Cara Investigates: Gluten Free Beer Made from Barley?

It's true.  Sir Benjamin came across a 4-pack of bottles of Estrella Damm Daura from Barcelona at the local grocery, priced at $6.99, then "looseys" (I didn't realize this term applied to beers as well) for $1.79 at the local European market.  The only gluten free beer I'd tried up to that point was Redbridge, a sorghum-based domestic beer - it's not bad and not terribly difficult to find, but the taste is a little too light and sweet for me.

I was never a serious beer drinker, but the occasional Stella or Franziskaner Weissbier was always a welcome switch from wine, and I'm pretty sure I drank more beer than water in Germany and Austria, since it tends to be cheaper at restaurants.  If I want something carbonated, I'll usually stick to cider - Original Sin and Badger are two of my gluten free favorites, but they can be hard to find.  So imagine my surprise when Sir Benjamin excitedly showed me to the beer aisle, claiming to have found another gluten free beer!

Cara Investigates: The New 'No Gums!' Manifesto

Q:  Do you use xanthan or guar gums in your baking?

I do, and I have since I started baking gluten free.  Gluten is the protein composite in wheat, barley, and rye that provides many foods with their shape and elasticity. So logically, if we bake using flours that don't contain gluten, we need to find some substance to mimic the effect.  I've read countless disastrous accounts of g-f baking where someone forgot to add such a substance, and they were left with a giant pan of crumbs.

There are a few replacement options, the most popular of which has seemed to be gums: xanthan and guar. Gums are complex little carbohydrates that are naturally produced through fermentation, expressly for use as thickening and binding agents in food.  Most g-f baking mixes for breads, cakes, and muffins contain at least one type of gum, at a ratio of something like 1/4 - 1/2 teaspoon to one cup of g-f flour. I can personally attest to using xanthan gum in all my baked goods, with satisfying results.  An 8 oz. package will run you around $11, but mine has lasted for at least a year.

Sounds legit, right?  So what's this new NO GUMS baking trend circulating the internets?