Redbridge

Some people, unfortunately, can’t drink beer. At least not beer made from barley or wheat. That’s because they suffer from a disease called Celiac, which impairs their ability to process glutens in the small intestine. Glutens are components of most cereal grains, including those generally used to make beer. And the intake of glutens for those who suffer from this disease can cause all kinds of health problems.

But there is a ray of hope for Celiac sufferers: they can drink beer made from sorghum, which is a gluten-free grain. What is sorghum? I’ll quote the following from Wikipedia:

Sorghum is a grass of East African origin, a drought-resistant, heat-tolerant member of the grass family. Sorghum is used for food, fodder, and the production of alcoholic beverages. It is drought tolerant and heat tolerant and is especially important in arid regions. It is an important food crop in Africa, Central America, and South Asia, and is the "fifth most important cereal crop grown in the world" [1]. African slaves introduced sorghum into the U.S. in the early 17th century.

In late 2006, Anheuser-Busch, makers of Budweiser and Michelob, introduced Redbridge Beer, the first widely available beer made from Sorghum in the United States. Luckily, sorghum will yield up fermentable sugars just like barley or wheat. That means you can ferment with it, giving your sorghum beer alcohol and carbonation.

Yeast will still throw off some characteristics of fruit or other flavors, which will make your sorghum beer taste like any other beer, too. And throw in a dash of hops, or more preferably, and you’re getting beerier all the time. That said, let’s give Redbridge beer a whirl, shall we?

Redbridge Beer pours to a light golden reddish color with a thin creamy head and a soft fruity nose. Sipping the beer I get a surprising bit of depth in the body, more than I expected at any rate. Fortunately, you can toast sorghum just as well as you can barley, and I do get a bit of toasted grain flavor here. There is a pasty, floury grain character too not unlike wheat can impart. This intensifies a bit in the finish. A bit of fruit pokes through too, and a little buttery diacetyl. And in the finish? Surprise! A bit of hop bitterness, and a touch of floral character.

Overall? Not bad! Redbridge has more flavor than any Megabrew on the market. Certainly can tell the difference between this and a beer brewed with barley. But for people who can’t drink beer made with barley, this is a godsend, and I think AB is to be applauded for offering it up. 

And remember, try a new beer today, and drink outside the box.



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