ARE VEGAN, GLUTEN-FREE, AND ALCOHOL-FREE BEERS SPECIALTY BEERS?

In the absence of a category that defines these types of beer, we group them under the name Special Beers; although very generic, we do not know of any other category that defines them better.

By special beers, we understand those that, while belonging to a specific style—such as pils, ipa, pale ale, or others—possess a specific characteristic that defines them beyond their style.

We are referring to beers that are:

- Gluten-free

- Non-alcoholic

- Vegan

As we mentioned, these are not styles but rather characteristics, yet they are such important characteristics that we treat them with their own identity; we have grouped them together and given them the importance they deserve.

GLUTEN-FREE

Gluten-free beers are those that guarantee a gluten content of less than 20 ppm (parts per million). Thanks to an enzymatic process during fermentation, endoproteases remove the gluten from the beer without affecting its other properties. There are two ways to produce gluten-free beer: on one hand, grains that naturally do not contain gluten, such as millet, quinoa, or sorghum, can be used; the organoleptic result is quite far from the taste and texture standards of pilsner beers, which is the most common style, making them easier to brew but harder to succeed with among consumers.

The other brewing method is more complex and involves degrading the gluten from traditional grains through the aforementioned enzymatic process; this process is more expensive but guarantees that the beer's flavor and aromas are preserved during the brewing process.

NON-ALCOHOLIC

According to European legislation, beers with less than 1.2% ABV are not required to indicate the alcohol content, although in most cases, non-alcoholic beers indicate "less than 1% alcohol" on their labels; despite containing a low percentage of alcohol, they are referred to as non-alcoholic.

There is another category of non-alcoholic beers which are commercially known as 0.0; these beers are actually beer wort, meaning beer that has not reached the point of producing alcohol during fermentation and to which enough carbon dioxide has been added to complete carbonation, so they are effectively 0.0% ABV.

VEGAN

At first glance, one might believe that because of the ingredients in beer (water, malt, hops, and yeast), all beers are vegan, but nothing could be further from the truth. In the brewing process, some manufacturers carry out clarification processes using animal-derived fining agents, specifically a product called isinglass. Many manufacturers who are sensitive to vegan principles have eliminated isinglass from their clarification process—a decision that is not easy as the alternatives are not simple—but despite the difficulties, more and more manufacturers are producing their beers according to vegan precepts.

All Gluten-Free, Non-Alcoholic, and Vegan beers must contain legal information and warnings on their labels. In the ingredients list on labels, products containing gluten are written in bold, for example:

Water, barley malt, hops, and yeast.