Glossary
Gluten-free beer
A labelling term for beer at or below a defined gluten threshold — commonly 20 parts per million — which is distinct from beer brewed without gluten-containing grain.
Also called gluten free, gluten reduced.
Legal. Fixed in law, and only in the places named. It may differ elsewhere and change over time. Defined by National food labelling authorities. As recorded here it applies in United Kingdom and European Union.
Two quite different products share shelf space. Beer brewed from naturally gluten-free grain such as sorghum, millet, buckwheat or rice contains no gluten to begin with. Beer brewed from barley and then treated with a prolyl endopeptidase enzyme has had its gluten broken down, and is described in some jurisdictions as gluten-reduced rather than gluten-free precisely because the standard test methods are not fully reliable on hydrolysed gluten fragments.
The distinction is not pedantry: the regulatory treatment differs by country, and the two categories are not interchangeable for someone who must avoid gluten.
BeerHQ records the labelling categories and the production methods. It gives no dietary or medical guidance, and anyone avoiding gluten for medical reasons should rely on the product labelling and on clinical advice rather than on a beer reference.
Commonly misunderstood
"Gluten-free" and "gluten-reduced" describe different products with different regulatory treatment, and are frequently used interchangeably.
Related
- Adjunct — The alternative grains involved.
More vocabulary
Abbey beer · Alcohol-free · Beer duty · Low-alcohol · Reinheitsgebot · Trappist beer
See every term on the glossary index.
Last reviewed 2026-08-16.
Evidence
What BeerHQ knows about this, and how. Every statement carries the state of the evidence behind it rather than being presented flatly as fact.
The "gluten-free" descriptor is commonly tied to a threshold of 20 parts per million, though the treatment of beer brewed from barley and then enzyme-treated differs between jurisdictions.
Backed by a source Applies in United Kingdom and European Union. Last checked 2026-08-16.
Source: Regulation (EU) No 1169/2011 on food information to consumers
Beer brewed from naturally gluten-free grain and beer brewed from barley then treated with a prolyl endopeptidase are regulated differently in several jurisdictions, because standard test methods are not fully reliable on hydrolysed gluten fragments.
Backed by a source Applies in United States and European Union. Last checked 2026-08-16.
Sources: TTB malt beverage labeling regulations; Regulation (EU) No 1169/2011 on food information to consumers