Lakefront Brewery “New Grist” Beer
Recently, a friend of SevenPack was diagnosed with Celiac disease. This, for those of you who don’t know, is a disease that renders the person unable to ingest anything with wheat gluten. If this doesn’t sound rough to you, then you don’t realize that wheat gluten is in almost everything that hits your plate. Okay, I’m not being totally fair, Celiacs can eat any meat or veggie. However, it happens that almost all breads, sauces, marinades, pastas, cereals, desserts, and (sadly) beer contain wheat gluten. This makes it very difficult to eat out, and it quickly makes the Celiac an expert on cooking at home and knowing ingredients of various foods. Again, worst of all, it means that it’s difficult for the Celiac to drink, as the very nature of beer means that it contains wheat gluten. Fortunately, Celiac disease is beginning to gain a higher profile in the US and abroad (especially in the UK, where there is a higher percentage of Celiacs). Thus, we are beginning to see more restaurants offering gluten-free menus, more packaged foods at least acknowledging whether they are or are not gluten-free, and (best of all) more brewers brewing gluten-free versions of beer. I know a fair bit about Celiac disease, as it actually runs in my family. Fortunately, however, I have tested negative for the disease – if it had been otherwise, then this blog would contain about 3 entries instead of almost 500. Nevertheless, due to the situation that our friend, Jamie, now finds herself, we deem it necessary to delve into the world of gluten-free beer so that, if nothing else, we’ll know what she’s drinkin’.
The New Grist pours a light and clear orange-yellow color. There isn’t any head to speak of, and the carbonation is much less dense than most beers. Rather, the bubbles are large and almost soda-like. I’d wager that this is a result of the modified carbonation process as this must either be naturally carbonated via the yeast’s reaction with sorghum and rice (instead of traditional grains) or artificially carbonated via direct CO2 injection. The aroma of this isn’t terribly pungent or terribly definable. It’s quite generic with a light sweetness, almost reminiscent of a ginger ale, only with a subdued sugary note. In the mouth, this initially tastes quite smooth and doesn’t have any major bite. Across the tongue, some light sweetness develops that then blends into a slightly herbal note that reminds me slightly of a cold green tea. There is also a slight CO2 flavor that I’m picking up, which makes me believe that this probably is artificially carbonated. All in all, it’s not bad. It’s easy-drinking and quite refreshing and would probably make a good session beer, depending on the ABV, which isn’t listed. I’ve had much worse beer than this, and I would definitely choose this over any of the major domestic brews. It’s obviously a bit neutered when compared to more adventurous normal brews, but it does taste smooth and refreshing and well-balanced – much better than I expected, to be honest.
6 Responses to “Lakefront Brewery “New Grist” Beer”
JUST FOUND IT YESTERDAY AND TRIED IT TODAY..I LIKED IT! I ALSO LIKE REDBRIDGE BY BUSCH, BUT CAN’T SEEM TO FIND IT LATELY. HAVE BEEN TOLD THEY ARE WAY BEHND IN PRODUCTION. WILL NOW BE ABLE TO HAVE BOTH IN THE FRIDGE
Maybe I got a bad batch, but New Grist had a medicinal taste and made my mouth go numb.
I do not have celiac, but I have discovered that I am sensitive to gluten, and it causes me to gain weight in my abdomen. I, along with a few of my friends, experimented with cutting gluten from our diets and ALL of us lost weight right in our abdomen. So, I’m sold on cutting out gluten! I’m also sold on Redbridge beer. I was a little surprised at your review of it because I dont’ find the taste to be unusually sweet. I think it has a little bite somewhat reminiscent of an imported beer or an ale. It also reminds me of some of the US brewed ambers. Frankly, it has spoiled me for other beers. 
I really like this one! I found your website while looking for the number of calories contained in beers. I was glad to see the posting that said there are only 171 calories in a 12-oz. serving of Redbridge. My local Publix is carrying Redbridge because I asked the manager if he would stock it. I’ve found that many stores will stock items if a customer merely asks.
Fran, Thanks for the comments! It’s true, there seem to be a number of advantages to cutting gluten from the diet. And, you are correct that Redbridge is an excellent beer compared to many of the domestic brews on the market. Anyone accustomed to the typical macrobrewed fare will be very pleasantly surprised. On my humble tastebuds, the sorghum in the Redbridge struck me as sweet, but not to say distasteful, by any means. Glad we could be of assistance, and thanks for reading.
-Ben
Howdy,
I have found the Grist to be nearly undrinkable straight from the bottle; it’s really yeasty maybe even medicinal tasting, but to my delight I find it trans-freakin’-formed poured.
It is my favorite beer after a day in the sun when poured sloppily into an almost fluted pilsner type glass. It will get a thick though light head, it has a nice fruity super quenchy appeal under these conditions…
It has the coolest label of all the GF beers and I find myself envisioning that pixilated sun/moon man when heat stroke is closing in…
Care to comment?
I’ve just recently seen this beer hit the shelves locally. I’ll have to check it out.