Heineken is one of the most popular lager beers worldwide. Some people say it tests under 20 ppm of gluten and may be safe to drink, but if you’re gluten-free, should you risk it? Let’s look at the facts, you may be surprised. Is Heineken gluten-free?
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Quick Answer:
No, Heineken is not gluten-free.
Heineken is brewed with barley malt, which contains gluten. Barley is one of the three gluten grains (along with wheat and rye) that people with celiac disease must avoid completely.
Heineken’s official statement on gluten is vague and NOT backed by testing. They claim:
“Brewing beer with barley only leaves traces of gluten,” and,
“The blonder the beer is, the less gluten it contains.”
These statements are problematic for a few reasons:
- They offer no proof or test results to support these claims.
- Heineken does not label or certify their beer as gluten-free.
- They do not test for gluten using a reliable method.
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If you need to avoid gluten for medical reasons, this is not a product you should trust.
Heineken Ingredients:
- Water
- Barley Malt
- Hops
- Natural Flavoring
When you look at Heineken’s ingredients, barley malt should stand out as a red flag. Barley is one of the three forms of gluten that is unsafe for those with Celiac Disease. Gluten that is not safe comes from wheat, barley, and rye.
Testing In Fermented Drinks:
Testing beer for gluten content is inaccurate. This is due to the fermentation process itself. Here are the facts from a leading testing company quote. R-BioPharm regularly tests foods for allergens, contaminants, and more.
Testing beer for gluten content is a challenge for many breweries. The worldwide accepted and officially recommended test method for gluten in food is a sandwich ELISA based on the R5 antibody. However, there is a problem when testing beer: Fermentation breaks down gluten to peptide fragments. Since at least two epitopes are necessary for a sandwich ELISA, these single peptide sequences cannot be reliably detected, potentially resulting in false negatives.”
R-BioPharm, (https://food.r-biopharm.com/news/gluten-free-beer-a-practical-guide-for-your-brewery/)
If you can’t accurately test beer for gluten, why do many claim that some beer brands test under 20 ppm and are gluten-free? I include those “gluten-removed” beers in my question. How are those beers tested? They are all using the ELISA testing guidelines to claim their beer may be gluten-free, but ELISA standards give a lot of false negatives.
If you have Celiac Disease, I encourage you to pass on Heineken beer. If you have gluten sensitivity or intolerance, it is your choice whether to consume a beer made with barley.
Awesome Gluten-Free Beers To Try:
- Ground Breaker
- Bards
- Redbridge
- Glutenberg
- Ghostfish
- Stone
- New Planet
Check out my research to see Is Corona Gluten-Free and Is Smirnoff Ice Gluten-Free?
⚠️ Always double-check product labels and manufacturing practices, since brands can change ingredients or processing methods without warning.
As an fyi, Duckfoot is gluten-reduced, not gluten free. I have celiac (as does the founder of Duckfoot), and have never had an issue, but they are only reduced.
Thank you so much for letting me know. I didn’t realize this so I removed it from the list.