Best Gluten Free Pilsners in the UK: Our Picks for 2026

Updated June 2026.

If you have coeliac disease and want a pilsner this week, the pick with the lowest gluten reading in the freefrombeer directory is Green’s Premium Pilsner. It is certified gluten free, tested at zero parts per million, and comes from one of the longest running gluten free breweries on the UK market. The fuller picture is the rest of this article: five pilsners we list, what makes each different, and the question coeliacs always come back to. Is a gluten removed pilsner really safe.

The short answer is in the next section. The long answer is in the brewing.

What makes a pilsner gluten free?

A pilsner is, technically, a lager. Both styles use bottom fermenting yeast and a long cold conditioning phase. What sets a pilsner apart from a standard pale lager is the use of noble hops, Saaz being the original Czech variety, and a lighter pilsner malt that gives the style its crisp, hoppy character. The style was invented in Pilsen in 1842, and the rest of the world has been imitating it ever since.

Traditional pilsner malt is made from barley. That makes a traditional pilsner gluten containing by default. For a pilsner to be sold as gluten free in the UK, it has to test at 20 parts per million of gluten or lower. This is the threshold set by the Codex Alimentarius and adopted by UK and EU food law.

There are two routes to that threshold. A brewery can build the beer without any gluten containing grains from the start, using sorghum, millet, rice, buckwheat or maize instead. That is what brewers mean when they call a beer naturally gluten free. Or a brewery can brew traditionally with barley malt and then treat the wort with an enzyme called Prolyl Endoprotease (sold commercially as Brewers Clarex) that breaks down the gluten proteins below the 20 ppm threshold. That is gluten removed, also called gluten reduced.

The long cold lagering phase also helps. Anspach and Hobday’s brewer Richard Ekins notes that the storage period drops out more haze forming particles along with residual gluten. Which is one reason that, of all the mainstream beer styles, pilsner tends to test lowest for gluten even before any deliberate removal step. That is incidental, not a guarantee.

One labelling rule worth knowing. Any gluten removed pilsner made from barley malt is required by UK allergen labelling law to state “contains barley” on the label, even when it tests below 20 ppm. Naturally gluten free pilsners, made without barley or wheat, do not carry that declaration. It is the easiest thing to check in the shop.

Naturally gluten free vs gluten removed pilsner: what coeliacs need to know

Both naturally gluten free and gluten removed pilsners can be sold as “gluten free” in the UK if they test below 20 ppm. Coeliac UK lists both types in its Food and Drink Guide as acceptable options when they meet the 20 ppm threshold. Many coeliacs and some clinicians nonetheless prefer naturally gluten free beer as a precaution, because the standard R5 ELISA test used on hydrolysed products like beer cannot reliably detect every gluten peptide left after enzyme treatment. Beyond Celiac, the US coeliac charity, puts it plainer: “the current consensus is that gluten removed beers are not yet safe for those with celiac disease.”

What this means in practice. If you are newly diagnosed, particularly sensitive, or have not done your own trial, start with a naturally gluten free pilsner. Look for the Coeliac UK Crossed Grain symbol where you can. Avoid anything that says “contains barley” on the label.

If you have been drinking gluten removed beers without symptoms and your gastroenterology check ups are clean, that is between you and your consultant. Plenty of coeliacs sit in that category. But the published advice is the published advice, and an article that pretended otherwise would not be worth reading.

There is also a US versus UK distinction. In the US, beers brewed from gluten containing grains are not allowed to be sold as “gluten free” at all. They must instead carry a qualified statement under US federal rules. In the UK and EU, both naturally gluten free and gluten removed beers can use “gluten free” on the label as long as they pass the 20 ppm test. The “contains barley” allergen line carries the warning instead.

The best gluten free pilsners we list

Five picks from the directory, ordered from broadly safest to most cautious. Where a beer carries the “contains barley” declaration, we say so.

Green’s Premium Pilsner: the lowest gluten reading

• ABV: 4.5%
• Certified gluten free; tested at 0 ppm
• Contains barley (gluten removed)
• Brewed at De Proef in Belgium for the UK market

Green’s was founded in 2004 by Derek Green after his own coeliac diagnosis. The wider Green’s range is built on ancient grains: sorghum, millet, brown rice and buckwheat, with no enzyme treatment. The Premium Pilsner is the exception in their lineup. It uses barley malt with the gluten removed, to bring the beer closer in character to a conventional Belgian pilsner. Golden straw colour, citrus on the nose, a soft vanilla note mid palate, and a clean bitter finish. Tested at 0 ppm and carrying full Coeliac UK certification, this is the lowest gluten reading in our pilsner listings. If your priority is risk reduction first and style second, start here.

Bellfield Bohemian Pilsner: the most decorated UK pick

• ABV: 4.5%
• Certified gluten free; below 20 ppm
• Brewed in Edinburgh
• Gluten removed; label states “contains barley”

The most awarded beer in Bellfield’s gluten free range. Gold at the Free From Awards 2017, Silver in the Speciality Beer category at the World Beer Awards, and a finalist at the Scottish Beer Awards for Best Pilsner or Lager. It follows the Czech template closely: Saaz hops, a light body, gentle floral aromatics, a soft dry finish. Bellfield uses barley malt and removes the gluten enzymatically before independent batch testing. A solid mid strength session pilsner at £2.50 a can direct.

