Allergic to Hops

[mrk305]

He gets a rash on his face and has problems with his sinuses, He has no interest in brewing his own beer so I figured that I would try brewing a batch for him.


Rash and sinuses? I could live with that.

 

[ruppe]

Thanks for all the input, gruits were kind of the direction I probably was thinking when I posed the question, but couldn't remember what they were called. I actually was mulling the idea of using green tea leaves to flavor a brew, but haven't gotten around to trying it.

 

[DSV]

Some friends brew a gruit with green tea and lemon grass. Hops are an allergen, but getting the test wouldn't be a bad idea. Personally, if faced with the prospect of gruit -- I'd move to scotch.

 

[Flyin' Lion]

Have you with "allergies" to hops actually seen an Allergist?

Not trying to be an A-hole here, but there is a reason their are only about 8 common food allergies.

Without a specific allergy test I would be very inclined the food allergy is not to hops but to something else. And I do know a thing or two about allergies.

Wow, I haven't revisited this thread in a while. I only see this friend occasionally, when we venture to Jersey, but he still says he has the allergic reaction only when he drinks beer--and especially when he drinks the hoppier beers. He has not been to an allergist that I'm aware of and he tends to drink Jack-and-cokes with beer occasionally. I say this only because there are a few questions regarding his "case," but I did make a batch of heather ale that
was different. It did get better with age, but not enough to warrant him drinking that instead of the mixed drinks.

 

[Doobberweizen]

I'm allergic to hops too according to my doctor, but I drink beer anyway, can't really notice any reaction to it. Sometimes I think I get a little bit more stuffed up, or itchy, but thats it

 

[MikeFlynn74]

I am allergic to hops as well- The only real symptoms are

pissed off SWMBO
thinning of the wallet
general Malaise

 

[Freezeblade]

I've made a few gruits in my day, I think the key with them is to choose a style which doesn't have too much hop flavor to start with, then replace with the yarrow/mugwort or wormwood. If you choose the latter, be really careful with it, as wormwood is very bitter, think like 1 Tablespoon per 5 gallon (dry) early in the boil, and scale up from there. Wits originally had little to no hops, using alternate means to bitter, and I've had great results in doing a spiced Saison and a Belgian golden ale using gruit to bitter. It may not be exactly what you're used to drinking, but it's an acquired taste. The Buzz you get is quite interesting too, as many Gruit spices are mild stimulants or have very mild narcotic effects.

 

[Atl300zx]

i remember watching Beer Nuts and they were in a city with a large population of people from some eurpoean country (cant remember anymore), but apparently a large % of the population was allergic to hops and they brewed lots of beer sans the hops.

 

[sharpstick]

I'm allergic to hops too according to my doctor, but I drink beer anyway, can't really notice any reaction to it. Sometimes I think I get a little bit more stuffed up, or itchy, but thats it

look up brewer's droop. an effect of hops. i'm definitely trying out gruit.

 

[foxtrot]

I've dealt with sinus allergies all my life. Some beers and wines affect me and I believe its the strain of yeast, not the hops.

 

[ericd]

Well....

You can get the piney character from juniper berries.
You can get the bittering from anything in the Artemesia family (wormwood, mugwort)
You can get the citrus character from citrus peel (oddly enough) grapefruit, curacao oranges etc...

You can mix and match these and probably come up with something for your buddy.

 

[TheChemist]

Amazon.com: Sacred and Herbal Healing Beers: The Secrets of Ancient Fermentation: Stephen Harrod Buhner: Books this book is pretty helpful, if you're looking at pre-hop/non-hopped beers