Nine times out of ten, if you ask if a restaurant or bar has gluten free beer, their response is "We have Angry Orchard".   Angry Orchard may be gluten free, but it's not beer, thank you anyway.

We've put together a list of locations in the area that actually do serve gluten free beer.  If you have additional recommendations, please let us know and we will be happy to add them to the list.

Thank you to the establishments listed below for making it possible for their gluten free customers to enjoy a beer with their friends!  Hoping many more will join this list in the near future. 

Scottie's Brewhouse 

Varies by location

Muncie
Bloomington
West Lafayette
Indianapolis Downtown
96th Street - Indianapolis - Redbridge
Southport
Mishawaka
Brownsburg
Carmel
Fort Wayne
Noblesville - Omission Pale Ale
Franklin
Butler
 

CR Hero's 

Redbridge

Fishers

Greek Island's 

Estrella Damm Daura

Downtown

Matt the Miller's 

Estrella Damm Daura

Carmel

Mo's Irish Pub

New Grist 

Noblesville

Bagger Dave's 

Omission (May not be safe for Celiacs)

Fishers

Copper Still

Greene's 

Noblesville


For more information about the beers listed:
 
Greene's:  http://www.merchantduvin.com/brew-greens-gluten-free.php

Ommission:  http://omissionbeer.com/

Is Omission really safe for Celiacs?  http://glutendude.com/alcohol/is-omission-beer-really-risk-free-for-celiacs/

New Grist:  http://www.newgrist.com/

Matt's has long been a favorite of ours. Our first trip was shortly after my boyfriend and I started dating and we quickly dubbed it "our place".














I remember worrying about whether or not they were going to have a gluten free menu after I was diagnosed with Celiac. I was getting nervous when I couldn't find a gluten free menu on their website. Because I was determined, I picked up the phone and called them. 

They put their chef on the phone and he assured me that they had a number of gluten free options. We talked about preparation and I was again reassured; it was clear that they are very knowledgeable about cross contamination and take the appropriate steps to make sure everything is prepared safely. He did caution against the flat breads for those with Celiac since they do not have a dedicated gluten free oven.

Every server we have ever had has been knowledgeable about their gluten free offerings and I've always felt comfortable that they "got it".  Once our server's wife  had Celiac, which always makes you feel like you are in good hands. 

Gluten Free Beer

I was pleasantly surprised to find they they even served a gluten free beer!  Estrella Damm Daura is a German beer that is crafted to remove gluten and also fast became a favorite.  At below 3PPM it is safe for those with Celiac to enjoy.  Estrella Damm Daura Information

Suggestions for Matt's

Matt's serves amazing food so it was no surprise that the gluten free options were just as amazing.  Their gluten free menu could use help in a couple of areas.

#1 They need more gluten free appetizers, Edamame and Hummus, don't particularly get my gluten eating boyfriend excited.  We did order the Hummus the last time and we did enjoy it but certainly more choices would be appreciated.

#2  They definitely have not gotten the memo that many of us who can't eat gluten ALSO can't eat dairy.  Eating dairy free at Matt's is a much bigger challenge.  Some of the vegetables are made in advance and already covered in butter.  The rice has milk in it.  There seem to be very few options that are also dairy free.







Website

(317) 805-1860

HOURS

Monday - Thursday, 11:00am - 11:00pm
Friday - Saturday, 11:00am - 12:00am
Sunday - 10:00am - 10:00pm
Sunday Brunch 10:00am-2:30pm

Kitchen closes 1 hour before posted closing time

Our friends at GF Indy are meeting this weekend.  Lori is a wealth of knowledge and the Gluten-Free 101 meeting is very informative.

Even if you know all the ins and outs of gluten free eating, consider taking your friends and relatives.  They may not understand how serious this is for you or how to feed you gluten free.  This meeting was real eye opener for my boyfriend and after we left he insisted that our whole house needed to be gluten free.  #GFWin

Saturday, September 26th, 10 to 11:30 am

The topic is Gluten-Free 101

RSVP for the meeting here:
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/rsvp-for-gluten-free-101-ticke…



Reserve your spot

Whole Foods in Carmel is giving out free samples of gluten free, dairy free pizza and beer on Saturday from 12-3! How could we say no to that?! Whole Foods Market Carmel

Event Information

We found these delicious wraps at the Noblesville Meijer this week. Oh how I had missed a legitimate tortilla; one that doesn't fall apart, is too stiff to bend or is covered in powder. These Toufayan wraps were every bit as good as their gluteny counterparts. Definitely a new favorite gluten free find! 



  

Switching gears; let's talk about makeup.  When I was first diagnosed with Celiac, I just couldn't fathom that I really needed to buy gluten free makeup, shampoo, lotion etc.  I wasn't eating those things, how could they possibly be making me sick??  Well, as much as I hated to admit it, they were.

Shortly after I was diagnosed, I bought some expensive conditioner and didn't realize until I got it home that it contained hydrolyzed wheat protein.  I decided to use it anyway, thinking it wasn't going to matter.  My scalp flaked and ITCHED like crazy for a week.  I had been using salon products that were gluten free for years.  That's why I didn't have a flaky scalp anymore, I just thought I grew out of it.  Feeling dumb...

