I've been putting it off and I'm not sure why: Celiac Disease hits close to home. For as long as I can remember, my grandmother, a Celiac sufferer, has struggled to maintain a gluten-free diet. I've seen firsthand the hardship of trying to find wheat and gluten-free versions of foods that the rest of us take for granted.
So kudos to Anheuser-Busch for tackling this market by introducing Redbridge gluten-free beer in late 2006. Having the backing of one of the "big boys" means Redbridge is readily available by gluten-free standards. I even found it at a bar down the street from me (though admittedly I live in the oft progressive borough of Brooklyn).
So why the delay in reviewing this beer? Well, frankly, I feared of the flavor. To avoid wheat and barley, Redbridge is brewed with sorghum, which I think we can all agree, doesn't sound too enticing. And though I laud A-B for the offering, I was afraid this love-in would come to a quick end as soon as the beverage met my taste buds.
But for the second year in a row, Redbridge took gold at the Great American Beer Festival in the Gluten-Free Beer category. Granted, only 10 beers competed, but I still thought it time to do grandma proud and give it a try.
After the jump, read my review of the surprisingly satisfactory Redbridge gluten-free beer...
