Gluten Free Beer: Celia

A few weeks ago I brought you the good news of some delicious gluten free beer brewed right here in the UK. But it turns out we're not the only ones making coeliac-friendly brews: Celia, a hand-crafted beer hailing from the Czech Republic, is set to be introduced into the UK. Lucky ol' me was sent some samples to try - the lager and the dark lager!

Celia is batch-brewed in a 14th century castle using Moravian malt from the Bohemian region, organically grown Saaz hops (the only hops with PDO status) and locally sourced, sand filtered water from the Zatec foothills. It's naturally carbonated from a 14-day open fermentation period, meaning you can avoid that bloated feeling, and as an added Brucie Bonus, silicon filtration means all you vegans out there can enjoy this one too!

Celia lager (£2.49 at Ocado) is a malty glass of loveliness. A light amber colour, the nose has bread, yeast, orange and toffee. Due to the natural carbonation, there isn't much of a head. Typically Czech in style it has a nice bready note with citrus and a touch of pepper. Not as long a finish as some but this is a good quality, easy drinking lager.

Celia's dark lager (also £2.49 at Ocado) is much more reminiscent of a good stout. Smoky, toasted bread and chocolate all make an appearance in the nasal poem that this is. Black fruit, caramel and a generous amount of smoky character make for a moreish dark lager.

As well as Ocado, Celia is going to be hitting the shelves of Waitrose, Oddbins, Booths and Whole Foods Markets in the next few weeks. RRP £2.50 a bottle, or a 4-pack for £8 from Waitrose.