ONE of the things that irks me about emojis (well, there are actually quite a few things which annoy me about those little symbols) is that the icon for beer features a yellow liquid in a glass.
As we all know by now, the colour spectrum of beer can run from straw-coloured right up to jet black (let’s not even go into sours for the time being). Is it too much to ask that those who work in the emoji factories take this into account when crafting their communicative symbols?
The varied colour spectrum of beer is indicative of the choice available to discerning beer drinker these days. If you were to try and count up the different styles of beer out there, then you’d be wasting your time because it’s a pointless exercise and you’ll end up just wanting a beer.
Anyway, for some people, choice is restricted for various reasons. For coeliacs, the world of beer can be cut off completely and any gluten-free beers they have managed to get their hands on tend to be rather bland and pale.
Certain proteins present in barley, wheat and rye prove very difficult to digest to coeliacs, although there is a school of thought among brewers that there is a high degree of protein degradation in the brewing process which leaves the levels of gluten in beer very low.
Still, it remains a problem for coeliacs and they have had to contend with a limited choice, with a few readers contacting me to ask specifically about gluten-free stouts and porters.
One which I have come across recently is a gluten-free baltic porter from Estonian brewers Sori.
The name Coffee Gorilla gives you a hint of the overriding flavour profile of this 7 per cent porter. It does have all those roasty and coffee notes you would expect from a porter. However, there is a smoothness to it as well and nice sweet hint of chocolate.
It is not beer which will be widely available here, but it can be bought online through various beer stores.
Closer to home, and Cork-based brewers 9 White Deer have recently brought out a whole new range of gluten-free beers. Their Stag Saor range includes a red ale, a kolsch, a stout and an IPA.
While most of their beers are sold in the Munster area, you can contact them through their website to find more about getting your hands on them.
