IMPORTANT UPDATE: Since doing this post in late April (with the detailed response from the company quoted below), the company is now stating as of June 2011 that only the Mike’s Lite and Cranberry Lite are now gluten free. See info on the Mike’s Web Page Now.
Okay, I always knew that beer would be off the table when my daughter turned drinking age (well except for a few gluten free beers) and wine was okay…..But what else would she be able to have? I’m not trying to drive her to drink or anything, but I think we all can admit one of the first things we thought of with a celiac diagnosis is “no more beer”.
Well, Mike’s Hard Lemonade gave me the shock of my life this week when I saw on their website the claim that the malt beverage is gluten free.
Mike’s Hard Lemonade Gluten Free Claim
How is that possible? I never thought that was celiac safe — it says “malt” right on the label. Here is what their website states:
Mike’s Hard Lemonade Co. products available in the US are made with a premium malt base (fermented barley and hops like traditional beer) that is then further processed using a highly specialized, multi-stage filtration process. Highly sensitive tests from an independent lab analysis indicate that mike’s® products do not contain any traces of gluten protein (including hordein).
Again, it even uses the word barley, why would anyone who’s gluten free drink this? But yet again I wondered how they could make this claim– which is pretty bold if it’s not true. I was so intrigued I had to ask The Savvy Celiac Fans on Facebook. It was a good conversation. Most everyone was hesitant to try it or adamant they wouldn’t try it. But some were definitely curious.
One person said, “Haven’t tried it yet, but I used to LOVE Smirnoff Ice prior to diagnosis (a little over 3 years ago). I thought Smirnoff Ice tasted better than Mike’s, but… if I KNEW it was gluten free I’d give it a try 
”. Another person mentioned, “I stay away from any Malt as well, but it kinda makes sense. I may give it a try someday. But most likely not.”
And finally another person raised this good point, “I can’t get past the malt, either. I’m sorry, but I find it difficult to believe that anything that says “malt beverage” is GF. This is just one more reason why we need the FDA to get on the ball with GF labeling laws!!!!”
Mike’s Gluten Free Detailed Response
So I set out to ask Mike’s about their claim and the kind of testing they did. I just got a response back. Here it is in its entirety:
“Mike’s hard lemonade products available in the United States are lemon malt based beverages (fermented barley beer malt) yet highly sensitive tests indicate that mike’s products do not contain any traces of gluten. As you can imagine, it’s pretty exciting and unique to be able to remove gluten as we have so we cannot elaborate on our filtration process.
Our products were sent to the Food Allergy Research Program at the University of Nebraska, Lincoln to be analyzed using the R5 ELISA test which is currently the industry recognized test for gluten. To be considered gluten free, products must test below 20 ppm (parts per million). In this test one ppm is equal to one milligram of gluten per kilogram of sample. The lowest the R5 ELISA test can quantify is 5 ppm. Our mike’s hard lemonade products tested below the limit of quantification, meaning less than 5 ppm, less than the 20 ppm needed to quality as gluten free.
Because the R5 ELISA tests cannot quantify below 5 ppm, nor can we completely guarantee the absence of gluten from other beverages produced in the same bottling facilities, please consult with your doctor if you are extremely sensitive so the best decision can be made for you in the very slight chance that there would be unquantifiable traces of gluten in the product.”
IMPORTANT UPDATE: Since doing this post in late April (with the detailed response from the company quoted directly above), the company is now stating as of June 2011 that only the Mike’s Lite and Cranberry Lite are now gluten free. See info on the Mike’s Web Page Now.
I know some people still feel that gluten free should mean zero…and that’s okay. But if you are okay with the idea of 20 ppm being gluten free, then I think you can try it. Of course the labeling law is an issue, how can they make this claim if there’s no standard set in the US for what gluten free is. That whole labeling law issue will be taken up at the Gluten Free Labeling Summit on Wednesday in Washington.
What do you think?? Will you be trying some this weekend?
April 29th, 2011 at 9:31 pm
If this GF, does it hold true for all Mike’s products or just hard lemonade.
I miss them in the summmer.
If it is all flavors then I will be back
April 30th, 2011 at 7:31 am
Becky, you can feel free to contact them to confirm, but I was understanding they all were gluten free. Probably safer for you to check. Whatever you find out, please report back!
June 20th, 2011 at 9:50 am
I DO NOT believe that this is gluten free. I drank it last night at our father’s day celebration and I am now doubled over in pain. I barely slept last night due to stomach pain and it was the only thing I ingested that could be the culprit. My glands are swollen as well, which is a telltale sign for me that I’m having a gluten or dairy reaction (i’m also allergic to dairy). So as one celiac to another, I say STAY AWAY from Mike’s Hard.
June 20th, 2011 at 5:48 pm
It appears since this post they have changed their stance: Their website now says: http://www.mikeshard.com/faq.php?cat=Gluten
“Our mike’s lite hard lemonade and mike’s lite hard cranberry lemonade products were put through a variety of highly sensitive tests that indicate they are gluten-free. The ELISA test, the most stringent test currently available for gluten quantification, indicates that both lite products contain less than 5 parts per million (ppm) of gluten, meaning they can be considered gluten-free.
In fact, the neutral malt base that has been the core of all of our products since 2005 is also gluten-free – as are the additional individual ingredients we add to our beverages. However, since we do not test all of our final products for the presence of gluten protein, we do not promote them all as gluten-free at this time.”
I have emailed the person who answered my questions back in April and I look forward to an upcoming post with updated information.
