Tuesday, June 28, 2011

Corn-Free Bar Menu List

Last updated sometime in 2014.


This is not a guarantee of corn-free, but items that I in conjunction with others have investigated and tested. Since we all have different sensitivities, use this more as a guide and less as a bible. Some of these items I haven’t tried and have relied on other’s experiences, as some of these products are either not available in my area or I must avoid them for other reasons.  

Please comment if you do well or react to any of these items. Your help in keeping this list corn-free is very appreciated.

Legend:
MC – Company/Manufacturer confirms or claims product to be corn-free.
MC 10/06 – Date last confirmed with company.
? – Items thought to be corn-free. Successfully eaten by at least one person, but more confirmation is needed.
Untested – Company Confirmed corn-free, but no one has tested it to my knowledge.
Reported Reactions – Reactions have been reported, but may or may not be corn related. Use with caution.
KFP = Kosher For Passover
GFCF = Gluten-Free/Casein-Free
GF = Gluten-free (Gluten status is not always up-to-date on this list. Please check the gluten-free version of this list for more up-to-date gluten-free & corn-free products)
______________________________

Beer: 
Abita Beers (all regular brews like Amber & Turbodog) - fruity additions may contain corn derivatives MC 6/10
Amstel Light
Anchor Brewing - MC 8/09
Ayinger Oktoberfest
Becks 
Brooklyn Brewery ?
Full Sail (except Big Daddy Jay's malt liquor) - MC 5/09
Great Lakes Brewing Company (all) - MC 5/09
Gordon Biersch ?
High Desert Brewing ?
Hoegarten
Kona Brewing - MC 5/09
Lakefront Brewery - Beers (all) - also free of rice, except New Grist Beer for Celiacs www.lakefrontbrewery.com
Lindemans Framboise ? (all flavors) product of Belgium. merchantduvin.com
Live Oak - MC 5/09
Orlando Brewing ?
Otter Creek Oktoberfest
Michelob (except Ultra) - MC 5/09
Murphy's - MC 5/09
Pyramid Brewing ?
Rogue Brewing ?
Sam Adams - MC 5/09
Saint Arnolds - MC 5/09
St. Pauli Girl ?
Socorro Springs ?
Spaten ?
Summit Brewing - MC 5/09
Troegs ?
Warsteiner
Widmer (except Collaborator) - MC 5/09

Hard Liquor:
Monopolowa Dry Gin ?

Vodka – (great to make your own vanilla with vanilla beans)
Blue Ice Potato Vodka GF (untested corn-free status)
Chopin Vodka - potato GF
Luksusowa Triple Distilled Vodka (potato) from Poland GF
Monopolowa Vodka (potato) from Austria
Teton Glacier Potato Vodka GF (untested corn-free status)
Vikingfjord vodka (potato)

Pure Rum ?
Oronoco Rum
Pure Tequila ?


Wine:
German Wines (red & white)
KFP Wines (should also be GF)

Tobacco:

Placencia Organica Nesticos (cigar) ?

Removed:

Absolute Vodka 40% plain - (multiple reactions reported)
Smirnoff Vodka (now made from corn)
Magic Hat - all nationally distributed varieties contain corn.
Stella Artois (reported reactions)
Heineken (tons of reactions)

39 comments:

MS said...

I haven't done TONS of research on these brands, but from personal experience:

I'm gluten-free and corn-free (and a lot of other things-free), and have had Chopin Vodka (potato) and Ciroc Vodka (grapes) without any problems.

Ciroc is the best tasting vodka I've ever had, to be honest! I'm guessing it's the grapes (they have other flavors distilled from red berries and coconut also, but I don't know if those have additional additives)

MS said...

OK first I want to assure you I don't work for Ciroc. Too many funny things just happened to me after leaving the last comment and had to share! My word verification was "didde" for the previous comment I posted. Guess who endorses Ciroc Vodka? DIDDY.

Anyway, I went to the Ciroc site to make sure all the info I left here was correct.