Fast forward how ever many weeks to another really rough week.  I was sick for three days, achy and tired, my eyes were watery, itchy, goopy and my vision was disturbed.  My vision is always effected when I've been glutened.  I could NOT figure out what I was eating.  By the third day I was SURE it wasn't something I was eating.  I realized that the day I got sick I had started using a new eye shadow.  Could it really be my eye shadow??  I looked up the ingredients and to my dismay, it had  wheat in it.  I threw it in the trash and guess what?  I wasn't sick anymore.   That was the end of products with gluten in them.  I was convinced.

Now to find a good gluten free makeup, which wasn't easy.  I started with Wet and Wild products as they are largely gluten free with the exception of a couple of their mascaras.  I used some Physician's Formula products, I'll be honest, those aren't my favorite.  Garnier makes good products and they are gluten free, I especially like their under eye concealer.

My very favorite find though was Xuxu Luxe by Gabriel Cosmetics.  Website 

This product rivals the finest department store products I've tried.  Their powder is so luxurious, you really don't need foundation.  I adore the lip glosses and eye shadows....I love everything I've tried and best of all, they are certified gluten free.

Available locally at Whole Foods and EarthFare.  I've also ordered from Amazon.com.

I would love to know what your favorite gluten free products are. 

This a somewhat mixed review, I love Tucano's but I do wish I could say that eating there was a little less...scary.  My take on Tucano's is that no one in town seems to try harder than they do but yet still manages to get it so wrong.  Can you eat gluten free at Tucano's?  Absolutely.  It is easy?  Not necessarily.

We'll start with the huge salad bar, which I love.  Everything is clearly marked GF so it's easy to peruse the salad bar and make gluten free choices.   Things are going good so far. 

Now, upon declaring you need to be gluten free, they will show you which meats on the menu are gluten free.  They are marked on the menu making that process look pretty seamless.  When the meat starts circulating and they stop at your table to offer you cuts, you realize that a lot of the offerings aren't listed on the menu at all.  So are they gluten free?  You can ask your meat server but chances are they have no idea.  Typical responses include "They should be" or "I'm not sure".

The first time I was there I got sick because I was told one of the meats was gluten free.  With the manager's help, we later determined that it wasn't.  I've had several more uncomfortable experiences following that one.  Now when I go, I inform the manager of my allergy.  He will appoint a personal meat server to the table to make sure everything goes according to plan. Their meat servers are not knowledgeable enough about what is and is not gluten free to trust that process. 

The good news is that you can eat gluten free at Tucano's but you have to be careful to double check everything.  Much of their menu is gluten free and the food is absolutely delicious.  Their Brazilian lemonades are to die for!

The manager did tell me that ultimately their goal is to be 100% gluten free, we are very much looking forward to that.

Indiana locations include Noblesville and Fort Wayne.

Noblesville's Menu

Reservations are recommended.  

(317) 770-6988

Website

Whether you are new to Celiac or have been around for a while, you may find some helpful information in this Celiac Survival Guide from Celiac Central.

Celiac Survival Guide 

This document contains everything from health info to online stores that sell gluten free products, a list of gluten free beer, alternate food options to replace some of their gluten counterparts and more.

For those new to Celiac this would be an extremely helpful resource!

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**I do have to take issue with one of the recommendations in the guide, I would NOT recommend Sweet Baby Ray's BBQ sauce for those with Celiac.  While, there are no gluten ingredients in Sweet Baby Rays, please note that their sauces are made on shared lines and the potential for gluten cross contamination is certainly there.  After a severe reaction to Sweet Baby Ray's, I can't read over that without offering a safe alternative.    

I recommend Stubb's instead, it tastes very very similar and is Certified Gluten Free. 
 

There is a pill coming to help people with Celiac.  I'm not yet sure we know if this is a good or a bad thing.  It sounds like it will allow gluten to pass through your system without triggering a response from your immune system.  If that's true, isn't that a good thing?  If it actually blocks the immune response what damage is being done?

I have spent a lifetime battling food, I always knew it was making me sick, I just didn't know why.  I get why people would say that it's healthier to avoid gluten regardless.   If it truly blocks your system from recognizing it then could you eat it without consequence?  I'm not sure but it will be interesting to watch this develop.



Huffington Post Article

One of the things we love about the Gluten Dude is his honesty.  I'm not yet sure if he's right on this one.

Gluten Dude's take

The worst experience I have had since being diagnosed with Celiac was at Houlihan's at Hamilton Town Center.  Given that pre-diagnosis, Houlihan's was a favorite restaurant for me, this was an even bigger let down.























I first ordered soup; it came with tortilla chips.  I asked the waitress if they made the chips and if so did they have a dedicated gluten free fryer.  She informed me that they do make their own chips and the fryer is not dedicated gluten free.  Well then the chips are out so I ordered the "gluten free" soup without the chips.  After eating a couple of bites of the soup, the waitress came by and literally snatched the soup out from under my spoon.  When asked why she said that "the cheese in the soup was packed in FLOUR".  Wait what?!  By the time the meal came I was extremely leery of eating anything they served....so they sent the manager over.  You know that guy that is supposed to go over and above to satisfy the customer?

