more beer

Oh, and boyfriend and I found a nice surprise while shopping at Henry's (CA's version of Wild Oats). We were in the back by the fridge section looking at soups to get something for a light lunch while I was here.

"Honey look, New Grist."

"And it does say gluten-free."

So we picked up a 6 pack. They were charging $9/six pack (not including CA liquor deposit). The AZ Wild Oats charges $12 for a 6 pack of Bard's Tale if you're looking for a yardstick to measure costs. Though I can buy the same Bard's Tale at AJ's for $10.

Since it was in the fridge section, I didn't have to wait long to try it. It was a fairly rough flavor, and the finish was terrible. Pouring into a glass first mellowed out the rough flavors. But it was very much like a Bard's Tale that was missing something.

So I don't understand why people rave about it. However, I will not write off New Grist completely yet. After finishing my first bottle, I noticed that there was a "created on" date. According to it, it was made in the first week in May. That's kind of a long time for a "craft beer" to sit around. Bard's Tale is available about five or six weeks after it's "born on" date.

Hopefully it'll make it to AZ soon. Since it is cheaper, I might have to settle for it until I have a paying job again.

Yes, I am well aware of the Anheiser-Bush version of gluten free beer called Redbridge. I haven't seen it on the shelf yet, and it won't say "gluten-free" on the label because the FDA doesn't have a defination of "gluten-free". I'm personally worried about cross contamination since it isn't made in a dedicated facility. I will probably try it once because the prospect of having something other than a pale beer that I can in theory drink is very exciting.