Right on the home page there is a video titled "Why is Ciroc special?" Funny thing is, if you hoover your mouse over the video, a caption appears saying "(hint, it's the grapes)"! LOL, guess I was right about that!?

I watched the video and this guy who is a "master distiller" at Ciroc explains why Ciroc is different from other vodkas, what makes it different. What he said was actually really interesting because it can be applied to all foods and keeping your body healthy, in general.

Here's the gist of what he said: Think about chewing a piece of corn. Think about chewing a piece of wheat. Now think about chewing a red berry or a grape. Which one would you prefer? Which is going to taste better, which one is smoother?

If you think about that in terms of health - which one is the healthiest choice for your body? The berries and grapes will have more nutrients and less people are likely to have an allergy to them.

I've read that human bodies were not meant to eat corn and wheat (and dairy), but based on our economy and what we had available, we started to eat these things and never stopped because they are cheap and easily produced vs. other more healthy alternatives.

Sorry, didn't come here to promote Ciroc or try to persuade anyone, but thought it was relevant to those of us with allergies to common foods. We probably aren't supposed to be eating this stuff in the first place. Our bodies are probably doing us a big favor, despite how annoying it is to be allergic to common ingredients.

SebastientheVII said...

I found a Potato Gin I've been able to drink so far without any issue: Cold River Distillery. It's based out of Maine and made of local potatoes from that area. I haven't had any reactions to it so far. It's a relatively new brand & is pricey(very nice though) so it is probably hard for most people to come by. Just wanted to put that knowledge out there if anybody else wants to experiment with it.

V said...

Sabastien - thats good news. Thanks.

Anonymous said...

I was recently at Magic Hat, and the brewmaster told me that only two of their beers (Hex and one other, which I cannot remember, but the brewmaster was happy to share the info), which are not widely distributed, are corn free. The beers commonly available in bars and liquor stores outside of Vermont, like Number 9, have corn added. The girl working at the bar in the brewery told me that all the beers were corn free, but she was mistaken, so be careful with American beers!

Margo Kuronyi said...

I am a beer advocate with a corn allergy. Most (but not all) German beers are corn free because they still adhere to the German reinheitsgebot purity law that has since been overturned. Many craft brewers offer corn free beers as well because they prefer to avoid additives.
Below is my list of corn free beers from companies that I spoke to the brewer. I have had most of these beers personally and not reacted.

If the beer has special things added (like coffee) it should NOT be considered corn free because the coffee might contain corn.
Hope this helps!

Twin lakes brewing company (all)
Weihenstephen(all)
Victory (no lager / ipa)
Iron hill (except lager / ipa)
Triumph Brewing company (all)
Yards (except Thomas Jefferson ale)
Stoudts (all)
Guiness.
Kwak
Tripel karmeliet
Deus
Lancaster brewing company (except country cream ale)
Stone brewery (all)
Bells (all)
Paulner (all)
Allagash white only
Great lakes (except cream ale)
Warsteiner (all)
St bernardus (all)
Chimay (all)
Philadelphia brewing company (all)

Simcha said...

I have reacted to the "Dundee IPA" from the Dundee Brewing Co., and to New Belgium's "Abbey" Belgian Style Ale.

I am allergic to wheat, corn, soy, and a bunch of other things that no reasonable brewer would put in a beer.

Anonymous said...

Beers I have successfully consumed:

-Bard's Tale Beer (made from sorghum and MC)
-Sprecher's Shakparo (made from millet and sorghum and just being a guinea pig)
-St. Peter's Gluten Free Beer (made from sorghum and MC) -Tweason'ale from Dogfish Head (made from sorghum and MC)

Also I had success with J. K. Scrumpy Hard Cider Farmhouse Organic Orchard Gate Gold (made from apples and yeast with no added sulfites and I guinea pigged myself).

Beers on my to guinea pig list
-Sprecher's Mbege

Jessicavox said...

<- allergic to wheat and corn.

Just had Dogfish Head Tweason'ale- best gluten-free beer I've had yet.

Bard's is really good.

