Which is the best Australian gluten free beer?
Taste is such a subjective thing it can be a tough job working out which is your favourite beer. It depends on the situation, your mood, even the weather, which is why we brew such a wide variety of beer styles to suit every occasion. But when it comes to beer quality and deciding on “the best”, we like to leave it in the experts’ hands and taste buds.
At the 2023 Australian Independent Beer Awards, the judges awarded the brewers at TWØBAYS the highest accolade and removed any doubt – TWØBAYS Session Ale was awarded the trophy for Champion Specialty Beer – not just the best gluten free beer, but the best beer in the Specialty Beer category full stop!
The Specialty Beer category had more gold medal winning beers than any other category (22 in total), including barley beers as well as gluten free, which are then tasted in multiple elimination rounds where the judges have to decide which of these beers is the best of all. This is the first time a Champion Beer Trophy has ever been awarded to a gluten free beer at a major Australian beer awards which makes the award extra special, and is a testament to the quality of beer the TWØBAYS brewing team are crafting. It also shows that gluten free beers can be just as good, or in this case, even better than barley beers.
TWØBAYS Session Ale is a mid-strength beer made with millet, rice and buckwheat malts (all naturally gluten free grains), and a hop forward flavour profile. The aroma hits your senses the second you open the can or start pouring from the tap, preparing your taste buds for the taste that is about to come.
TWØBAYS Founder and CEO, Richard Jeffares commented, “Last week was pretty special for me and the TWØBAYS Brewing Co team! We have always tried to brew the best beer we can, but using gluten free malts means we have some significant challenges compared to barley malt. Our incredible brew team works so hard to make sure that there is no compromise in a gluten free beer - and this award proves that they have achieved that.”
Among the other Gold medal winning beers in the category, TWØBAYS Pulp Fusion Passionfruit Sour also backed up its AIBA gold medal credentials with its first Indies Gold. This follows on from the Australian International Beer Awards earlier this year where Pale Ale and GFB Draught both got top honours – totalling 4 gold medals for the TWØBAYS range this year. Bringing the TWØBAYS collection up to 52 medals and 1 Champion Specialty Beer Trophy, in under 5 years.
So yes, picking “the best” is a tough job, but we hope you have a good time exploring the range and finding your personal favourites!
Use our gluten free beer finder page to find your local venue or bottle shop stocking some of the best Australian gluten free beers available.