July 7th, 2011 at 5:44 pm
I also tried Mike’s Hard Cranberry Lite. I had a reaction as well. I do not recommend drinking this if you cannot have gluten. I had this last Friday night, and I’ve been in pain all week. (It’s now the Thursday after!)
July 14th, 2011 at 8:42 pm
Well, I have drank both the lite and the cranberry and have not had a reaction yet. I do not have Celiac Disease but am gluten intolerant. Probably makes a huge difference!!! So if you don’t have Celiac disease than I think it is worth a try if you crave one during the hot summer months like I do.
July 18th, 2011 at 1:05 am
Thanks for this update. My sister sat next to a Mike’s rep on the plane this spring and he was so excited about the new products. However, when I read their web site, I was skeptical. I’m glad I haven’t tried it and I have no intention to do so. Potato, grape or rice vodka, some lemonade and sparkling water will work for me!
August 2nd, 2011 at 5:24 am
I’m allergic to gluten, and I had a mikes last night after reading on their website that they are gluten free. I don’t know about that! I am in a lot of pain right now!! Def. would not suggest drinking this if you get sick from gluten!!!
August 2nd, 2011 at 9:58 pm
Thank you so much for this post and information! I’m only gluten intolerant, and I’m drinking a hard lemonade right now, so we’ll see…
August 5th, 2011 at 1:52 pm
I have Celiac, but with a higher tolerance than most. I’ve had Mike’s on several occasions without issue. I KNOW when I’ve been ‘glutened’…there’s no mistaking it, but as I said, I am not as sensitive as some people are.
For people that don’t know just how sensitive they are to gluten, I definitely would steer clear of these drinks.
August 28th, 2011 at 8:19 am
I got sick as well, I’ve been drinking one a night for the past couple of weeks and have been feeling very sick but I haven’t been able to figure out where the gluten was coming from, I didn’t even think about Mike’s because it says gluten free….after reading this and reading about the ELISA test Im pretty sure it was the Mikes. I’m going to cut it out and see if that takes care of it.
August 28th, 2011 at 5:53 pm
Trying one now. Takes me about 2 hours to find out. I’ll check back later.
August 28th, 2011 at 8:50 pm
Having my 3rd one now. Feel fine.
October 9th, 2011 at 10:32 am
Have Celiacs. Had an original Mike’s hard lemonade last night – 2 cans. Am miserable today and will not drink them again. It will take a week to recoup from this.
October 18th, 2011 at 12:04 pm
I have tried regular Mikes and Mikes light. Mikes light seems to be OK. However I have tried the full calorie Mikes and had a (slight)reaction.
October 30th, 2011 at 7:50 pm
I had a Mikes Lite (GF) last night and became very sick. In fact I felt worst drinking the Mikes then I did eating a piece of regular pizza. I wish I could believe these were gluten free, but I will NEVER risk having another one of these beverages again.
November 26th, 2011 at 11:40 pm
I think that there are probably much different tolerances in effect here with most of the reactions. I have not been diagnosed as Celiac, but have many of the symptoms (IBS, Seborrhea, always tired), so I am giving up gluten. I LIVE on bread, pasta and cookies. Also, Mike’s is the ONLY alcoholic beverage that I like (Sorry, Zima). I have never cared for beer, don’t particularly like wine, and gave up the rare Hard Liquor beverage years ago. This forum has been helpful.
I pose to you, however, this question: For those of you who have had severe reactions to GF Mike’s Lite (Less than 5 PPM which SHOULD be negligible unless oyu have a severe allergy), do you also have a YEAST allergey? I know that sometimes food allergies come in pairs or groups (dairy, gluten, berries, nuts, yeast). Alcohol comes from fermented yeast (as we all learned in science class). Could this contribute to the reactions when said beverage contains such allegedly small amounts? Just wondering if I should give up all alcohol due to the yeast.
January 20th, 2012 at 4:41 pm
Ken, yeast should not be an issue. As a matter of fact Bob’s Red Mill Gluten Free pizza mix has a yeast packet.
February 5th, 2012 at 5:23 pm
Just bought Mikes Hard cranberry lemonade (light) and the box actually says “gluten free” on it!
made my night!!
May 1st, 2012 at 8:58 pm
“I know some people still feel that gluten free should mean zero
July 30th, 2012 at 11:25 pm
Seems to me that mike’s wants both–to be considered malt and also GF.
August 1st, 2012 at 7:53 pm
Since so many with celiac have had reactions according to these posts, I myself as gluten intolerant will NOT be drinking them. Even if the gluten intolerant don’t have a tangible reaction who knows what is going on at the cellular level – it is not worth it for a drink – I will take the extra time and stick to my homemade yummy margaritas. They are more work but they are good and I just drink less cuz I have to work at it. Thanks for the info though.
February 13th, 2013 at 8:19 am
Drank one last night at the hockey game and was up all night doubled-over. Still not even 100% this morning . . . NEVER AGAIN!!!
April 7th, 2013 at 2:36 am
Found this site after having major bloating and discomfort last night after drinking just 1 Mike’s Hard Lemonade. I’m just gluten intolerant and I’ve been off gluten for about 8 months now. Don’t know if it’s gluten or something else, but the drink seems to trigger a reaction in people that react to gluten.
David
May 21st, 2013 at 6:27 pm
I have celiacs and am incredibly sensitive. I’ve had Mike’s a few times with no adverse reaction. However, the issue of cross contamination does arise, which probably makes it safer to stay away.