The Best Gluten Free Lagers in the UK (Tested and Rated)

Three GF lagers worth naming first. Daura Damm is the global benchmark. It tests under 3 ppm batch by batch and sits in every major UK supermarket. Birmingham Brewing Company’s Stirchley Lager is a well-certified craft pick: every beer in the range is enzyme-treated to below 20 ppm and independently lab certified. Bellfield Bohemian Pilsner is the strongest UK craft choice: independently certified, brewed in Edinburgh, built like a proper pilsner rather than a gluten free version of one.

The rest of this guide is the longer answer. Supermarket vs craft. Gluten free vs gluten reduced. Where to buy. No brewery PR, no sympathy framing. Gluten free beer is good beer.

Gluten free vs gluten reduced: what coeliac drinkers need to know

UK and EU regulation 828/2014 sets one number. A beer can only be labelled “gluten free” in the UK if it tests under 20 ppm of residual gluten. Two routes get a lager there.

Naturally gluten free lagers are brewed from grains that contain no gluten in the first place: rice, sorghum, millet, buckwheat. There is nothing to remove. Gluten removed lagers start from barley or wheat, then use an enzyme (typically Clarex/AN-PEP) to break the gluten protein chains apart until the finished beer tests below 20 ppm.

Both can legally use the gluten free label. A few practical points before you read the rest:

• Gluten removed barley beers must still print “contains barley” on the label, because the allergen is technically still in there in shorter fragments.
• Coeliac UK considers any product under 20 ppm suitable for a gluten free diet. A small minority of highly sensitive coeliacs report reactions to enzyme treated beers anyway and may want to stick to naturally gluten free options.
• The strongest independent certification marks in the UK are the Coeliac UK crossed grain logo and the AOECS European crossed grain symbol. Look for a named certifying body before relying on a “<20ppm” claim alone.

Almost every gluten free lager on a UK supermarket shelf is a gluten removed barley beer. That covers Peroni, Daura Damm, Stella Artois GF, San Miguel GF and Skinny Lager. Naturally gluten free lagers exist (Green’s Dry Hopped Lager is one) but they are rare on the shelf.

The best gluten free lagers in the UK: our picks

Five lagers we would buy first.

Daura Damm (5.4% ABV)

Brewed by Damm in Barcelona since 2006 and distributed in over fifty countries. Daura is the most thoroughly tested gluten removed lager in mainstream UK distribution. Each batch is certified by CSIC, the Spanish National Research Council, and tests consistently under 3 ppm, well below the 20 ppm legal cap. The taste is what you would expect from a serious Spanish lager: clean, malt led, crisp finish. Available at Tesco, Sainsbury’s, Asda, Morrisons, Waitrose and Ocado in 4x330ml packs, usually around £6.

Birmingham Brewing Company Stirchley Lager (4.4% ABV)

Birmingham Brewing is the only UK brewery we know of where every single beer in the range is gluten free. Each batch is lab-certified to under 20 ppm. Stirchley Lager itself is a modern British lager, 4.4% ABV, with hints of lime and pine. Buy direct from birminghambrewingcompany.co.uk (UK wide delivery), or browse the Birmingham Brewing listing in the directory.

Bellfield Bohemian Pilsner (4.5% ABV)

Brewed in Abbeyhill, Edinburgh and independently certification tested. The 4.5% ABV puts it in proper pilsner territory rather than the lower strength session bracket some GF lagers settle for. It drinks like a Bohemian style pilsner should: bready malt, soft bitterness, dry finish. See the Bellfield Bohemian Pilsner listing or the full Bellfield range in the directory.

Williams Bros Che Guava (3.4% ABV)

A Scottish craft brewery’s lateral take on lager. Williams Bros produce a dedicated gluten free sub-range, with processes audited on behalf of Coeliac UK. Che Guava is the radical option: guava brut, tropical fruit character, dry finish. Not a session lager and not pretending to be a copy of one. £1.95 a 500ml can direct from the brewery, or pick it up at Morrisons and selected Sainsbury’s stores.

Bristol Beer Factory Infinity (4.6% ABV)

A Helles style lager from a well regarded Bristol brewery. Independently certified gluten free, 4.6% ABV. The Helles end of the lager spectrum delivers more body and bready character than a typical light pilsner, which is what most people missing a proper pint actually want. See the Bristol Beer Factory Infinity listing.