Triple Point Pils: the German style with a twist

• ABV: 4.8%
• Certified gluten free; below 20 ppm
• Brewed in Sheffield
• Gluten removed; label states “contains barley”

Triple Point describe it as a German style pilsner, but the hop bill is more involved than that suggests. Mandarina Bavaria, Perle and Strisselspalt sit on top of a Motueka addition that brings a distinct hint of lime to the finish. Some of the hops come from the brewery’s own growing programme. The result is a light, floral pilsner with a clean, slightly tropical edge. Closer to a modern craft lager than the Czech original. At £3.85 a can it is the priciest pick here, but the most distinctive in profile.

Little Ox Oxford Pilsner: the hop forward pick

• ABV: 5.0%
• Gluten testing figures not confirmed in the directory; check directly with the brewery
• Brewed near Witney, Oxfordshire
• Gluten removed (deglutenised barley); label states “contains barley”

Oxford Pilsner pairs Saaz, the traditional Bohemian hop, with American Cascade. The combination is unusual: bohemian floral notes in the aroma, with Cascade’s brighter citrus and resin underneath. Pilsner and Vienna malts make up the base. Little Ox’s gluten testing figures are not confirmed in the directory. The Coeliac UK Crossed Grain mark is not currently shown on their listing, so worth confirming directly with the brewery if you need precise ppm figures or are at the cautious end of the spectrum. For most drinkers who already tolerate gluten removed beer, it is one of the more interesting pilsners around. £3 a can direct.

Bellfield Craft Lager: pilsner style with more body

• ABV: 5.2%
• Certified gluten free; below 20 ppm
• Brewed in Edinburgh
• Gluten removed; label states “contains barley”

Listed in our pilsner category but described by Bellfield as a modern craft lager. Old and New World hops combine for a light fruit and floral aroma, with a biscuity backbone that gives it more weight than the Bohemian Pilsner. Silver for Best Lager at the Scottish Beer Awards 2023 and Gold at the Free From Awards 2020. If 4.5% feels thin and you want something a little fuller, this is the one. £2.60 a can direct.

Where to buy gluten free pilsner in the UK

No single supermarket stocks all of these. The most reliable retail picture, as of June 2026:

• Direct from the brewery is the most consistent route. Bellfield, Triple Point and Little Ox all ship UK wide from their own shops, and pricing is usually as good as or better than third party retailers.
• Tesco has a dedicated gluten free beer category online. Range varies by store size. Larger Tesco stores tend to carry Bellfield and sometimes Green’s.
• Waitrose carries a smaller but more curated gluten free beer section. Bellfield turns up more often in southern stores.
• Sainsbury’s stocks Bellfield Bohemian Pilsner in selected stores, with the strongest presence in Scotland. Green’s range is also commonly listed.
• Ocado carries the widest online range. Bellfield and Green’s are both consistently available.
• Beer52 runs a separate gluten free subscription box that has carried several of the pilsners above on rotation. Worth a look if you want variety without the legwork.
• Glutenfreebeers.co.uk is the specialist gluten free beer retailer and tends to stock anything a brewery does not list directly.

If you are buying for someone with coeliac disease and only have time for one shop, Ocado plus the brewery direct is the practical answer.

Gluten free pilsner vs gluten free lager: is there a difference?

A gluten free pilsner is a gluten free lager. Pilsner is a subcategory of pale lager. All pilsners are lagers, but not all lagers are pilsners. UK supermarkets tend to file everything under “lager” for shelf clarity, and most “gluten free lager” and “gluten free pilsner” searches return the same set of products.

The difference, where one exists, is style. A pilsner uses noble hops (Saaz being the original) and a lighter pilsner malt, giving you a crisper, hoppier, more bitter beer than a typical pale lager. If you want clean and dry with floral aromatics, choose a pilsner. If you want something rounder and sweeter, the broader gluten free lager category will give you more options. Same product family. Different end of the rack.

Frequently asked questions

Is Pilsner Urquell gluten free?

No. Pilsner Urquell is brewed with barley malt and does not go through any gluten removal process. Some independent tests have found samples below 20 parts per million, because pilsner as a style runs lower in gluten than most barley beers, but the brewery itself advises against drinking it if you have coeliac disease. It is not tested or certified as gluten free under UK rules, and Coeliac UK does not list it as safe.

Is Corona gluten free?

No. Corona is brewed with malted barley and is not certified gluten free. Some third party tests have reported gluten levels near the 20 parts per million threshold, but Corona’s own statements to Coeliac UK confirm the beer is not gluten free, and Coeliac UK does not include it on its list of beers that are safe for coeliacs.

Can coeliacs drink gluten removed pilsner?

It is genuinely contested. Gluten removed pilsners that test below 20 ppm are sold legally as gluten free in the UK, and many coeliacs drink them without symptoms. Many coeliacs and some clinicians prefer naturally gluten free options as a precaution, because current testing methods cannot reliably detect every gluten fragment that may remain after enzyme treatment. If you are newly diagnosed or particularly sensitive, stick to naturally gluten free options where you can. If you have been drinking gluten removed beer without symptoms and your follow ups are clean, your gastroenterologist is the right person to advise.

Is there a gluten free German pilsner?

Not in the traditional sense. The Reinheitsgebot, Germany’s beer purity law of 1516, requires barley malt, which rules out the naturally gluten free route. One brand, Pionier, brews under Reinheitsgebot using a specially developed low gluten barley variety called Kebari (created by Australia’s CSIRO through conventional plant breeding). It is the world’s first barley based beer certified gluten free under the Purity Law. UK availability is limited. For something with German pilsner character that you can buy here, Triple Point Pils or Bellfield’s Bohemian Pilsner are the closest widely stocked options.