Though celiac disease - an autoimmune disorder triggered by the consumption of gluten - affects less than 1% of the U.S. population (1 in 133, actually), as many as 6% are allergic or gluten-sensitive.

That means no pizza (except for those cardboard tapioca crusts), no French fries, no cookies, no everything, and worst of all, no beer.

As a diagnosed celiac sufferer, California Kebab (4150 Mission Boulevard #208 - Pacific Beach) manager Garrett Reed knows better than anyone that a life without beer is a dismal life indeed.

To restore hope in hops for the 1 in 133, Reed went on a quest for a gluten-free beer that didn’t taste life a gluten-free beer, and, thanks to San Diego’s own White Labs and their Clarity Ferm enzyme, he’s found it.

“There are too many things we have to avoid,” says Reed. “Beer shouldn’t be one of them.”

After some R&D in California Kabob’s in-house Amplified Ale Works beer lab, brewers Cy Henley and JC Hill found no discernible taste difference with the addition of Clarity Ferm and have decreed that from now on, all of Amplified Ales will include the gluten-neutralizing enzyme to benefit Reed and his fellow celiac sufferers.

“A natural enzyme is added to the wort at the beginning of fermentation,” a press release explains.

“The enzyme attaches to and breaks down the gluten molecules into tiny pieces so they won’t react with the human body. Although Clarity Ferm breaks down the gluten to be unrecognizable to the human body the FDA is not allowed to recognize products that were made with gluten-containing products to be considered ‘gluten-free.’ But rest assured, if people like Reed can enjoy a beer, other gluten sensitive sufferers can too.”

Amplified Ale Works will be celebrating their 1-year anniversary in November with more than ten house beers in their three-barrel system, including Pig Nose Pale Ale, Electrocution IPA, Smokin’ Kiwi Red IPA, Little Big Muff Brown Ale, Leggy Blonde Ale, Rare Form Belgian Quad and Treble Tripel – all safe for the 6.75% of Americans who would otherwise be drinking wine.