This Gluten-Free Midwest Beer Might Actually Be Worth A Try, Since Its 6-Pack Costs Under $10

Foodies don't have to follow a strict vegan diet to enjoy chowing down at a vegan restaurant. The same is true when it comes to drinking gluten-free beers, especially when that bottle happens to be Lakefront Gluten-Free New Grist Pilsner. From crisp Hamm's to cinnamon-rimmed Great Lakes Christmas Ale, Midwest beer is a category unto itself. Carrying the torch of this regional tradition into the alternative cereals camp, Lakefront Brewery is based in Milwaukee, Wisconsin – home city of recently-discontinued icon Schlitz (we miss you already). Its New Grist Pilsner-style beer boasts the unique distinction of being the first gluten-free beer to receive approval by the U.S. government. This category pioneer has been on the market since 2005, made from a gluten-free mash of rice extract, sorghum, and malted millet with Chinook and lemondrop hops for dimensionality and balance. It arrives with a pale gold hue, light body, and standard 5% ABV. On the palate, the beer offers 10 IBU — a comparable bitterness level to other light American lagers or wheat-style beers — with a light, crisp, refreshing mouthfeel and subtly fruity nose. 

The bouquet sounds impressive, in theory. In execution, however, customer reviews are pretty hit or miss — but the price is right. A six-pack of 12-ounce cans currently runs for $9.99 on TotalWine. By that criterion, if you ask a Midwestern beer fan (a demographic to which your reporter personally belongs), this brew might be worth trying. 

According to customer reviews posted to TotalWine, Lakefront New Grist is pretty good ... for a gluten-free beer. Overall, its palate seems somewhat lacking when held up against traditional beer offerings. Positive reviewers call it "palatable and enjoyable," with folks noting that they wouldn't immediately know it was gluten-free by its taste. On the flip side, less-glowing reviews call the beer "acceptable, nothing more." Customer appraisals on BeerAdvocate note an odd-tasting finish. One writes, "It is quite a strange taste and not really much like beer."

It's worth pointing out that, as a brew with totally different base ingredients from traditional beers, a somewhat divergent taste is expected. Instead of wheat or barley, gluten-free beer is made from gluten-free grains such as rice, sorghum, millet, corn, or buckwheat. From there, these beers are tailored to styles from IPAs to lagers to stouts to — as Lakefront Brewery delivers — Pilsners. How close, exactly, these dupes are to the standard beers is up to some debate. In a Reddit thread in r/glutenfree, customers agree that Red Bridge and Glutenberg Blonde are better-tasting alternative brews than New Grist. Still, New Grist is the most cost-effective offering in the lot, and that's no small thing. From Busch Light to 1990s darling Red Dog (which was sold in 30-packs), the chief appeal of many beers is low price point and crushability. Lakefront New Grist delivers these factors in spades, as well as accessibility for inclusive imbibing. Everyone at the party, regardless of dietary needs, can crush the same affordable six-pack together.