E-Malt.com News article: Finland : The first gluten-free full-malt beer in the world comes from Laitila

Laitilan’s Kukko Pils is the world’s first ever full-malt beer brand to receive the international gluten-free product trademark, the company announced on September 30.

In the past, coeliac patients throughout the world could only down beers brewed from buckwheat, millet or corn. Today, they are allowed to enjoy the full-malt Kukko Pils beer from Laitilan brewery. The Finnish Coeliac Society has granted Kukko Pils gluten-free product trademark September 9th 2005.

Until recently, real beers have been prohibited from coeliac patients’ diet. Because of the fact that beer – enjoyed in moderation – enhances the quality of life, it’s suitability to the coelic patient’s diet has been the most consulted matter with coeliac associations.

Kukko Pils has extremely low gluteine content The gluten content in Kukko Pils beer has consistently been low. Limit for a natural gluten-free product is 20 ppm which is 2 mg/100 g of product. The gluten concentration in Kukko Pils has remained under 0,4 mg/100 g of beer.
Interesting views to future

The low gluten concentration of Laitilan’s Kukko Pils is exceptional because the beer is brewed using only water, hops and barley malt. Around the world, tens of millions of euros have been used in the development of gluten-free beer. A buckwheat-corn beer sold in Finland has even been patented. “We cannot deny the fact that this opens us new sales channels abroad. In Europe, for example, 0.75-1 % of the total population are coeliac, and in the United States, the amount is estimated to be 1 %. That’s why we have numerously been approached from different parts of Europe, and we intend to commence exports as soon as we’ve gathered the right partners”, tempers Rami Aarikka, Managing Director, Laitilan.

Laitilan brewery is a medium-sized Finnish brewery known for it’s high quality and innovative products. Kukko Pils has been brewed since 2001. Three times it has been elected as the best beer in Finland.


04 October, 2005