Is Michelob Ultra Gluten-free?

Find out if Michelob Ultra is gluten-free, if it’s safe for a gluten-free diet, and what you need to know about gluten-free beer.

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If you love to grab a beer at the end of a long day or while at a get-together with friends or family, you may have enjoyed a Michelob Ultra in your time.

This brand is known for being lighter on the calories and carbs than many other brands available on the market. Whether you usually go for the original variety or one of their options, you may have wondered if you’re just getting started on a gluten-free diet if you can continue to drink this brand of beer.

If you follow a gluten-free diet, you know that every food and ingredient that goes into your body needs to be looked at with a careful eye. That includes all types of alcohol too.

That’s why we’re going to talk about a popular alcoholic drink in depth in this post: Michelob Ultra. Find out what Michelob Ultra is made from, if beer is gluten-free, if Michelob Ultra brand of beer is gluten-free, and get some gluten-free beer options.

This post is part of the Gluten-free Alcohol Series, where we’re going to discuss different types of alcoholic drinks and how they fit into a gluten-free diet.

If you’ve wondered if this popular beer brand is gluten-free, you’re in the right place!

What is Michelob Ultra?

Michelob Ultra is considered a light beer as it is said to contain less calories and carbs than other beers on the market. According to their website, Michelob Ultra contains about 95 calories and 2.6 carbs per serving.

You can find Michelob Ultra at many restaurants, bars, grocery stores, and liquor stores.

Who makes Michelob Ultra?

Michelob Ultra is made by Anheuser-Busch, the same manufacturer as Budweiser, Bud Light, Stella Artois, and many others.

This company has also bought many craft breweries over the years and sell these as well, including Elysian Brewing, Square Mile Cider, and Red Hook.

What is Michelob Ultra made from?

While it’s impossible to know all the ingredients that go into any alcoholic beverage due to the fact that the FDA doesn’t require any ingredient labeling, Michelob Ultra does share (at least some of) their ingredients online.

They say their beer is made from water, rice, barley, malt, and hops.

What varieties does Michelob Ultra come in?

You can buy a few different variations of Michelob Ultra, including their hard seltzer line. They sell beers and hard seltzers. Here’s a quick look at their current product lineup:

Michelob Ultra
Michelob Ultra Pure Gold
Michelob Ultra Infusions
Michelob Ultra Amber MAX
Michelob Ultra Organic Seltzer Classic
Michelob Ultra Organic Seltzer Coconut Water
Michelob Ultra Organic Seltzer Signature

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.

You can find gluten in whole grains, but also in many processed foods as well. If you purchase wheat bread, there will be gluten in it, because wheat by nature has gluten.

Many processed foods have hidden gluten in them in the form of gluten or wheat derivatives. These are used as flavorings, binders to keep ingredients together, or other additives.

Is beer gluten-free?

No, most beer is not gluten-free. It’s most commonly made with malted barley – and sometimes with wheat.

Both barley and wheat are gluten-containing grains, making them not safe for a gluten-free diet.

In the process of making beer, the gluten remains in the drink, as opposed to distilled drinks, such as whiskey that uses malted barley but the gluten is distilled out of the final product.

Not all beer contains gluten though. Luckily, there are gluten-free beers available and on the market.

You can look for bottles and brands with a gluten-free label to know for sure that they are safe for you to enjoy.

According to the FDA, in order to have a gluten-free label on a product, the product has to contain less than 20 ppm in one serving.

Read on: Does beer have gluten?

Michelob Ultra beers are not gluten-free as they contain barley malt. Barley is a gluten-containing grain that cannot be removed entirely from the final product during manufacturing.

If you’re looking for a gluten-free beer you will want to find a different product and brand that works for your gluten-free diet.

Read on: Is Busch Light gluten-free?

Gluten-free Beer Options

Even though Michelob Ultra beer is not gluten-free, there are plenty of other brands that do offer gluten-free beer.

If you’re looking for a brand that works for you and your gluten-free diet, be sure to check out this post with a full list of 49 beer brands that are either naturally gluten-free or gluten removed: Gluten-free Beer List

I’ll even tell you the difference between the two and what you need to know about choosing a gluten-free beer.

Is Michelob Ultra hard seltzer gluten-free?

According to the Michelob website, they say “Yes! Our seltzers are all gluten-free.”

You can feel comfortable purchasing and enjoying this brand of hard seltzer on a gluten-free diet. In fact, here’s a list of their current hard seltzer flavors you can look for and enjoy while still avoiding gluten.

Grapefruit Melon
Mango Apricot
Black Cherry
Blueberry Watermelon
Strawberry Guava
Watermelon Strawberry
Spicy Pineapple
Cucumber Lime
Citrus
Mixed Berry
Kiwi Lime
Berry Hibiscus

Read on: Is hard seltzer gluten-free?

I hope this information about Michelob Ultra has been helpful for you to make an informed decision about what beer to choose next time you’re at a restaurant, bar, or even the liquor store.

While this beer is not gluten-free, there are plenty of other options and brands that are available for folks like us to enjoy while sticking with a gluten-free diet.

Michelob Ultra hard seltzers are safe for folks on a gluten-free diet, so keep that in mind if you’re brand loyal and looking for another product by this brand.

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