Friend says he is allergic to beer. Solutions?

[kombat]

Hey guys,

I have a friend who says he's allergic to beer. Basically, if he has 2 or 3 beer, then the next morning, he says he feels like he got hit by a train. As far as I know, he doesn't have any unusual symptoms while actually drinking the beer - it's not until the next morning. The result sounds like a really bad hangover.

It's not that he's just an extreme lightweight. He drinks scotch on a regular basis. Other alcohols are fine - it's something in beer.

Any idea what ingredient would cause this type of reaction? Is there anything he can do to remedy it? Maybe something he could take with the beer to counteract the symptoms?

 

[Irisndfan2]

he could be gluton intollerant. My dad's friend has siliac and he can't drink regular beer. But he can drink wine fine.

Try makign a gluton-free beer. Theres recipies all over. My father's friend tells me that they are pretty terrible though haha, but im sure people have had some success in the past with them./

 

[Zamial]

I have a friend that has convinced himself that he is allergic to every beer other than Bud Light. He is highly allergic to fish and believes this may be related. I tried to push the issue 1 time and he got pretty upset. I now just no longer offer him any of my beer. Sometimes the "More for me" attitude is just simpler than anything else...

GL

 

[SimBrew]

What Irisndfan2 said or

I got a friend who is allergic to barley only, I did a full wheat bear for her and she had no problem with it. She had been tested for all ingredients that could be found in beer since beer was what she react to and they narrow it down to Barley.

 

[tdogg]

make cider!

 

[luke2080]

My sister has celiac - more recently diagnosed so she can no longer enjoy a normal beer. There are some gluten free beers on the market, but I am planning to go the route of finding a recipe and brewing up a batch. (All the recipes on the site are extract or partial mash recipes, still trying to find some sort of AG one using lots of rice/corn) a
Basically, since Bud Light is 50% corn/rice, that has smaller amounts of barely and thus less gluten, so the person that says he is allergic to other beers besides BL may be slightly right, as there would be less gluten in Bud Light. (I assume, I don't really know)

If your friend is allergic to the Gluten, Sake is technically a beer not a wine, and is a great way to get drunk.

 

[ArcaneXor]

Clarity Ferm from White Labs supposedly lowers the gluten content of barley beers to a level that many (but not necessarily all) celiacs can tolerate. YMMV - I am not a doctor, just posting what I've heard.

 

[bh10]

Clarity Ferm from White Labs supposedly lowers the gluten content of barley beers to a level that many (but not necessarily all) celiacs can tolerate. YMMV - I am not a doctor, just posting what I've heard.

My wifes a celiac and I use clarity ferm in all my beers now, and now she can drink them w/out getting sick.

 

[the_trout]

Have you considered getting a new friend?

 

[realjd]

One of my friends has a wheat allergy. He also has reactions to other grains, just not as severe. He can't drink beer but man can he put down some bourbon.

But in this case I'd say it's most likely the gluten. If he were allergic to barley or something like that it would be a true allergic reaction. He'd get puffy, itchy, etc.

 

[davidhaunte]

avoid beer just drink cider !

 

[brewmcq]

It's not an allergic reaction if the "effects" aren't felt until the next day. Mast cells work a lot quicker than that.

 

[bh10]

It's not an allergic reaction if the "effects" aren't felt until the next day. Mast cells work a lot quicker than that.

I agree dude sounds like he cant handle his alcohol.

 

[JeepDiver]

is it any beer. Drank Miller Lite thorugh college and high school. Started getting really bad hangovers a few years out of college when I drank beer. Finally realized there is something in Miller that either that started adding or that I became allergic too. To this day I drink 2 miller products and feel like I got hit by a train

 

[arturo7]

+1 on new friend

 

[brewmcq]

is it any beer. Drank Miller Lite thorugh college and high school. Started getting really bad hangovers a few years out of college when I drank beer. Finally realized there is something in Miller that either that started adding or that I became allergic too. To this day I drink 2 miller products and feel like I got hit by a train

I'm the same way with A-B products. Coors Light is the only crappy beer I can drink without getting sick.

 

[BrewForMe]

Have you considered getting a new friend?

+1

 

[Vance71975]

It's not an allergic reaction if the "effects" aren't felt until the next day. Mast cells work a lot quicker than that.

+1 if it was an Allergy it would hit him RIGHT AWAY like within an hour or less of drinking the beer, Has he Actually TRIED home brew and had the same problem?

I remember reading somewhere that there is something like 400 chemicals that Big Beer manufacturers can add to beer legally without including it on the label and i have also read somewhere that ONE of the big beer makers actually ADDS an ingredient that is KNOWN to cause hangovers, not saying either are true, just that i read it somewhere. I have never had a hangover from craft beer, Or home brew, but back in the day i used to get them from Coors,miller,bud,etc never did figure out exactly why tho lol

 

[dogboysdad]

Could it be some fining agents used by breweries might cause allergic reactions? Isinglas (sp?) is derived from fish I think.

 

[vash1012]

Not to be a stickler, but as a member of the medical profession, the misuse of the word allergy here irks me. An "allergy" is a rash, itching, or swelling, hives, or an anaphylatic reaction. All the effects you all have mentioned are intolerances or side effects.