Green's Quest Tripel Blonde Beer

Brand: Green's

~ Other reviews of this brand!

Product Name: Quest Tripel Blonde Beer

Location Purchased: Liquor Mart (a local Boulder liquor store)

Cost: $6 for one large bottle

Note: This product was part of Z's Blind Beer Taste Test! See the results!

Total From A to Z: 2.5 Stars

A's Review: * * *
This beer has a darker taste and really reminds me of sake. It was my third favorite of the blind taste test.

Z's Review: * *
This beer has a weird rice-y taste. It reminds me more of grain alcohol or sake than beer. Also, it is really expensive. It was my least favorite of the blind taste test.

Anheuser-Busch's Redbridge

Brand: Anheuser-Busch, Inc.

~ Other reviews of this brand!

Product Name: Redbridge

Location Purchased: Liquor Mart (a local Boulder liquor store)

Cost: $8.49 for a six pack


Note: This product was part of Z's Blind Beer Taste Test! See the results!

Total From A to Z: 5 Stars

A's Review: * * * * *

It's sort of bitter...roughly along the same lines as Sierra Nevada Pale Ale. It has a slightly sweet aftertaste, but all in all, a good beer. It was sort of hoppy and my favorite of the blind taste test.

Z's Review: * * * * *
I would say that this is more of a reddish beer. It reminded me of what I remember Killian's tasting like, only this beer is made from sorghum. However, I think of you handed someone this beer and just said it was a red beer, they wouldn't have any idea that it was gluten-free. It tasted like beer - and that's a good thing! I think this one was less bitter than some of the other gluten-free beers. It was my favorite of the blind taste test.

Lakefront Brewery's New Grist Beer

Brand: Lakefront Brewery, Inc.
~ Other reviews of this brand!

Product Name: New Grist Beer

Location Purchased: Liquor Mart (a local Boulder liquor store)

Cost: $8.79 for a six pack


Note: This product was part of Z's Blind Beer Taste Test! See the results!

Total From A to Z: 3.5 Stars

A's Review: * * *

This beer had a subtle taste and looked like white wine. It was my least favorite of the blind taste test.

Z's Review: * * * *
This beer had a robust taste but not too much of an aftertaste. I want to say that it tasted "malty," but honestly I'm not sure what exactly that word means! In any event, it was cold and tasted good with my dinner and I really enjoyed it. I've never been overly fond of beer, but I have to admit that sometimes a beer just tastes really good with your food, so it's nice to still have that option! Of the four in the taste test, this one was lightest in color. It looked like white whine and had a light taste too. It was my second favorite of the taste test.

Bard's The Original Sorghum Malt Beer

Brand: Bard's
~ Other reviews of this brand!

Product Name: The Original Sorghum Malt Beer

Location Purchased: Liquor Mart (a local Boulder liquor store)

Cost: $8.99 for a six pack

Note: This product was part of Z's Blind Beer Taste Test! See the results!

Total From A to Z: 3.5 Stars

A's Review: * * * *

Very smooth, with a golden color. Bight with a citrus and a rice flavor. Best when very cold. My second favorite of the blind taste test.

Z's Review: * * *
I think this beer was a little bit more bitter than the other gluten-free beers I have tried so far. It had a little bit more of an aftertaste. I think that's what they call a "hoppy" flavor? I do think that this beer tasted better with food and it was good and cold and satisfying, though sort of bitter. It was my third favorite of the blind taste test.

Blind Taste Test #6: Gluten-Free Beer

Z's Blind Taste Tests are a monthly feature on Gluten-Free from A to Z!

Z's Blind Taste Test #6: Gluten-Free Beer!!

How It Works: Z will cook/bake/prepare four different versions of the same gluten-free product and randomly label each version with a number. Then A and friends will try all four versions and rank them from most favorite to least favorite. The results will allow us to see exactly how different brands of gluten-free products compare to each other!

The Contenders:

1. Bard's The Original Sorghum Malt Beer
2. Lakefront Brewery's New Grist Beer
3. Anheuser-Busch's Redbridge
4. Green's Quest Tripel Blonde Beer

The Final Results:

• Most Favorite: Redbridge (4 of 5 votes!)
  
