Gluten Free Beer in Argentina

Argentina has a unique and up-and-coming gluten free (GF) beer scene. Local laws have enabled 100% GF beers to emerge in the market, and in recent years it has become more available.

In this article, I’ll cover what makes the Argentinian GF beer market so unique, where you can buy it, and which beers are available.

The Lowdown

Before 2023

Before 2023, Argentinian law required that any beer marked GF had to be made from naturally gluten free grains. Creating a palatable beer from naturally gluten free grains is challenging; it requires time, experimentation, and investment. Considering the demand for such beers is so low compared to regular beer, it’s no surprise that only a handful of breweries worldwide have attempted it.

Imports of international 100% GF beers were prohibitively expensive, and there were just a few local craft breweries tackling this market on a small scale. As a result, gluten free beer was hard to come by. You would have to search long and hard to come across it.

A benefit of this law was that it gave local breweries the space to try experimenting with gluten free grains. The GF beer market was open and unfilled, so anyone that did manage to come up with a good recipe could profit. This led to the birth of some great gluten free breweries that are still going strong today.

Post 2023

In 2023, the Argentinian government altered the law to allow gluten-reduced beers, with a gluten content <10ppm, to be sold under the Sin TACC label. You’ll notice this differs from the international standard of <20ppm. This was tactically brilliant; it created the room for Argentinian breweries to start manufacturing gluten-reduced beers while prohibiting international beers that conform to <20ppm from being imported and sold as gluten free.

By this point, however, several Argentine breweries had already perfected their gluten free recipes. As a result, the market is still dominated by 100% GF beers. Personally, I love it when manufacturers create beers from gluten free grains. When drinking gluten-reduced beers, even though the law deems it safe, a small part of you is still aware that you’re voluntarily putting gluten into your body.

While it seems to be taking a while for Argentinian manufacturers to catch up with the change in law, gluten-reduced beers are starting to become available. Michelob is the first big brand name to announce a gluten-reduced version of their beer in Argentina, and it is slowly starting to appear on the supermarket shelves.

Where to Find Gluten Free Beer in Argentina

The most reliable locations to buy GF beers are still at dedicated GF shops and cafes. Here you will also find the largest range of beers to choose from. These shops are fairly common in the major cities. Some examples include:

• Sin Gluten Express - Buenos Aires
• Celidiet - Mendoza
• Ostara Almacén Sin Gluten - Bariloche

Some GF beers are starting to creep into the larger supermarkets. Examples include Gauther Sin TACC in Carrefour and Michelob Ultra Sin Gluten in Jumbo and La Anónima. Some artisanal gluten free beers are often available in supermarkets too. In smaller towns, gluten free beer is hard to come by. Ordering online may be your best option.

An overwhelmingly large number of restaurants and bars sell gluten free beers too; there are too many to list. As always, your best option for finding places that serve gluten free beer near you is on the Find Me Gluten Free app.

The Gluten Free Beers

Almirante Donn

Almirante Donn is a dedicated GF brewery, making beers with millet, buckwheat and rice grains. They currently produce 7 beers, including a blonde ale, Irish red, IPA, porter, honey ale, witbier, and an alcohol-free lager. They have a GF taproom in Buenos Aires where you can drink an actual pint.

Their beer is widely available throughout Argentina. Check the map on their website to find your local stockist.

For international readers, I was going to recommend visiting mycava.com which sells these beers with international shipping, but at $21 USD per bottle, it’s not worth wasting your time with a link!

Straus

Straus make their beers with sorghum, another gluten free grain. Sorghum beers are common in parts of rural Africa, but it is a challenging grain to work with (I’ve tried brewing my own beer from this, it tasted like chemically treated pond water). From the reviews, it sounds like Straus have made a good beer with it.

Guather

A range of Guather beers are available in some Carrefour supermarkets. They’re made with millet and come in a variety of styles including a lager, gold beer and honey lager.

Big Tartaruga

Big Tartaruga is another company brewing beer only from naturally gluten free grains. It’s not as widely distributed as Almirante Donn and can usually only be found online.

Michelob Ultra GF

Michelob seems to be the first major brewery that’s started to produce enzyme-treated gluten free beer that’s <10ppm. It was first available for purchase at the end of 2024. It’s currently possible to find it in some Jumbo and La Anónima supermarkets, and to purchase online at Mercado Libre. There are rumours it will become widely available across the country soon.