Someone informed me redbridge has corn syrup in it but i have not confirmed.

Also, just found out that Two brothers have a gluten free beer... I'm emailing them to see if it has corn in it.
http://www.twobrosbrew.com/gluten.htm

Anonymous said...

Stella Artois HAS CORN in it. I had less than half a bottle a couple of days ago and felt it. I thought it was corn free so i figured I'd try it. I just did some research about it and saw a couple of places online that they do in fact use corn.

Simcha said...

Thanks to everyone posting about the beers!

I have recently trialed Becks beer (cans and glass bottles) and experienced distinct reactions each time.

Warsteiner (12-pack bottles) seemed safe a couple of months ago, but when I tried it again over the past few weeks it appeared to give me stomach cramps multiple times. Also, drinking it out of the bottle gave me a fat lip (on contact). My hunch is that there was some corn in the bottle sanitation process. I'm going to give it another try in a controlled manner without other reactions getting in the way.

I'm allergic to wheat, corn, soy, and a bunch of other things.

darcie said...

Anyone else try the Boomerang at Trader Joe's? Grapes from Australia, and it's $5.99. I didn't notice any reaction.

I've also gotten the Monopolowa potato vodka there because it is $9.99 daily, as compared to my grocery store that carries it for $13.99.

Anonymous said...

Personally, I don't like to drink beer, but trying to live corn-free is making me want to drink. I have found that Badger Mountain organic wine (from WI) tastes great and doesn't cause a reaction for me.

Anonymous said...

I have seen on a site the Smirnoff vodka is made of corn. Does anyone know any decent lagers in UK which are corn free. Any ideas on San Miguel or Peroni?

Anonymous said...

Stella Artois is made with corn.

Anonymous said...

I'm corn intolerant (not allergic), but I find that anything with a corn-based ingredient gives me symptoms, and anything with a lot of corn (syrup, starch, etc.) affects my digestive system. You may want to consider that many liquors that don't contain corn are aged in used Bourbon barrels. That's enough to affect me.

I react to most rum, some tequila and sherries, many wines and vodkas, and a long list of other alcoholic beverages. Since manufacture is proprietary, and labels don't give ingredients, buyer beware.
Thanks for this helpful site.

Anonymous said...

I'm corn intolerant (not allergic), but I find that anything with a corn-based ingredient gives me symptoms, and anything with a lot of corn (syrup, starch, etc.) affects my digestive system. You may want to consider that many liquors that don't contain corn are aged in used Bourbon barrels. That's enough to affect me.

I react to most rum, some tequila and sherries, many wines and vodkas, and a long list of other alcoholic beverages. Since manufacture is proprietary, and labels don't give ingredients, buyer beware.
Thanks for this helpful site.

cms said...

I am gluten and corn intolerant and have used Blue Ice potato vodka to make vanilla with no reaction. Granted it is a small amount but I have reacted to other vanilla products.

Anonymous said...

Yuengling has corn in it. Their web page says so:

"Yuengling Beer is made from a delicate blend of ingredients- malted barley for flavor and color, corn grits for light body, hops for their snappy bitter flavor and aroma, and yeast for sparkle and flavor" From
http://www.yuengling.com/process/

I've also reacted to Corona

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Corona_(beer)
"According to Sinebrychoff, a Finnish company owned by the Carlsberg Group, Corona Extra contains barley malt, rice and/or corn, hops, yeast, antioxidants (ascorbic acid), and propylene glycol as a stabiliser"

I've not had any issues with Coors regular beer. (Or the Coors Lite - that is indistinguishable from water anyway...)

Anonymous said...

Just a quick comment on Blue Ice Potato Vodka GF. I am only allergic to corn and was very ill within two hours of drinking their product. I do not recommend this product for the corn allergic.

V said...

Left Hand Brewing - MC 5/09 - removed from the list due to reactions being reported. Those who are less sensitive may still do ok.

Unknown said...

I've also reacted to Grolsch, unfortunately (corn allergy)

Dogbite Williams said...

