The Gluten Reduced Beer Enzyme

Brewers have discovered a new gluten reducing beer enzyme that is making waves in the brewing industry. It has multiple benefits, and one of them is the unexpected advantage of reducing gluten in beer, which may broaden the options for millions of people in the world with a gluten sensitivity.

Brewer’s Clarex

The name of this enzyme is Brewer’s Clarex. If you’re wondering about the name, the original purpose of this enzyme was to clarify beer. A company called DSM formulated this enzyme in a lab and patented its use. The liquid result includes a fungal endopeptidase enzyme taken from the fungus Aspergillus niger, which breaks down the prolin specific (gluten) protein wherever it finds it.

Reduce Chill Haze

Originally, Brewer’s Clarex was designed by DSM to speed up the brewing process. Typically, two of the longer phases of brewing include cooling down and clarifying or filtering beer. The gluten protein in beer contributes a tremendous amount of haze to beer, so the lab technicians discovered that an enzyme that would isolate and break down this protein would clarify beer more quickly and get the product on the shelves for customers to enjoy.

Help to Make Gluten Reduced Beer

What they realized along the way is that when Brewer’s Clarex breaks down this protein, it is also creating a beer that has a greatly reduced gluten content. In a world where an increasing number of people associate health with a gluten free or gluten reduced diet, Brewer’s Clarex is a hero.

Furthermore, the patented enzyme is easy to use. In liquid form, brewers can simply add a precise amount to their brew right at the start of fermentation so that the enzyme can get right to work. Throughout the process, Brewer’s Clarex will reduce, on average, more than 90% of the gluten in the beer. The nice thing about this enzyme is that it only reduced gluten and leaves all the other flavors and aromas tied to the proteins in barley, wheat, and other traditional flavors. Most gluten free beers cannot make this same claim.

Celiac Disease Vs. Gluten Sensitivity

It is essential to understand in this process that Brewer’s Clarex does not eliminate all gluten, so it is not safe for people with Celiac Disease. Celiac is a disease that can make a person extremely ill and even bring about death when gluten is introduced to the body. The immune system simply cannot tolerate the protein. People will Celiac must avoid all gluten in their diet, including the small amounts that are found in beer after Brewer’s Clarex is used.

At the same time, true Celiac is a rare disease. Most people who abstain from eating gluten do so for their own personal reasons or because they have a slight gluten sensitivity. For example, they may notice a skin outbreak or slight stomach upset after consuming a lot of gluten, which may or may not actually be tied to the gluten.

People who fall into this latter category often do consume small amounts of gluten, and it is those people for whom gluten reduced beer would be ideal. They can still enjoy a delicious beer that tastes like other beer made with traditional cereal grains but with a fraction of the gluten protein content.

How to Make Gluten Free Beer

For those with true Celiac, however, it is better to brew entirely gluten free beer, which is made with alternative grains that have zero gluten. Rice, quinoa, and buckwheat are the most commonly used grains in gluten free beer. Then the beer can be brewed in the traditional manner, with the grains toasted and cracked, boiled, and cooled. The one thing to watch for when making gluten free beer is that no barley malt is added, including liquid barley malt extract or dried barley malt extract, both of which will contain gluten. Though these two ingredients are often used to start fermentation or to condition beer, brewers making completely gluten free beer will have to take another avenue.

Of course, any new venture will require plenty of experimentation, so if you are a brewer hoping to corner the market on gluten reduced and gluten free beer in your area, it will pay to make your own conditioning sugar-yeast combination. It will also make sense to brew your beer from scratch and only use whole ingredients you can stand by for your loyal customers.

After all, it is our customers who keep us thriving.

Cheers!

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Sources:

1. https://bestglutenfreebeers.com/the-gluten-eating-enzyme-thats-revolutionizing-gluten-free-beer/
2. https://www.dsm.com/food-beverage/en_US/ingredients/beverages-and-brewing/brewing/brewers-clarex.html
3. https://bsgcraftbrewing.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/0417143-DFS-Brewers-Clarex-Gluten-reduced-leaflet_A4_UK_DIGITAL.pdf

 
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