We now have gluten removed beer for purchase!

Gluten Removed Pomona Queen® and Shameless McDale™ available on tap, and 
Gluten Removed ​Pomona Queen®, Runway IPA™ and Winter Haze™ available in bottles and cans!

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How does it work?

Gluten removed beer is brewed with traditional ingredients such as barley, wheat and rye, which all contain gluten. To remove that gluten, an enzyme, Clarity Ferm, is added to the standard fermentation process and it significantly reduces the gluten-containing proteins.

Gluten-reduced beers are technically called “crafted to remove gluten” and need to adhere to FDA standards. To obtain a “crafted to remove gluten” label the FDA requires that the beers must undergo laboratory testing confirming the beer contains less than 20 ppm (parts per million) of gluten. In practice, we have fine-tuned the process so that gluten levels are usually below levels that can be detected.

​The method we use here at Last Name Brewing to detect and quantify gluten is the industry-supported R5 Competitive ELISA. This method has been recognized by the American Society of Brewing Chemists (ASBC), American Association of Cereal Chemists (AACC), the Codex Commission and the American Association of Analytical Communities (AOAC) as a reliable gluten-detection method.

​We test the reduction of gluten in the finished product by sending a sample of each batch to White Labs in San Diego and their staff of certified biochemists, using the R5 Competitive ELISA method, verify that we have met the less than 20 ppm of gluten threshold. To date, every batch of our gluten removed beer has measured at levels less than 20ppm. Although there is scientific evidence supporting this testing, the evidence is not conclusive.

F.A.Q.

​What is the < 20 parts per million criteria?

The FDA established that a gluten limit of less than 20 parts per million (ppm) is required for foods that carry the label “gluten-free,” “no gluten,” “free of gluten,” or “without gluten.” This level is the lowest that can be reliably detected in foods using scientifically validated analytical methods. Find out more here!

How does the enzyme work?

If a brewer chooses to make a beer with wheat, barley, or rye, then they can use an enzyme called Clarity Ferm to break down gluten proteins. The enzyme does NOT remove the gluten from the beer, but breaks down the chain of amino acids that form the gluten protein into smaller pieces that are too small for your body to detect as gluten. Proteins such as gluten are comprised of amino acids. The enzyme that we use breaks gluten apart into harmless peptides that are undetectable by the body.
Clarity Ferm is an enzyme that was originally developed to prevent haze in beer, but researchers have since found that it possesses a secret power. The power to neutralize gluten in beer, rendering it safe to drink for many gluten sensitive individuals.
The Clarity Ferm enzyme is simply added in a small dose of liquid at the start of the regular beer fermentation process so that it can consistently degrade the gluten from the beer. No significant changes to the brewing process or equipment are required. Clarity Ferm allows brewers to easily produce gluten-reduced beer while still being able to determine their favorite recipe and brew great tasting beer. It can be used with all types of malts and other raw materials.
No matter where you fall on the gluten-free or gluten-reduced spectrum, there is promising news: more and more breweries are seeing the opportunity that these beers present. As more people begin to ask about what’s in their beer, breweries are adapting and making tasty beer with this market in mind. For you, this means more choices will be available for you to drink gluten-free or gluten-reduced beers.

Where can I see test results?

All test results from White Labs are available at any time for our customers to review. Simply visit the LNB tap room and ask for the gluten removed test results binder. All result sheets are filed by beer type and batch number.

how do you prevent cross-contamination?

We take numerous, specific steps to ensure there is no cross-contamination in our brewing or packaging of the beer. However, because of the large amounts of gluten containing grains in our facility we cannot guarantee there was not cross-contamination.

​are the gluten removed beers gluten free?

Our gluten removed beers are brewed just like other great craft beers, with malted barley, hops, water, and yeast but are crafted to remove gluten. To date, every batch of our gluten removed beer has measured at levels less than 20ppm. Although there is scientific evidence supporting this testing, the evidence is not conclusive and our beer can not be considered gluten free.

GOVERNMENT DISCLAIMER: OUR BEER IS FERMENTED FROM BARLEY, A GRAIN CONTAINING GLUTEN, AND CRAFTED TO REMOVE GLUTEN. THE GLUTEN CONTENT OF THIS BEER CANNOT BE VERIFIED, AND THIS BEER MAY CONTAIN GLUTEN.