MdV: Merchant du Vin beer e-newsletter – Tuesday July 10,
2007: Gluten-Free Beer
We’re very pleased to announce a
fine new addition to our beer portfolio, Green’s, the only Gluten-Free Belgian
Ales available in the
http://www.merchantduvin.com/greens_intro_6_7_07.pdf
Media coverage of Merchant du Vin’s fine
beer portfolio continues to grow: Samuel Smith’s Nut Brown Ale and Lindemans
Framboise were on NBC’s “The Today Show” on July 4; Modern Brewery Age ranked
Zatec Bright Lager as the top choice of their tasting on June 25, then Ayinger
Brau-Weisse was the favorite a week later, on July 2; Samuel Smith’s Imperial
Stout is in Cigar Aficionado. Plus, beer
festivals, dinners, and events are offering beer lovers all across America more
chances to discover and enjoy great beer.
Full national news & MdV event
listing at:
http://www.merchantduvin.com/pages/1_about/news.html
Beer Chat from the
The delightful, fulfilling, amazing way
we refuel our bodies is worth a moment of reflection: food and drink are
certainly one of the pleasures of life.
What if we refueled the way some
animals do, eating the same thing for every meal? What if we all ate some kind of nutritionally
complete porridge every day for breakfast, lunch and dinner? It would be sort of like filling the gas tank
of your car - yikes!
In reality, we have such a wide
variety of flavors, textures, colors, aromas and pairings that eating and
drinking can offer a lifetime of enjoyment.
And who knows? No matter what
your age, tomorrow may be the day that you discover the best salad dressing . .
. or baby back ribs . . . or potato soup . . . or glass of beer . . . that you
have ever had.
But the marvelous diversity of food
and drink is limited for some people, those who suffer from food allergies or
from food intolerances. Some kinds of
food – for example, nuts, or dairy, or food containing gluten – can make these
folks sick. The only treatment: avoid
those foods.
Gluten (or more completely, the
combination of proteins gliadin and glutenin) is found in wheat, barley and
rye. Gluten helps make bread dough very
elastic, so yeast can make it rise, and gluten gives bread a characteristic
chewiness. As a component of barley and
wheat, gluten is in beer, as well.
Gluten intolerance, also called celiac disease, is a disorder of the
small intestine: folks who have celiac
disease will suffer a disruption to the function of their small intestine if
they eat foods containing gluten. They
will not get the nutrients they need out of their food, and may experience a
range of other health issues.
When people discover they have
celiac disease, some of the wonderful diversity of food & drink is no
longer available to them. To some, beer is
one of the items they miss most - until recently there were no commercially
available beers in the
But with the introduction of Green’s
beers, brewed at DeProef Brewery in
Discovery Amber Ale is
medium-bodied, with subtle caramel and nut flavor nuances; 6.0% ABV.
Endeavor Dubbel Ale has a hint of
dark-sugar flavor and a very Belgian bouquet; 7.0% ABV.
Quest Tripel, fairly light-bodied
for its strength, has a spice/herb nose & long finish. 8.5% ABV.
We are working to get Green’s out to
beer retailers, but it will appear in different markets on differing timelines. If your local bar or store doesn’t have Green’s,
they can find their local distributor on our web page. If you still can’t find it, please let us help: beercourtjester@mdvbeer.com
If you have other questions about
celiac disease, you may find helpful information at the Gluten Intolerance
Group’s website: http://www.gluten.net/ .
Also, the NIH (US Health and Human Sevices) has launched a campaign to
increase awareness about celiac disease: http://www.celiac.nih.gov/
(One other quick note: because
“gluten-free” can be considered a “health claim,” current
If you are reading this newsletter
for the first time, check our archive at:
http://www.merchantduvin.com/pages/1_about/enews_archive.html/
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http://www.merchantduvin.com/pages/1_about/guestbook.html
Merchant