Dozens of people belly up to The Angel Inn's bar in northern England, scanning the special menu and watching as bartenders pour pints of frothy beer specially brewed for those with gluten intolerance.

The gluten-free business is booming in Britain and Ireland with restaurants, supermarkets, support groups and festivals catering to celiacs, or people allergic to proteins found in wheat, barley and oats. For a long time, it was a chore to find gluten-free beers or entrees in restaurants. That's changed in the last five years to the point that an advocacy Web site for celiacs lists more than 100 restaurants in the UK that feature gluten-free menu items.

Increased awareness of the affliction has made eating out easier for Jean Wheatman, 57, who curtailed trips to restaurants after being diagnosed as a celiac six years ago. For Wheatman and others with the allergy, most types of bread, beer and pasta are taboo. Even soy sauce is out, unless it's specially manufactured.

"I used to avoid the hassle of bugging the waiters and explaining the disease time and time again," Wheatman said. "But now, a lot more people know about it."

And it's not just celiacs who are benefiting from the gluten-free boom. Adding the items to a menu is a good way for a pub or restaurant to fill up tables. Just ask Angel Inn manager James Godbehere, who had to turn away 20 customers on one of the pub's packed gluten-free Tuesday nights recently.

"Five years ago people didn't know what gluten was. Customers stare in awe at the menu and say, 'Oh, I can eat everything on the menu. I can actually drink beer,'" he said.

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Unlike European countries that prefer wine — which naturally lacks gluten — Britain loves its pubs and beer. The country has 59,000 pubs that sell more than 2,000 different types of beer, according to the Brewers of Europe trade organization.

The northern English town of Chesterfield hosted 1,600 people at the world's first international gluten-free beer festival in February, said Steve Ford, the festival's organizer and a celiac. Around the world, there are about 30 gluten-free beers, including Against the Grain, the citrusy, bitter brew served at The Angel Inn.

"Pubs are important to the English. Beer is important to the English," Ford said. "A lot of celiacs feel they can't go out because they can't eat or drink anything, but if it's what the country does, then it's not fair to isolate them."

About one in every 100 people in Britain is allergic to gluten, according to Coeliac UK, Britain's largest charity dedicated to helping sufferers overcome the disease. While the ratio is about the same in the United States, the disease isn't diagnosed there as frequently, according to health experts and celiac advocates. As a result, the gluten-free industry is less developed in America, advocates say.

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Because the symptoms of gluten allergy are similar to those associated with irritable bowel syndrome and lactose intolerance, it has often been misdiagnosed, said Dr. William Dickey, whose Northern Ireland clinic in Londonderry caters to celiacs. Symptoms can include depression, an upset stomach and nausea. Both a blood test and a biopsy are used to determine whether people suffer from the disease. Celiacs are most commonly diagnosed between the ages of 40 and 60, Dickey said.

A strict gluten-free diet is the only way for those with the allergy to completely avoid symptoms. Making everyday foods gluten-free is as often as simple as substituting ingredients. For example, a person can leave the offending protein out of a loaf of bread by baking with rice flour instead of wheat flour. Meanwhile, brewers substitute sorghum for barley to make gluten-free beer.

Celiac support groups have also multiplied, as have Web sites like glutenfreeonthego.com and celiacsingles.com .

A local support group informed Dave and Vicki Neath, parents to a gluten-intolerant youngster, of the menu at The Angel's Inn.

Their 7-year-old daughter Eleanor shrieked with delight when she found out the pub served gluten-free fish and chips. She hadn't had the popular English dish since being diagnosed with the allergy in December.

At the end of the meal, she smiled and said, "I'm happy. I'm glad I got to eat that."

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asap contributor Laura-Claire Corson, a senior at the University of Wisconsin, worked in the AP's London bureau.

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