• 2nd Favorite: Bard's (3 of 5 votes)
  
• 3rd Favorite: New Grist (1 of 5 votes)
  
• Least Favorite: Green's (3 of 5 votes)
  

A's Blind Rankings:
(For A's comments on each beer, please see the individual A-Z reviews - coming soon!)

• Most Favorite: Redbridge
  
• 2nd Favorite: Bard's
  
• 3rd Favorite: Green's
  
• Least Favorite: New Grist
  

Our Friend MS's Blind Rankings:

• Most Favorite: Redbridge - "Smooth, slight bitter, a bit of a hop-like flavor"
  
• 2nd Favorite: Bard's - "Slightly sweet, very smooth, sharp, bitter but not overbearing."
  
• 3rd Favorite: New Grist - "Very smooth finish, slight fruits. A bit chewy and sweet. Not really beer-like. Closer to cider."
  
• Least Favorite: Green's - "Sweet aroma, fruity flavor, slightly bitter. Almost like a cider/beer mix. Almost like a bubbling wine."
  

Our Friend RK's Blind Rankings:

• Most Favorite: New Grist - "very light, almost like wine. Soft without a bitter note anywhere. Very mild and not very beer-y."
  
• 2nd Favorite: Bard's - "More malty, not much bitterness"
  
• 3rd Favorite: Redbridge - "Malty, bite to finish"
  
• Least Favorite: Green's - "light, fruity head with slightly bitter end"
  

Our Friend GW's Blind Rankings:

• Most Favorite: Redbridge - "In terns of comparing this to regular beer, this one is my favorite. Slightly fruity but smooth and mellow. Nice aroma and not to sugary."
  
• 2nd Favorite: New Grist - "Kind of fruity but nice. More like a cider than a beer, but good and not too sugary."
  
• 3rd Favorite: Green's - "Not bad but not something I'd go out of my way for. Too fruity and too citric, but I'm not a big fan of cider and that was my first thought."
  
• Least Favorite: Bard's - "Kind of like fruity water. Not very tasteful and kind of bland."
  

Z's Not Blind Rankings:
(For Z's comments on each beer, please see the individual A-Z reviews - coming soon!)

• Most Favorite: Redbridge
  
• 2nd Favorite: New Grist
  
• 3rd Favorite: Bard's
  
• Least Favorite: Green's
  

RESTAURANT: Beau Jo's - Colorado Style Pizza (Updated!)

A&Z
at
Beau
Jo's!

Restaurant: Beau Jo's - Colorado Style Pizza

Locations: Locations Throughout Colorado

Locations We've Visited:
Idaho Springs - 1517 Miner Ave - (303) 567-4376
Boulder - 2690 Baseline Road - (303) 554-5312
Denver - 2710 S. Colorado Blvd - (303) 758-1519

Gluten-Free Options: Gluten-free section within regular menu! You don't even have to ask! Includes gluten-free appetizers, pizza, and even beer! Dine in or take out.

Total From A to Z: 5 Stars

A's Review: * * * * *

A Colorado chain that has dedicated one entire page of its menu to gluten-free fare: appetizers, pizza, even gluten-free beer. What this means is that Z can go out and have a gluten-free pizza with most everything she could want on it without feeling like she was compromising. Toss in a couple of bottles of Redbridge and you have yourself a tasty, tasty meal. The regular menu is also excellent. Best of all, the servers all seem to be well-trained to be appreciative of people ordering from the gluten-free section.

Z's Review: * * * * *
Even though I am gluten-free, Beau Jo's makes it possible for me to go out to dinner and order pizza and beer!! It's also great to have the gluten-free menu just provided to me - it was a nice change not to have to make any special requests. From the gluten-free menu I've tried the L'il Italy pizza, which to me just tasted like a regular specialty pizza. It had roma tomatoes, mushrooms, olives, and pepperoni. Combined with a bottle of Redbridge it was quite heavenly! Another time I got the Chip's Pie for takeout. This one was a bit unusual for a pizza, as it had crumbled feta instead of melted cheese, but it was still really delicious. Beau Jo's is one of my new favorite places!

