Redbridge Gluten-Free Beer

The next six pack in the lineup was Redbridge Gluten-Free Beer brewed by Anheuser-Busch. (St. Louis, Missouri). It's made from sorghum rather than wheat or barley so as to keep it gluten-free, which of course makes it one of very few beers available to those of you who must remain gluten-free for your own well-being.

At first, I worried on learning that this was an A-B product that it was going to be a gluten-free Bud Light, but on pouring it into a glass, I was pleasantly surprised. The color is a reddish amber and the aroma is beery, if nothing else. The head was a pleasant surprise, and I thought I may have stumbled on a variety of cream ale. The taste is definitely unusual due to the atypical grain content, and I don't think anyone will be mistaking this for a gluten-filled brew, but that doesn't mean it's no good.

It's got a pleasant if slightly overpowering maltiness and negligible hop content, making it fairly easy-drinking. It doesn't sit heavy but doesn't flow like your more popular A-B products, swilling down like slightly tainted water. In other words, it's alright, it's not great, and it rises slightly above mediocrity. For someone whose diet limits them to the Gluten-Free beers, it's a good option for keeping some flavor in your beer, but if your diet has no such restrictions, it wouldn't make it terribly high on the list. Overall, I give it a C+. My name is Joe.

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Speaking of dietary restrictions, I've decided that, in honor of one of my fellow bloggers, going forward I will identify (when I can) in my reviews whether a given beer is vegan. Not everyone may be aware that many beers are non-vegan due to some unseen refining ingredients, so I figure it can't hurt to let you know. On that note, according to my research, all Anheuser-Busch products are free of animal products, except for those which contain honey -- both of which have the word "honey" in the name of the product.