Sourcing the Ingredients
Every protocol on this site names specific products, and product names rot — our own archive tracks the same enzyme under three names. This page is organized around what to ask for, because the class and the question stay true after the label changes.
Enzymes
The protocols name commercial products because that's what the records document. When you buy, match the class, follow your vendor's dose, and get the gluten-free statement in writing — here's why that last one is not paranoia.
| Ask for | It plays the role of | Watch for |
|---|---|---|
| Heat-stable (bacterial) alpha-amylase | Liquefaction at 180–203°F — the Termamyl role | Must state a working temperature at or above your liquefaction hold |
| Brewing enzyme blend (alpha-amylase + protease + beta-glucanase) | The conversion-stage workhorse — the Ondea Pro role | Blends vary; ask what activities are actually in the bottle |
| Glucoamylase (amyloglucosidase) | The finishing enzyme — dryness and attenuation | This is the glucose-forward choice; know what that does to your wort |
| Fungal alpha-amylase | The maltose-forward conversion route | Fragile — it dies above ~140°F and outside pH 5.0–5.5; dose only after temperature and pH are right |
Homebrew suppliers repackage commercial enzymes into small bottles under house names. That's fine — the label should still tell you the class, the working temperature, and the pH range. If it doesn't, ask, and if the seller can't answer, buy elsewhere.
Sorghum malt
The harder ingredient. Questions that matter more than price:
- Is it whole-grain malted sorghum — not syrup, not flaked unmalted grain?
- What's the gluten-free control? A malt house that also handles barley or wheat needs to show you how lots are separated and tested — the same chain we document for production. Ask for lot testing, not a policy statement.
- What roast? Pale sorghum malt is the base for everything on this site. Roasted sorghum malt in the Vienna-and-darker range is how Tavern Ale gets its center.
- The specialty gluten-free malt catalog at glutenfreehomebrewing.com is the most developed homebrew-scale source we know of — credit where it's due.
Everything else
| Ingredient | Sourcing reality | The gluten-free wrinkle |
|---|---|---|
| Rice hulls | Any homebrew shop | Ask how they're handled — hulls are gluten-free grain handled in shops full of barley dust |
| Buckwheat groats | Grocery or online; medium-to-dark roasted groats are often sold as kasha | Check the packaging facility statement |
| Hops | Normal supply, any shop | None — hops carry no gluten risk |
| Yeast | Normal supply — but see the wrinkle | Liquid yeast is propagated on a substrate, frequently barley wort. Get the supplier's statement |
| Yeast nutrient | Any shop | Not all are gluten-free — check before it hits the kettle |
| Water salts (gypsum, calcium chloride) | Any shop | None — mineral salts |
| Tetra hop extract | The hard one at small scale — post-fermentation iso-extract products exist but few shops stock them | The 5-IBU swap is worth the hunt for head retention on a sorghum base |
The habit that ties it together
Record what you actually used — product, lot, dose — in your batch notes. When your beer surprises you in either direction, that record is the difference between a finding and an anecdote. That's the data.