious whether you’re gluten-free or not. I love that Tweason’ale feels like an awesome craft beer, made from ingredients that pair wonderfully together, but happen to be gluten-free.
Common complaints about gluten-free beer are that it can be bitter, sour, or very one-note. Tweason’ale is balanced and the flavor is multi-layered, much more so than other gluten-free beers I’ve had. The beer purists will have to forgive me because once I got my hands on this good gluten-free beer, I couldn’t resist trying this beer cocktail that I’ve had my eye on forever.
This is a Shandy made with 5 parts Dogfish Tweason’ale, 1 1/2 parts of my beloved St. Germain, and garnished with a lemon wedge. I was skeptical of dumping something as floral as St. Germain into beer, but this is one of the best cocktails I’ve had in a long time.
I was inspired to keep experimenting. The picture at the top of the post is a cocktail based on a brunch drink at The Breslin called “The Beggar’s Banquet.” I’m calling mine the “Beggars Can’t Be Choosy.” It is the juice of 1/2 a lemon, 1 1/2 oz bourbon (I used Knob Creek), and 3/4 oz maple syrup stirred together and topped off with St. Peter’s Sorghum Ale. Turns out, gluten-free beer cocktails are possible and delicious.
*The folks at Dogfish sent me this beer for free to try, but my opinions are all my own (and my opinion is they did a great job on this beer).
About autumn
Autumn Giles is the creator of Autumn Makes & Does and the co-host of the Alphabet Soup Podcast.
{ 4 comments… read them below or add one }
Thanks for giving Tweason a try, Autumn. Glad you liked it. And wow, those cocktails sound awesome. Cheers!
Justin, Thanks for sending it over. I’m over the moon that Dogfish is making it!
How lucky are you to be sent beer from Dogfish Head!!? And I love your beer cocktails. I was just reading about Red Beer, which is tomato juice and beer, and sometimes other flavorings. Sort of like a Bloody Mary with beer. Why does that sound so good to me? ; )
Thank you, Julia! I felt so lucky that they decided to make this gluten-free beer, let alone send me some to try 🙂 I’ve heard of red beer, but never tried it. My dad drank them! I think the savory flavors of beer make a lot of sense for something like that.
{ 1 trackback }