Festive Drinks and they’re (gasp!) gluten free!
You all know I adore beer. The way it tastes, the bottles, the way it smells, for me it’s the ultimate comfort food. I have fond memories of helping my dad make his own beers at home when I was a little girl, and of my parents always sipping on some exotic brew. But beer is chock full of gluten, so what’s a brew loving gal to do?
Hit the cider shelves of course! What’s more festive than a delicious cold cider on a cool fall day? Perhaps pumpkins and Day of the Dead Skulls, but I digress.
I’ve tried three ciders lately all with different flavors…
The Harpoon is a delicious classic apple cider. I love the Original Sin (even comes in a witty snake skin printed label) because of its dryness and tartness. This one is a little sweeter and is just what you’d think of when a vision of hard cider comes to mind. Delicious! Harpoon also has a pumpkin cider recommended to me by a reader. I’m hoping to track some of this stuff down in my area soon!
The Woodchuck Pear Cider is delicious! It’s a little sweeter than the Harpoon but has a great pearilicious flavor that’s both noteworthy and memorable.
The ACE pumpkin cider is the sweetest of them all—like a dessert in a bottle! I’m hoping to get some coconut ice cream and make a float! But it’s a little too sweet for me to just drink on down like the other two. It’s flavorful and festive, but great for special occasions and after dinner delights, not on the regular unless you have a serious sweet tooth!
These drinks are lovely and make me feel great! I’ve noticed that beer doesn’t affect my stomach in the same way that refined gluten in the form of breads, pastas, etc. does, but I still like to cut back when I can. And when it’s this delicious, why not, I ask you, why not?
What are your favorite fall drinks?
Bisous!
Rachel
I love pumpkin beers, but I don’t like them too sweet. The Woodchuck stuff can be good, though. I usually stick to basic IPAs year-round, with a couple seasonal things thrown in but for super festive drinks, I really enjoy liquor – bourbon and apple cider, anything with whiskey, hot toddies, etc. I really want to make mulled wine come winter! Is there gluten in liquor??
Hmmm. that’s a tough one! I’m pretty sure that there is not, but you never know!
I love ciders. I like to mix them half and half with different ales. I too like pumpkin ales. Maybe I’ll try mixing cider with a pumpkin beer. Are you completely gluten free?
I’m not completely gluten free, but I like to limit it as I’ve noticed that certain forms of gluten are hard for me to digest. I love beers, so that’s been one of the areas that was hardest for me at first. Drinking cider makes me feel energetic with out that post gluten slump I often find myself in!