Z's Update:
We've been having some trouble with our oven, so instead of making our own pizza last night we gave in to the siren song of Beau Jo's and ordered takeout. I ordered the gluten-free Pacific Plantation, which was like a traditional Hawaiian pizza with ham and pineapple. But Beau Jo's gives this traditional favorite their own style by adding mushrooms and red onions. It also had a touch of honey in the crust that was absolutely brilliant! I ate this pizza so fast that A hardly got to taste a bite!

Z's Second Update!
It turns out that Beau Jo's is run by a bunch of wonderful, friendly, and caring people! After our first review, Beau Jo's invited us to a party at their Denver location to taste gluten-free appetizers (including delicious little pizza rolls which would be great takeout for a party!) and sandwiches that they are thinking about adding to their menu. I think it was the first time I had eaten a sandwich since I became gluten-free and it was delicious! So if you are gluten-free or love someone who is, be sure to keep Beau Jo's in mind because they are always looking for ways to expand their gluten-free options!

We also discovered that you can order their Hearty Arty spinach-artichoke dip off the regular menu and it is totally gluten-free! Just ask for veggies instead of garlic bread (although I think they are looking to provide a gluten-free version of garlic bread soon too!) I think this may have been the best spinach-artichoke dip I have ever had, with lots of artichokes, dethroning even my own homemade version! Also, right now Beau Jo's is having a gluten-free special called "Wheat Free Wednesdays!" For $12.99 you get a gluten-free pizza and one trip to the salad bar!

A and I were also lucky enough to get to talk with Chip, Beau Jo's owner and namesake of the delicious gluten-free Chip's Pie. In addition to telling us about the care that Beau Jo's uses in developing their gluten-free menu, Chip told us about all the wonderful things Beau Jo's is doing to reduce their environmental impact. I know these things aren't really related to being gluten-free, but environmental matters are close to my heart so I just couldn't resist sharing a little bit about it:

Beau Jo's uses both wind and solar power in their restaurants. They are currently 16th in the state of Colorado for WindSource Usage! Chip told us that the new Boulder location, in particular, is striving to be environmentally friendly. For example, all the wood in the Boulder restaurant is from local tress that were killed by the pine beetle. Chip also told us that the Boulder location is installing an ice bear air conditioning system, which stores cooling energy at night during off-peak hours.

So, in conclusion, visit Beau Jo's and you can get an environmentally friendly, gluten-free pizza served to you by some of the nicest people you will ever meet!

RESTAURANT: P.F. Chang's China Bistro

A & Z at P.F. Chang's

Restaurant: P. F. Chang's China Bistro

Locations: National chain

Locations We've Visited:
Broomfield - 1 West Flatiron Circle - (720) 887-6200

Gluten-Free Options: Separate gluten-free menu featuring appetizers, entrees, and even dessert! When you request the gluten-free menu, they'll even bring gluten-free soy sauce to your table. Gluten-free beer is available too!

Total From A to Z: 5 Stars

A's Review: * * * * *

This is another restaurant that knows gluten-free and does it right. Many of the dishes are already gluten-free, or can be made gluten-free just by changing the soy sauce. I've tried two dishes from the gluten-free menu and they have both been wonderful. Dali Chicken is described on the gluten-free menu as chicken with golden potatoes, but on the regular menu it is known as the hottest dish they serve! I still would have ordered it though. Most recently I had Philip's Better Lemon Chicken, which was bright and full of citrus. Both were wonderful and the servers have been very helpful and considerate.

Z's Review: * * * * *
When you're gluten-free, anything remotely resembling Asian cuisine can be tricky due to the fact that most soy sauce has wheat in it. That's where P.F. Chang's comes in with their gluten-free menu! I've had the Cantonese Scallops with garlic and snow peas, Moo Goo Gai Pan, and even the gluten-free version of P.F. Chang's famous Lettuce Wraps. I have to admit that I remember the regular lettuce wraps being tastier with gluten, but it's still really nice to have the option to order them. And it's also really great to have gluten-free soy sauce brought to the table. My only complaint about the gluten-free menu is that there's no beef on it (maybe all their beef is pre-marinated?) so the meat options are only chicken and seafood. But this is remedied by their amazing flourless chocolate dome with fresh berries and raspberry sauce! It's small but oh so satisfying if you are craving a gluten-free dessert!