Is Guinness 0.0 gluten free?
By Simon ยท Updated 4 June 2026
No. Guinness 0.0 is the same barley based beer as regular Guinness with the alcohol removed. Removing the alcohol does not remove the gluten, so it is not safe for people with coeliac disease.
Guinness 0.0 is one of the most understandable gluten free mistakes there is, because two good ideas get tangled together for anyone managing coeliac disease. Alcohol free feels like the healthier, gentler choice, and gluten free is the thing coeliacs need, so it is easy to assume one comes with the other. It does not. Guinness 0.0 is not gluten free, and the reason is worth understanding.
How Guinness 0.0 is made
Guinness 0.0 starts life as ordinary Guinness. It is brewed with the same ingredients, barley malt and roasted barley included, and only at the end is the alcohol removed by cold filtration. That step pulls out the ethanol and leaves everything else behind, including the gluten that comes from the barley.
So the alcohol free version carries the same gluten as a normal pint of Guinness. The pack reflects this, with the same contains barley allergen declaration on both.
Alcohol free is not gluten free
This is the key point, and it applies far beyond Guinness. Alcohol and gluten are unrelated. Removing the alcohol from a beer does nothing to the gluten, and a great many alcohol free beers are still brewed from barley or wheat and are not safe for coeliacs.
The two only overlap by design. An alcohol free beer is safe for coeliacs only if it is also brewed without gluten grains, or treated to remove the gluten and tested below 20 parts per million. The label will say gluten free if that is the case. If it does not, treat the beer as containing gluten, no matter how low the alcohol is.
What to drink instead
If you want a dark, creamy, alcohol free beer that is also genuinely safe, the answer is one brewed gluten free from the start. A few from our directory worth trying:
- Big Drop Galactic Milk Stout, 0.5%. A dark, smooth, creamy stout and the natural alcohol free swap for Guinness 0.0.
- Big Drop Reef Point Craft Lager, 0.5%. A crisp alcohol free lager for when you want something lighter.
For more, see our guide to gluten free alcohol free beer, or browse the full beer directory.
Frequently asked questions
Is Guinness 0.0 gluten free?
No. Guinness 0.0 is brewed with the same barley malt and roasted barley as regular Guinness, then has the alcohol removed by cold filtration. That process takes out the alcohol only and has no effect on the gluten, so Guinness 0.0 contains the same gluten as standard Guinness and is not safe for coeliacs.
Does removing the alcohol remove the gluten?
No. This is one of the most common and most dangerous assumptions in gluten free beer. Alcohol and gluten are completely different things. Guinness 0.0 is made by brewing normal Guinness and then filtering out the alcohol. The gluten, which comes from the barley, stays exactly where it is.
Are alcohol free beers gluten free?
Not automatically. Alcohol free and gluten free are two separate things. Plenty of alcohol free beers are still brewed from barley or wheat and contain gluten. Some alcohol free beers are also gluten free, but only if they are brewed without gluten grains or treated to remove the gluten and tested below 20 parts per million. Always check, do not assume.
Is Guinness 0.0 safe for coeliacs?
No. It contains the same gluten as regular Guinness. Choosing the alcohol free version changes the alcohol content and nothing about the gluten, so it is not suitable for people with coeliac disease.
What alcohol free beer can coeliacs drink instead?
Big Drop's Galactic Milk Stout at 0.5% is the natural alcohol free swap for Guinness 0.0, a dark, creamy stout that is gluten free by design. For a lighter option, Big Drop's Reef Point Craft Lager is also alcohol free and gluten free.
How we checked
Some links to beers in our directory are affiliate links. They never change a verdict. Breweries do not pay to appear here. If something is wrong, tell me and I will fix it.