Beer
Beer is a fermented drink usually brewed from barley malt; it contains alcohol and, unless labelled otherwise, gluten.
- Used in
- Food ingredient
- Role
- Beverage
Also listed as
Contains / relevant to
- Gluten (wheat, barley, rye): Relevant to people avoiding gluten. Wheat, barley, rye, spelt and malt-derived ingredients.
- Alcohol-free: IngrediLens flags it for people who keep an alcohol-free diet. (This filter covers: ethanol and ethanol-derived ingredients.)
- Halal: IngrediLens flags it for people who keep a halal diet. (This filter covers: pork-derived, alcohol-derived and source-ambiguous ingredients.)
What to look for on labels
- On prepacked food in the EU and UK, cereals containing gluten must be emphasised in the ingredient list (usually in bold), so look for beer in bold or with its source named, for example “beer (barley)”.
- In the US only wheat is a major allergen, so barley, rye and oats are named in the ingredient list but not in a “Contains” statement.
Questions and answers
Does beer contain gluten?
Yes. IngrediLens treats beer as a gluten source, so it flags it for people avoiding gluten.
Is beer halal?
IngrediLens flags it for people keeping halal because it is or contains alcohol (ethanol). Whether small amounts of alcohol, for example in flavourings, are acceptable is a question for your own religious guidance.
Related
- MaltMalt is germinated and dried cereal grain, usually barley, and it contains gluten.
- BarleyBarley is a cereal grain that contains gluten; on labels it also hides in malt, malt extract and malt vinegar.
- WineWine is a fermented grape drink that contains alcohol and often sulphites.
- Ethyl alcohol (ethanol)Ethyl alcohol (ethanol) is the alcohol in drinks; in foods it is often a carrier in flavourings and extracts.
- Hidden names for gluten on food labelsGuide
- Eating out with coeliac disease: what to askGuide
- How to read allergen labels on food (EU, UK and US)Guide
Sources
- EU Regulation (EU) No 1169/2011 on food information, Annex II (allergens)
- US Food Allergen Labeling and Consumer Protection Act (FALCPA)
- IngrediLens ingredient database (names, flags and notes shown on this page)
Label information, not medical advice. This page describes how an ingredient is named and labelled and how IngrediLens flags it; it cannot tell you whether a product is safe for you. Always read the label on the product itself and follow the advice of your doctor, allergist or dermatologist. If someone shows signs of anaphylaxis, use their adrenaline auto-injector if they have one and call emergency services.
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