Delicious IPA by Stone Brewing Co.
Brewery: Stone Brewing Co
Beer Style: Gluten Reduced IPA
ABV: 7.7%
IBUs: 75
So, I did some reading on this product (and I’ve included their FAQ below) and I was surprised to see how much thought and effort went into making this beer. It IS below the 20ppm that is required to have a Gluten Free label, but they are still calling it Gluten Reduced (which I can respect knowing numerous people with Celiac). The coolest part about this beer is that you wouldn’t know it was a GF/GR beer at all.
Stone doesn’t mess around when it comes to IPAs and this IPA is no different. The lemondrop hop really takes some of the bite that is usually there in GF or GR beers. It did something to the beer that really brought out the flavor of the El Dorado hops and made this a delicious beer.
Stone Delicious IPA
A Citrusy India Pale Ale with Lemondrop & El Dorado Hops
Crafted to Reduce Gluten
While our beers are many and diverse, yet unified by overarching boldness, India pale ales are our undeniable bread and butter. The result is an intensely citrusy, beautifully bitter beer is worthy of the simple-yet-lordly title of Stone Delicious IPA. Lemondrop and El Dorado hops combine to bring on a magnificent lemon candy-like flavor that’s balanced by hop spice. It’s unlike anything we’ve tasted in nearly two decades of IPA experimentation, and another lupulin-laced creation we’re excited to present to hopheads everywhere.
Stone Delicious IPA is a tangible example of why continual IPA and hop exploration are so fulfilling. With the Lemondrop varietal as a centerpiece and a massive dry hop composed exclusively of lemony El Dorado hops from Washington State, this beer lives up to its name behind a plethora of tart, citrusy notes and a stunning grove-like, lemon tree bouquet, providing a graceful yet in no way subtle one-two punch to the senses.
In addition to being incredibly flavorful and hopped in our typically heavy-handed way, Stone Delicious IPA is also fermented in a manner that breaks down and removes gluten, rendering gluten levels so significantly that the beer qualifies as a “gluten-reduced” ale per the FDA (U.S. Food and Drug Administration). It’s a nice bonus that will allow nearly everyone out there to enjoy our bold style of craft beer.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
How does Stone reduce the gluten levels in this beer?
We have colleagues at our longtime yeast supplier, White Labs to thank. It’s their enzyme, Clarity-Ferm, which makes Stone Delicious IPA possible. We start by brewing the beer exactly like we do every other beer at our brewery, using all-natural ingredients (barley, hops, water and yeast, exclusively) with dashes of creativity and heart plus a boatload of hops. When boiled wort (unfermented beer) is transferred to fermentation tanks where yeast is introduced to convert fermentable sugars to alcohol, we add Clarity-Ferm, which separates and eliminates the potentially inflammatory nature of the gluten protein chains.
Does Stone Delicious IPA contain gluten?
Though we’ve harnessed modern advances to significantly reduce the amount of gluten, traces of gluten remain in Stone Delicious IPA. However, the amount of gluten in this beer is far below the Codex threshold of less than 20 parts per million in total gluten for “gluten-free” products; so much so that its gluten levels are too low to be measurable by available testing methods. Furthermore, the brewing process for Stone Delicious IPA renders the beer free of barley epitopes (peptide sequences and reactive sites in gluten molecules triggering negative reactions in the small intestine).
How do you prevent cross-contamination by Stone beers containing gluten?
We take numerous, specific steps to ensure there is no cross-contamination in our brewing or packaging facilities. We carefully clean and sanitize every tank, pipeline, hose and piece of equipment that Stone Delicious IPA will touch, and conduct numerous tests at our brewing facility checking for gluten levels.
How is Stone Delicious IPA tested for gluten?
The gluten testing is conducted by White Labs using an ELISA assay, the R5 competitive Gliadin assay from R-Biopharm. Yes, that is a mouthful, so allow us to further explain. The ELISA assay quantifies the prolamins from the wheat, rye and barley using an antibody that recognizes the potentially inflammatory sequence QQPFP, which occurs repeatedly in the prolamin molecules. This is the only method of gluten testing for products containing alcohol that is approved by the federal government.
Where can I see test results?
Each bottle of Stone Delicious IPA has both an “enjoy-by date” printed on its bottlenecks and a “julian date” laser-engraved on the bottom of each bottle (click here for help finding date codes on a bottle). You can use either of these denotations to retrieve test results above.
Does Stone utilize any barley malt alternatives to brew this beer?
No. We do not replace the barley malt we use for our other beers with rice, quinoa, sorghum, buckwheat or any other grains.
If I find Stone Delicious IPA on tap, can I expect it to be at the same gluten levels as the bottled version?
Because the draft accounts where we distribute our kegged beer would have to basically have independent dedicated lines via which to serve Stone Delicious IPA—something that isn’t feasible for the majority of bars and restaurants—the beer will likely be served from lines that have previously served non-gluten-reduced beer. Therefore, we cannot guarantee that the gluten levels of the beer will be the same when served in such a manner. While the beer in the keg is the same as the beer in the bottles, there is always the chance that it could mix with previously served beers in the lines of the draft system and, thus, become intermingled with beer containing gluten. To be safe and ensure the health of those with greater gluten sensitivity, we similarly do not make the gluten-reduced claim for Stone Delicious IPA served from draft systems and growler fill stations at Stone-operated facilities. It is best to purchase Stone Delicious IPA in bottles if you are gluten sensitive.
