Admittedly, beer was one of the first items I mourned the loss of when I learned I had a gluten allergy. What was I supposed to drink on the rare occasion I watched sports? At happy hour? With a burger? Cider seemed too poor an alternative, so my hunt for gluten-free beer had begun.
I tried what seemed like dozens of brands before Omission and all of them were terrible (RedBridge absolutely takes the cake--please avoid it at all costs). I consider myself pretty well-versed in beer--I like to try all kinds and get an understanding of how it's made--but I'm by no means a beer snob (seriously, catch me at the beer pong table drinking a natty lite--occasionally). Omission is great because of their variety; they make a Pale Ale, IPA and Lager and are based out of Portland, Oregon (duh, cause that's where all of the good beer comes from). To my knowledge, they are the first brewery to specialize in gluten-free processing throughout the entire facility, versus half-hearting a gluten free line of beer. The best part about this brewery is that all of these beers can hang; they taste just like regular beer without that watered down, cider-y flavor. If you didn't know it was gluten free, there's no way to taste the difference.
I recommend the Omission Pale Ale because it's universally appealing, especially for people who aren't too keen on beer. It's light, has an uncompromised wheat taste (but with no wheat!), and has a peppery favor but without the harshness of a cider. It's great for summer and fall. I've found it at Whole Foods, BevMo, and my local produce market. Cheers!