Best supermarket gluten free lager

The UK supermarket gluten free lager aisle is dominated by four or five brands. All gluten removed. None naturally gluten free.

Peroni Nastro Azzurro Gluten Free (5.1% ABV) is brewed by Peroni in Italy from a barley recipe, enzyme treated at the end of the brewing process and tests under 10 ppm. Endorsed by the Italian Coeliac Association. Stocked widely at Tesco, Sainsbury’s, Asda and Ocado, usually around £6.50 for a 4x330ml pack.

Stella Artois Gluten Free is the only mainstream supermarket lager carrying Coeliac UK certification rather than an endorsement or self-claim. Stocked at Tesco, Sainsbury’s, Asda, Waitrose and Morrisons in 4x330ml packs. Pick up the explicitly labelled Gluten Free version, not standard Stella.

San Miguel Especial Gluten Free (5.4% ABV) tests under 10 ppm and is labelled gluten free under UK and EU law. Big four supermarket shelf presence is patchier than Peroni or Daura Damm, but specialist online retailers stock it reliably.

Skinny Lager (3.4% ABV, 76 calories per bottle) is the UK brewed mainstream option. Coeliac Society certified, lab tested under 10 ppm. Stocked by Tesco as a 12-pack at around £15.75.

Honest trade-off: all four are enzyme treated barley beers tested below their respective lab thresholds. Safe for most coeliacs. If you want certainty further below the 20 ppm legal floor, Daura Damm (under 3 ppm) and Stella Artois GF (Coeliac UK certified) are the strongest supermarket picks.

Best craft gluten free lager

The UK craft gluten free lager scene is small but credible. A handful of breweries make it their entire output. Others run a gluten free range alongside conventional beer.

Birmingham Brewing Company is the standout. Every beer is gluten free, every batch tested under 20 ppm, the brewery is powered by 100% renewable energy, and direct delivery covers all UK postcodes. Stirchley Lager (4.4%) is the lager pick.

Bellfield Brewery in Edinburgh runs a full gluten reduced range. Ace Lager (3.2%), Bohemian Pilsner (4.5%) and Craft Lager (5.2%) all carry independent certification testing.

Williams Bros in Alloa has the widest stockist network of any UK craft gluten free producer. Their gluten free range is audited on behalf of Coeliac UK and includes lagers alongside the well known Joker pale ale, often on draft in UK pubs.

Hambleton Brewery in North Yorkshire runs two gluten free lagers: GFL at 5.2% ABV and Cavalla Lager at 4.5% ABV. Direct delivery, free shipping over £60.

Triple Point Brewing in Sheffield does three lagers under their gluten reduced range: Briganti (4.5%), Helles Lager (4.1%) and Pils (4.8%). All tested below 20 ppm.

Daura Damm is technically Spanish, but worth flagging here. Despite the global distribution, it is still a single brewery committing the R&D budget to one of the world’s most thoroughly tested gluten removed lagers.

Browse all the gluten free lagers in the main directory.

Where to buy gluten free lager in the UK

Three routes, depending on how much choice you want.

Supermarket aisle. Tesco, Sainsbury’s and Asda all run dedicated gluten free beer category pages with consistent stocking of Daura Damm, Peroni GF and Stella Artois GF. Tesco carries Skinny Lager. Morrisons stocks Williams Bros Che Guava. Waitrose stocks Daura Damm. Ocado carries Peroni GF. Easy enough if your preferred brand is mainstream.

Online specialist retailers. beerhunter.co.uk, 365drinks.co.uk, drinkwelluk.com and beerritz.co.uk all run dedicated gluten free beer sections with craft selections supermarkets do not stock. Hambleton Brewery offers free delivery over £60 to UK mainland.

Brewery direct. Birmingham Brewing Company, Williams Bros, Wold Top, Vibrant Forest and Hambleton all ship UK wide. Usually the only way to find the smaller releases and to discover new craft gluten free lagers as they launch.

For the wider picture beyond lager, our directory currently lists 95 gluten free beers across 11 breweries, including 19 lagers across the Lager, Helles and Pilsner categories. Browse the full beer directory or the brewery directory.