Allergy to beer fermenting in the room ?

[brewman !]

Has anyone experienced an allergic reaction to a beer fermenting in a room ?

 

[Electric Brewer]

Sooooo, allergy to CO2?

 

[brewman !]

Sooooo, allergy to CO2?

Is that a thing ?
I was thinking yeast or hop aromas coming out of the airlock.

 

[Electric Brewer]

Is that a thing ?

Well, you would be allergic to your own breath. Pretty sure anyone who is allergic to CO2 would die as newborn and the gene will disappear by itself.

Also, I don't think yeast release spores like mushrooms. So the only thing coming out of the airlock is CO2 and, if you have a special yeast, Krausen, which should go in a blowoff tube and in sanitizer anyway.

 

[brewman !]

I agree. And yet someone in my house is having an allergic reaction and the only thing that has changed is a beer started fermenting.

 

[Tom R]

Any possibility it's not the fermenting, but the dust from milling the grain? Some folks are very sensitive to that.

 

[brewman !]

The dust was contained in the garage and immediately vacuumed up. And that was 2 days ago.

 

[Electric Brewer]

How much does she hate your hobby? On a scale from zero, where she loves it, to ten, where she would fake allergies to spite you?

 

[Dgallo]

Do you drink beer and have no issue? It’s not only co2 coming out of you airlock suggested previously. There is hydrogen sulfide, hop compounds, malt compounds and yeast byproducts. Sure people could be sensitive to any of that. Some people are so allergic to tree nuts or peanuts that just the smell of them can cause anaphylactic reactions.

all that said, if someone can drink beer I’d be hard pressed to think they are allergic to fermentation

 

[Qhrumphf]

Well, you would be allergic to your own breath. Pretty sure anyone who is allergic to CO2 would die as newborn and the gene will disappear by itself.

Also, I don't think yeast release spores like mushrooms. So the only thing coming out of the airlock is CO2 and, if you have a special yeast, Krausen, which should go in a blowoff tube and in sanitizer anyway.

It's more than just CO2 (though that's the bulk of it). Lots of volatiles are produced during fermentation. Ever smell sulfur from a lager or cider?

 

[beersk]

Get a 5 cu ft chest freezer with a temp controller and ferment in that. Keep the door closed start to finish.

 

[bailey mountain brewer]

sometimes i sneeze a few times when i drink really hoppy beers, which i love, kinda like when you walk outside on a sunny day, which i also love. but i guess thats not really an allergy so ... dont know where i was going with that.. yeah

cheers!

 

[IslandLizard]

someone in my house is having an allergic reaction and the only thing that has changed is a beer started fermenting.

Sure it's an allergic reaction, not just suggestion due to unfamiliar smells?
Some people are very sensitive to (new) smells, but not necessarily allergic to them.

Ferment in a different area?
Or vent the airlock/blow-off jar outlet to the garage or outdoors. 20-40' of 3/8" ID vinyl hose is easy to implement and causes no issues.

 

[brewman !]

How much does she hate your hobby? On a scale from zero, where she loves it, to ten, where she would fake allergies to spite you?

It's my daughter. She's fine with my brewing.

 

[PuddingWar]

I found that I'm fairly sensitive to the co2 coming off the fermenters causing headache, so I added blow off tubes going outside to a milk jug half full of sanitizer just get rid of it.
If you think its just allergies I would try a blow off tube next to the fermenter having more and deeper water then an airlock should help to capture any pollen and any other things making it though the air lock.

 

[Vale71]

What's coming from the fermenter is a mixture of gases. No gases are known to cause an allergic reaction although food allergies often cause build up of gases in uncomfortable places. Proteins and metals can and do cause allergic reactions but they're not volatile.

I'm pretty sure the "allergic reaction" is just in the person's mind and not the body. [babbling removed -mod]

 

[tracer bullet]

Well.... depending on how old or daring she is, she could get right up close to the airlock for a while. If it makes things worse, then it may be the cause. If not, probably not.

Depending on the size of your house and the air handling there might not be enough concentration of anything in the air to notice, but who knows for sure. House dependent and sensitivity to it if any I suppose.

 

[tracer bullet]

I found that I'm fairly sensitive to the co2 coming off the fermenters causing headache, so I added blow off tubes going outside to a milk jug half full of sanitizer just get rid of it.
If you think its just allergies I would try a blow off tube next to the fermenter having more and deeper water then an airlock should help to capture any pollen and any other things making it though the air lock.

Something like this would be interesting if the beer is indeed the cause. Maybe blow-off through a filter then into a jar? Assuming of course it didn't plug up.

 

[brewman !]

Thanks for the replies, guys.

The beer has finished fermenting. I've put the carboy in a plastic bag and sealed it. We'll see what happens going forward.