Is Ginger Beer Gluten-free?

Find out if ginger beer is gluten-free and safe for your gluten-free diet. Plus discover what the difference is between ginger beer and ginger ale, and a list of gluten-free ginger beer brands to shop for.

Note: I am a proud Amazon, Chomps, MunkPack, and Thrive Market affiliate and am happy to recommend their service and products to you. Please know that as an affiliate, I may receive a small commission on the products you purchase after clicking through my links. For more info, please see my disclosure policy here.

Ginger beer is a classic cocktail mixer used for Dark ‘n’ Stormy drinks and Moscow Mules. This delicious beverage can be used in cocktails but some brands are equally delicious to be enjoyed on their own.

This spicy, sweet drink is full of ginger flavor and is carbonated to give you a refreshing drink that’s great all year round.

In this post, we’re going to dive into the topic of ginger beer and discuss how it fits in with a gluten-free diet. If you avoid gluten, you know it’s important to look at every food and drink with a careful eye before enjoying it to ensure you don’t feel sick later.

We’ll cover in this post what ginger beer is, what it’s made of, and the difference between ginger beer and ginger ale. We’ll also discuss if there’s alcohol in ginger beer, and if ginger beer is gluten-free.

Finally we’ll wrap this post up talking about how you can use ginger beer and a list of gluten-free ginger beer brands to shop for at the store.

If you love ginger beer, I hope you find this post helpful.

What is ginger beer?

Ginger beer is a non-alcoholic drink that’s made with ginger, water, and sugar. This mixture is then fermented with yeast, and later carbonated to make a spicy bubbly beverage that’s great for drinking on its own or adding to cocktails.

What is ginger beer made of?

Ginger beer is made with fresh ginger, water, sugar, and yeast. Later carbonated water is added to it to make a bubbly soda-like drink that’s spicy and refreshing.

What is the difference between ginger beer and ginger ale?

Ginger beer is fermented with yeast, similar to how beer is produced. It has a strong spicy flavor and usually uses real ginger. 

Ginger ale is a carbonated soft drink that uses ginger syrup, made from ginger and sugar, and carbonated water. This drink is less spicy and flavorful than ginger beer, but equally refreshing.

Does ginger beer have alcohol? Is ginger beer alcoholic?

Ginger beer may have traditionally been crafted to contain alcohol, but these days, the only similarity between ginger beer and beer with alcohol is the name.

Ginger beer is fermented, but never to the point of creating a high enough alcohol content for it to be considered an alcoholic beverage. This drink is more similar to a very flavorful soft drink than it is to real beer.

I only found two brands of ginger beer that have alcohol while doing my research for this post. You can find those listed below.

What is gluten?

Gluten is a protein found in most wheat products, and acts as the “glue” that helps to hold wheat, barley, kamut, spelt, farro, durum, bulgur, rye, and semolina together to maintain their shape. 

Gluten is naturally occurring, and therefore is impossible to strip away from the grain. If a grain naturally has gluten in it, there’s no way to make that food gluten-free.

Gluten can be found hiding in some products under names you may not recognize as gluten, such as malt, malted barley, or glucose syrup. Learn the names of hidden gluten so you can avoid them on your gluten-free diet.

Is ginger beer gluten-free?

Since ginger beer is made using ginger, sugar, water, yeast, and carbonated water, we can say with certainty that ginger beer is naturally gluten-free. If you follow a gluten-free diet, this is a safe beverage for you to enjoy.

Is ginger beer dairy-free?

Ginger beer does not contain any dairy products, and is therefore safe to drink on a dairy-free diet.

What is ginger beer used for?

You can enjoy ginger beer plain as a delicious drink on its own or added to other drinks and cocktails, as well. Ginger beer is great in Moscow mules and Dark and Story’s, and can add a little extra spice to margaritas, mojitos, or mint juleps.

Gluten-free Ginger Beer Brands

There are a number of ginger beer brands on the market today that are gluten-free. Here are some to look for next time you’re at the store looking for a delicious spicy drink to enjoy on its own or to add to your favorite cocktails.

• Barritt’s Original Ginger Beer and Sugar Free Ginger Beer
• Bundaberg Ginger Beer and Diet Ginger Beer
• Cock’n Bull (Original Ginger Beer, Diet Ginger Beer, Cherry Ginger Beer)
• Crabbie’s Ginger Beer (alcoholic)
• Fever-Tree Ginger Beer and Refreshingly Light Ginger Beer
• Fentimans Ginger Beer & Muddled Lime
• Old Jamaica Ginger Beer, Light Ginger Beer, Extra Fiery Zero Sugar
• Reed’s Ginger Beer, Zero Ginger Beer, Premium Ginger Beer
• Regatta Classic Bermuda Stone Ginger Beer and Light Ginger Beer
• Stoli Ginger Beer

Are my favorite brands of ginger beer gluten-free?

If you already have a favorite brand of ginger beer, you may be wondering if that brand is safe to continue enjoying while you’re also avoiding gluten. I’ve done research on some popular ginger beer brands to find out if they’re gluten-free.

Is Barritt’s ginger beer gluten-free?

According to the Barritt’s website, their ginger beer products are all gluten-free.

Is Brookvale ginger beer gluten-free?

The Brookvale Union website states that “We like to say that they are ‘gluten friendly’. Our Ginger Beers are made using the same equipment as beer (which does contain gluten), therefore we can’t pinky promise these are 100% gluten free. Whilst there may only be tiny trace amounts of gluten detected, we do advise to drink with caution if you are gluten intolerant.”

Is Bundaberg ginger beer gluten-free?

The Bundaberg website states: “Our products are gluten free and do not contain any barley, malt extract, wheat products or hops.”

Is Cock’n Bull ginger beer gluten-free?

This brand contains no gluten ingredients in their ginger beers and are considered safe for a gluten-free diet.

Is Crabbie’s ginger beer gluten-free?

Crabbie’s ginger beer is one of the few ginger beers I have found that contains alcohol. This brand is naturally gluten-free, according to their website.

Is Fever-Tree ginger beer gluten-free?

Though Fever-Tree doesn’t make any gluten-free claims for their ginger beer, the ingredients used in their products are all naturally gluten-free according to their website.

Is Gosling’s ginger beer gluten-free?

I wasn’t able to find information on whether this brand is gluten-free online, however if it is like other ginger beers, this is naturally gluten-free.

Is James Squire ginger beer gluten-free?

This brand makes no claims on whether their ginger beer is gluten-free, however like other ginger beers, we can assume it is naturally gluten-free.

Is San Pellegrino ginger beer gluten-free?

According to the San Pellegrino website, the ingredients in this brand of ginger beer are all naturally gluten-free. You can feel safe enjoying this on a gluten-free diet.

Is Saranac ginger beer gluten-free?

This company does not have a gluten statement on their website and I wasn’t able to confirm whether or not this brand is considered gluten-free. However, researching this brand, it looks as though they also produce beer. 

I’d assume that they use the same machinery and facility to produce both their beer and ginger beer. On a gluten-free diet, I’d probably avoid this brand if you are sensitive to gluten at the trace level amount.

If you enjoy ginger beer on its own or with your favorite cocktails, I hope this post has helped you get the answers you were looking for to decide to keep this ingredient in your diet.

There are many brands of ginger beer that are gluten-free to choose from, so look for some of the ones listed in this post for a refreshing drink or spicy cocktail!

If you loved this post, I hope that you’ll share it with your friends on Facebook and pin it for future reference on Pinterest.