He informed me that well, the "gluten free" menu was not really a "gluten free menu but really more of a gluten light menu".  Wait...what did he just say?  I've never heard anything so ridiculous.  So I thought maybe he needed a little education.  I talked to him about the fact that the chips were not really gluten free because they didn't have a gluten free fryer.  I said that clearly cheese packed in flour had no place on a gluten free menu.  He then proceeded to reiterate that it was really a "gluten light menu and not a gluten free menu".  Excuse me?  It does say gluten free menu on it.  ...feeling like I've entered an alternate universe I mention this to him and he says "Well no one has ever complained that they've gotten sick".  I said "We don't complain, we just don't come back"...and I won't be.  I did get sick that night from the two bites of soup I took.  I just thank goodness it wasn't more than that.

I don't recommend that anyone eat there if they have a true allergy or Celiac.  If...they fire that manager and change their practices, then by all means let me know.  I won't be back until and unless I'm convinced the menu and the management has undergone a major overhaul.

I would love to hear from anyone regarding the Castleton location to see if they've had a similar or different experience.  Until then, Houlihan's is on my 'gluten free no way in hell list'. 

Noblesville Houlihan’s
14065 Town Center Blvd.
Hamilton Town Center
Noblesville, IN 46060

317-703-1025

Mon-Wed 11am-10pm
Thurs 11am-11pm
Fri-Sat 11am-12am
Sun 11am-10pm

On that note, I think my next review needs to be Tucano's Brazilian Grill in Noblesville.  That will be a tough one.  No one in town tries harder than they do but still manages to get it so wrong.  

The cashier wasn't, really at all clear on what was gluten free but luckily a cook was nearby who was.  Most everything on their menu is gluten free, all of the meats and sauces are gluten free.   They have a dedicated fryer so even the fries are gluten free.  Most of the sides are gluten free but for a couple of obvious exceptions like the corn bread and mac and cheese.  They said that even the peach cobbler was gluten free if they left off the crumbles.

We would agree that it's worth a trip to Columbus, IN!

MENU

Location and Hours

Indiana Smokehouse
2825 Middle Rd
Columbus, Indiana 47203

Tel: (812) 799-0067

indianasmokehouse@gmail.com

Mon - Thu: 11:00 am - 9:00 pm
Fri - Sat: 11:00 am - 10:00 pm
Sun: 11:00 am - 3:00 pm

It would be impossible to host a gluten free Indy blog without writing about Ezra's Enlightened Cafe. Ezra's is the only 100% gluten free, dairy free, non GMO, vegan and raw restaurant in the city. Located at 6516 Ferguson St, Indianapolis, IN 46220 in Broadripple.  Wherever you may be in the city, Ezra's is worth the trip!

Pizza days are always a treat and for me, a trip to Ezra's is not complete without a slice of their pumpkin cheesecake.  Anything made with their walnut taco "meat" is enough to make me drop everything and run right over there.  They are closed Monday's but do have certain menu items available for carryout on that day, the Budda Bowl is a delicious option.

Don't leave without a glass of Spring Dragon Longevity Tea, a delicious compliment to any meal.  

Ezra's Website
 
They have 3 rotating dishes that vary daily so be sure to check in with Ezra's on Facebook for their daily specials:  Facebook page
 

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Note Ezra's is closed on Monday.
 
Hours
Tuesday - Friday 10-3
Saturday and Sunday - 10-3
317-255-3972

Recently, we were headed to Fort Wayne, IN to visit the Fort Wayne zoo. Having never been to Fort Wayne, we weren't sure how easy it would be to find gluten free food. We ended up asking for recommendations and someone pointed us to B. Antonio's Pizza, and we are glad they did! The gluten free menu is great and includes favorites like gluten free chicken fingers, cheesy bread, bread sticks and cinnamon bread. We all agreed that theirs was some of the best pizza we've ever had! Both the gluten free and gluten eaters left happy.
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We are keeping eye out for the release of 6SensorLabs Nima gluten tester. On their website they state: We are developing breakthrough consumer products, starting with Nima, enabling you to know what is in your food. We believe meal time should be about the enjoyment of your food and your company, and not the worry about the potential repercussions of eating something unknown. We exist for you to eat with confidence and stay healthy! Could this little device really take the fear out of eating? We will be watching to see but it does sound intriguing.

It's back!  ...the Gluten Free Allergy Fest will again be at the Indiana State Fair Grounds.

WHEN

October 24-25, 2015
Saturday: 10am to 4pm
Sunday: 10am to 4pm

WHERE

Indiana State Fairgrounds
Exposition Hall
1202 East 38th Street
Indianapolis, IN 46205

Groupon is offering tickets at 50% off for just two more days https://www.groupon.com/deals/gluten-free-food-allergy-fest-8
For more information visit: http://www.glutenfreefoodallergyfest.com/locations/indianapolis/