Anyone here allergic to hops?

Just trying to figure out what symptoms it may cause. I love hops but sometimes it just feels like I've had too much and I'm trying to figure out if I'm allergic in some way.

I see what you did there...

I think the symptoms include blurred vision, slurred speech, and possible nausea...

Strange dreams involving very, very large women and sagging bed springs is a pretty good indicator of a hop allergy.

I must be because that "tripple" hopped Miller Lite made me really sick!

beerloaf

if your serious there are test you can do to tell if your allergic without going to a docter.

talkinggoats said:

strange dreams involving very, very large women and sagging bed springs is a pretty good indicator of a hop allergy.

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+1

TalkingGoats said:

Strange dreams involving very, very large women and sagging bed springs is a pretty good indicator of a hop allergy.

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Aww and i really like hops

Greenbasterd said:

if your serious there are test you can do to tell if your allergic without going to a docter.

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I am serious. I guess I shouldn't have added that smiley. Since I've been home brewing I cough alot and my favorite thing to brew is Imp IPA's. I do get treatment for allergies especially pollen and my dog's dander really messes with me now but it's just not helping so I was wondering what symptoms would hops bring to the picture.

I have a friend who swears he is allergic to hops because he sneezes when he drinks beer, especially IPAs. Not sure if it is a real allergy for him or just coincidence. It doesn't seem to slow him down too much though....

If I have too many strongly hopped beers (ipa, etc) then I get a headache and head congestion.

its easy. just take whatever you want to test, hold it on the side of your face(right by the cheek bone) and hold your other arm out away from your body, not infront of your body but straight out from your side. have somebody push down on your arm lightly. if it goes down when you have hops on your cheek stop using them.. to give you an idea of how hard to push have whoever is testing you put there finger under your nose and push down on your arm. you wont be able to hold it up.. here is a wiki on it.. it works really good. you can also test for vitamins and other thing by havng someone touch certain points on your body
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Applied_kinesiology

dont go by that pic in the wiki. the person testing you should be standing infront of you with one hand on your shoulder and the other on your wrist area to push down

also your not tryin g to fight it.. and the person testing you doesn't have to push with all there might.. just try and listen to your body..it will tell you if it ok to eat something..

I'll have to try that next time I get some hops.
Thanks Green!

thepartsmancometh said:

If I have too many strongly hopped beers (ipa, etc) then I get a headache and head congestion.

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Same here. I'm not a hophead for this reason. I get killer headaches.

In all seriousness, I have to avoid smelling my hops on brew days. They give me a raging headache. Drinking them doesn't bother me.

I quit brewing for about 20 years because I became allergic to my home brews. A bout or two with anaphylaxis will do that to you! I was convinced it was the yeast, as that is a pretty common allergy. A few years ago, I tried my hand at bread making (another GREAT hobby, BTW) and had no issues. After much thought and experimenting with commercial and microbrewery beers, I realized hops was the culprit. I'm back brewing and having a blast. As long as I keep things at less than about 25 IBUs, I'm golden. As an allergen, hops is a pretty convenient one. With a few sips, I can now guess the IBU rating of any beer I taste within about 3 points, so it's pretty easy to stay away from beers I can't drink.

I never really did have a thing for IPA/IIPA-style beers, so I don't feel I'm missing anything. I suppose we all get something a little different out of this hobby (er, excepting beer, of course, which we all get) but I get a bigger charge out of creating a nice, balanced, harmoniously flavored beer than making beers with very strong flavors.

I'm sort of hoping I build up a tolerance, though, as I used to love going to local breweries. Most beer people, though, are nuts for hops and microbreweries brew accordingly.

This is my first post! I like your site, guys, tons of good info, and you tend to hold your tempers better than folks on my chainsaw site. I'll have to think about why that is.

If you have been coughing a lot since starting to brew make sure you're milling your grain in a well-ventilated area and/or don't breath in the dust. A pro brewer told me once that breathing in enough grain dust can cause a fungal infection in your lungs. If you're an extract guy then ignore this, of course.

I have asthma problems sometimes when I drink. Its defiantly possible. Thats why I take a drink/puff the inhaler/drink/puff. Breathing is over rated compared to homebrew..

Have you found anything helpful about hop allergy. I know their jokes are hard to resist.
I suspect the same. Last 20 gal. batch that went extremely well (as far as screw ups ) blurs my vision after 1 or 2 and after three well into the next day. It's about 6.5 abv. Could be something else. Happened to my brother to.
Altho I finished a 6 er of Dogfish 60 with few effects, besides the buzz and a ****y feeling next day, all normal as I usually only partake of 1-3.
So maybe only some hops and maybe none of the above.

Greenbasterd said:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Applied_kinesiology

dont go by that pic in the wiki. the person testing you should be standing infront of you with one hand on your shoulder and the other on your wrist area to push down

also your not tryin g to fight it.. and the person testing you doesn't have to push with all there might.. just try and listen to your body..it will tell you if it ok to eat something..

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I really hope you're kidding with this advice. Go get a diagnosis from an actual doctor if you're worried about an allergy.

I think it's possible. I also have asthma issues sometimes, normally well controlled. Some beers seem to bring a slight asthma attack on. Nothing that I would have to worry about but like BrutalBrew after a few I am almost to the point I would need to use an inhaler, even if I stop drinking them, just a enough of a breathing issue to notice. So I think it's a type of hop used. I haven't experianced the proplem with homebrew so either I haven't used that type of hop or haven't used enough or something along that line.

I have no issues with hops but I am badly allergic to the grain after it is milled. It is mostly the dust issue but if I stick my hand in the milled grain it starts to itch. I now wear a mask over my nose and mouth when I dump my grain into my water.

Einherjar said:

I really hope you're kidding with this advice. Go get a diagnosis from an actual doctor if you're worried about an allergy.

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so not kidding, it only works for people who are open minded and do not go in with a closed mind tho.

getting poked with a needle so see if your body responds is also a method that works (the doctors way) but a little too intrusive and a pain in the ass in my opinion.

western doctors and very good at surgery. Chinese herbalist will heal you without even touching you.

yea i know it seems a little woowoo. but it saved my fathers life when western medicine couldn't find what was ailing him. turned out he was allergic to wheat. and all it took as a trip to the herbalist in china town. this was before gluten intolerance(celiac disease) was a well known thing.

take it for what you will. but it works, and it works good.