Odd Allergy Question

My wife has developed a minor allergic reaction to some beers. First off, this is not gluten related.

Fortunately, one of those beers was by a local brewery and I was able to get a recipe of the beer in question. There's no unusual ingredients, just hops and grains. I've used all the hops they use in my homebrews and she's never had a reaction. The grains they used that I have not were Special K and Melanoidin.

We're thinking the yeast might be the culprit. Has anyone heard of an allergic reaction to a specific strain of yeast? The one in question is Ringwood Ale.

what kind of reaction?

Just a minor irritation on the lips. Nothing anafilactic or anything.

was she wearing lipstick? when was she drinking this? it doesnt matter because YOU'RE POISONING THE BOTTLES!



ok, maybe not. but yeast is yeast i would imagine. Maybe it has something to do with the process of the brew or maybe not even the beer at all but something she did could have coincided with the drinking of the beer?

Ringwood is weird yeast. That may be the culprit.

Or it could be lupus.

Tannins perhaps?

Does she have a known allergy? even a seasonal kind?

The other thing would be to try to isolate what is the culprit. You could make a hop(high IBU and AA), yeast and wort (unhopped) "tea" and rub a small amount across the lips and have her drink the rest of a 1-2oz solution, with a few hours in between each "test". Then observe her and see if you can isolate the allergy.

This could also be a chemical reaction as well, bleach and other harsh cleaning/sanitizing agents could be the cause, even if they are trace amounts...This still does not take into account the water and the chemicals that the glass was cleaned in...

I do NOT recommend the above testing with chemicals...:cross:

GL

Ringworm Ale? THERE'S your problem!

Sorry, no, I don't have anything constructive to add. If you're sure it's not the hops, it's probably a chemical they use, whether for sanitization, water prep, whatever.

Sigafoos said:

Or it could be lupus.

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Seriously? My girlfriend has mild lupus and has had a similar reaction from beer. What's the connection?

'Damn it, Otto, you're an alcoholic.' 'Damn it, Otto, you have lupus.' 'One of those two doesn't sound right.'

Click to expand...

Actually, she has an immune disorder which was originally thought to possible be lupus so I'll mention it to her.

She has two kinds of allergies, in addition to standard seasonal staff. This is the same reaction she gets from cheeses and anchovies. The other is that she's deathly allergic to poultry.

They guys at the brewpub recommended she come down and sample a bunch of beers since all their ingredient lists are on the wall.

It's not lupus. It's NEVER lupus!

A shot in the dark here but I'm thinking maybe it's on the glasses. Something they use to clean/disinfect them with?? Maybe try just drinking water next time to see if she still gets the reaction??