Peroni contains corn and it's a crappy beer (it's rated 5 on a 1-100 scale at RateBeer), so everyone should skip it.

Dogbite Williams said...

Trader Jose's Premium Dark Lager contains corn. Bitburger is corn-free.

DeeBee said...

I tried Sara Bee, a Kosher for Passover white wine (Moscato) from Itlay. FAIL! It definitely has corn in it somehow. I am gut intolerant to corn and my reaction was extreme swelling of my left leg.

Unknown said...

St. Augustine Distillery in St. Augustine, FL, makes both gin and vodka from sugar cane and they are both very smooth.

Deb G said...

Does anyone know of a coffee liqueur and/or amaretto type liqueur without corn syrup?

Deb G said...

Does anyone know of a coffee liqueur and/or amaretto type liqueur without corn syrup?

Unknown said...

I'm corn intolerant and have had no reaction to Grind Espresso Shot. It's lighter and not as sweet as Kahlua, but I like it so much better. It is my understanding that it is just rum and espresso.

Anonymous said...

someone above said they had no reaction to Coors and Coors light.

Both of those are full of corn syrup.

Miller/Coors uses corn syrup in most beers.

Its on their website.

Unknown said...

My husband is the one with the corn intolerance but Im the wife who is responsible for feeding him every meal and beer so he doesnt get ill. He can tolerate Heineken, DAB (which is super economical at only $23 a case for 22oz cans! it adheres to the German purity laws...) Victory Brewing Headwaters, and Seirra Nevada Pale ale.

Anonymous said...

I have indeed used Blue Ice without problems. There is also a very economically friendly brand from Poland called Lvov (potato) which I can use just fine.
A couple other things to note:
I use potato vodka in a spray bottle instead of Purell- hand sanitizers are corn-derived ethanol and give reactions. I have noted in general that corn-based ethanol ingested tends to be a depressive reaction, but topically is really weird. Wondered if anyone else has thoughts on these comments.
Thanks.

Anonymous said...

I react to San Miguel but am fine with Tiger. Corn is my only allergy. (I live in the Philippines.)

Anonymous said...

Can you please provide more detail on why Heineken was removed due to "tons of reactions." What sort of reactions, and how many were reported and to whom? Heineken is one of the only big beer brands manufactured that doesn't contain corn or other non-traditional beer adjuncts as far as I know. I can certainly say that Heineken is one of the only big beer brands that I personally can tolerate well so I'm curious what all the negative "reactions" reported were about. I have never heard of this sort of negative feedback regarding Heineken and appreciate any information that can be shared. Thanks, Brian

Confessionista said...

Thank you so much for this list. I just was diagnosed with a corn allergy and was devastated because I am a huge craft beer fan. So happy to see Great Lakes on this list, since I live only about 10 minutes from the brewery and its one of my favorites!

Unknown said...

I was just dignosed with corn allergy. I love my beer. I dont no what kind in my area i can drink. I live in Pa. What beers our ok? I would appreciate any help.

Kate said...

Thank you, everyone, for this list and all the comments! I was just diagnosed with a corn intolerance, all of my symptoms are gastrointestinal. So, my life is not at risk if I have corn or corny things. Alaskan Brewing Company does not use corn in any fashion, EXCEPT in their cream ale. I just spoke with the company. I have been drinking and living Alaskan for years now and I feel fine with this beer. Also, I can drink Kirkland vodka (from Costco) with no problems at all. Hopefully this is helpful to someone!

Unknown said...

I love ciroc, it's the only vodka I feel safe to drink.

Celia said...

I'm celiac, cross-reactive to teff, egg, corn, soy, sensitive/allergic to grape/grapeseed, flax, plus other things, corn moderate. There is a small craft brewer in our area that makes some wonderful beers! Even my husband likes them. They claim gluten free, none of the ingredients look like corn, and I haven't reacted to them. They are currently only available in Colorado, Arizona, Kansas, and Texas. Holidaily Brewing Company, Golden, CO

https://holidailybrewing.com/