Product: Estrella Damm Daura Gluten-Free Beer – $2.49+
I know. I know. Why do I keep reviewing beer when I abhor it anyway?
The answer is simple…gluten-free chili con queso…where one of the main ingredients is beer. And I figure, while I’m cooking with it, I might as well sample it to see if it is at least palatable, yes? Makes sense. We all know a good chef tastes everything…including ingredients.
Well…here I found myself on a Sunday afternoon after my indoor triathlon, needing to create something for lunch. I had the makings of the Chili Con Queso (check my recipe section!) in my apartment, so I got to chopping and shredding and all that good stuff. In my refrigerator sat a lonely bottle of Estrella Damm Daura Gluten-Free Beer. Why? Because it’s always good to have gluten-free beer on hand when a craving for queso hits.
I measured out the beer for the recipe then put the bottle to my lips and had a sip. And recoiled. Blech. Beer. Blech. So, again, this product is immediately handicapped by my disgust of the beverage itself. I’ve never been a beer drinker…have never liked the flavor…but this…this was just…meh.
I was surprised, actually, because this beer has won so many accolades, including “World’s Best Gluten-Free Beer.” So, yeah, I think in my mind I was hoping that maybe this one would surprise me, shock me, wow me…something. But it only served to get me to wrinkle up my nose and recoil from the flavor. Yuck.
The flavor was too sharp for me. It lacked those sweet, cider-like undertones that come in other beers. This was just stark and…strong. And, not to put too fine a point on it…I didn’t like it. At all.
While I am glad that gluten-free beers are hitting the market, I don’t know if any of them will ever impress me. It’s not that I’m picky…it’s just that beer has never done anything for me. I love to cook with it…and this was a great beer to cook with, providing a nice bit of flavor to my gluten-free chili con queso. But, beyond that, Estrella Damm Daura Gluten-Free Beer certainly didn’t win me over.
The Celiathlete 