Friday, June 27, 2014

Beck's (U.S. Brewed)

Becks gluten free low celiac lager beer German bier Lite Beck's test results
Beer: Beck's (U.S. brewed)
Style: Pilsner/Lager
Brewing location: St. Louis, MO
Originating country: Germany
Alcohol by Volume: 5.0% 
Ingredients: Bremen-brewed Beck's: Two row spring barley from the south of England, yeast, crystal water from the "Rotenburger Rinne" and Hallertau hops from southern Germany. St. Louis-brewed Beck's is unlikely to have the same quality ingredients!
Format tested: 12 oz. bottle purchased in Los Angeles, CA
Beeradvocate rating: 65/100
Ratebeer rating: 10/100
Test kit: E-Z Gluten

Miscellaneous
  • Beck's is the world's best selling German beer, sold in nearly 90 countries.
  • Owned by local families until February 2002, the Beck's brewery was then sold to Interbrew (now Anheuser-Busch InBev) for €1.8 billion.
  • Beck's logo, a key, is the mirror image of the coat of arms of Bremen.
  • Since 2012 Beck's has been brewed in St. Louis for the US market. Sales dropped substantially after that. See this very interesting Business Week article on AB-InBev "The Plot to Destroy American Beer."

Test result photo

Becks gluten free low celiac lager beer German bier Lite Beck's test results inconclusive




















Test result
More than 20 parts per million (ppm).  Though standards vary from country to country, according to the FDA, "In order to use the term 'gluten free' on its label a food must meet all the requirements of the definition, including that the food must contain less than 20 ppm gluten." It is said that products with a gluten content below 20 ppm are suitable for people with celiac disease.

My experience drinking Beck's
I wasn't sure what to expect as I hadn't tried a St. Louis-brewed Beck's before. It's been a long time since I even had a German-brewed Beck's so I it's hard for me to compare. It tasted decent enough but not bursting with flavor. Although it's brewed in St. Louis by Anheuser-Busch, it's still Bremen prices – nice try AB-InBev – but I won't be buying it again. I am not sure where I fall in the gluten tolerance spectrum; I am gluten intolerant but not celiac. I definitely know what it feels like to be “glutened” i.e. gluten exposure, but I have not deliberately pushed my gluten consumption limits with any food or beer. I consumed this 12 oz. bottle in 30 minutes and felt no noticeable gluten-type reaction.

11 comments:

  1. So thankful for coming across this site. THANK YOU THANK YOU

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  2. Thanks so much for this. I'm not a beer drinker, but my husband is, and I'm glad to know I can still kiss him after he drinks his favorite beer. :)

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  3. is it possible to repeat the test with a different kit?

    this site says Beck's actually contains less than 5 ppm, tested with 2 different kits!
    http://www.lowgluten.org/becks-gluten-test-2/

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  4. is it possible to repeat the test with a different kit?

    this site says Beck's actually contains less than 5 ppm, tested with 2 different kits!
    http://www.lowgluten.org/becks-gluten-test-2/

    ReplyDelete
  5. any Brand that falls into ambev hands turns inmediately into a flavorless lesser quality beer. That happends when you love money more than your passion of making good quality beer.

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  6. it was the ever mistake selling the brewery to America . In America the health and quality are the last things to be considered when brewing a beer.

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  7. I believe this EZ gluten test is inaccurate. Two separate tests have found this beer is <5 PPM on lowgluten. I've found the beers that test fine from lowgluten (GlutenTox in particular) ARE fine.

    http://www.lowgluten.org/gluten-test-results/

    From my personal experience, this bugs me less than non-organic corn as a celiac. I recommend people look at lowgluten (I do not know the author or owner) as a second opinion and consider beers you like that turn out negative, at your own risk.

    I say this because the gluten-free industry disgusts me, and if you have no issues, you should not deprive yourself of enjoyment.

    I do hope this tester considers other test kits in the future.

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  8. "any Brand that falls into ambev hands turns inmediately[sic] into a flavorless lesser quality beer."

    That's BS. The quality control and testing at companies like AB and MC, despite being what might be arguably called "commercial" and "piss water", is definitely not in the realm or universe of all this small town sugary super-grainy Eurocrap with next to no thorough testing or quality control.

    Not to mention AB also has the only true 'gluten-free' (as in wheat/barley free) beer, Redbridge if it's such a concern or anyone wants something different.

    Which sugary, exotic, gut-clogging, migraine-inducing Eurotrash beers are you confident are such a higher grade? Might be me, but when I taste them, they taste like sulfur and other things I won't say.

    The local """stuff""" from these local breweries has more grains and ingredients than I've ever seen in any beverage in my life. Beer is WATER, BARLEY, HOPS and YEAST. Sometimes corn/rice. Not hard. And I'm supposed to trust these hipsters to run the process properly? I can just feel the long night in the bathroom! BLEH! I'd rather put a 2000 calorie McDonald's meal in the blender and drink it.

    You people can kill yourselves with that junk. Don't attack people like me who prefer a simple, clean, smooth, beer.

    AB branded and owned beers fit that bill best, and boy does that seem to piss you folks off and the GF industry, who, with their so-called "gluten-removing" processes do no better than any commercial American or Mexican beer. DON'T be fooled.

    Gluten my hind end. Beer is FERMENTED. And either a person removes ALL prolamin proteins (INCLUDES RICE AND CORN), or they DON'T. Think about it.

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  9. Is becks really brewed with just 4 ingredients because by law in America companies dont have to list all ingredients

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    Replies
    1. Just about all commercially bottled and canned beer has the yeast removed via pasteurization

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  10. I have wheat gluten yeast and buckwheat intolerance. I have found that Becks doesn't really bother me as long as I stick to four 330ml bottles. The yeast is also removed after the beer has been pasteurized. Here in Germany bottled and canned Becks has only the 3 ingredients Barley hops and water like I said I've tried many beers and they all seem to affect me because of my food intolerance

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