Hops/Malt Allergy???

[GHBWNY]

Has anyone heard of or had experience with a bonafied/medically-diagnosed allergic reaction to hops or malt?

Talked to my daughter last night, and as weird as it sounds, she thinks she might be allergic to hops or malt --- or something in beer. She has had migraines for years, but has noticed in this past year that after drinking even a small amount of beer, hours later she is violently ill. Could it be hops? Or malt? It doesn't happen with wine, so it doesn't appear to be yeast-related. Or a mixed drink, so it doesn't appear to be alcohol-related. She hasn't had a beer in six weeks and everything else being equal, she hasn't had any migraine symptoms.

 

[yeahfairly]

You can pretty much be allergic to anything. I know folks who have developed allergies to things that they weren't allergic to just days prior. If I were her I would go to a specialist and see if I couldn't narrow the allergy down to a specific item. It might save her from some needless migraines in the future.....

 

[hunter_le five]

Gluten allergy?

I've got a buddy who was diagnosed with celiac's that said he got real bad migraines every time he ate or drank anything with gluten.

 

[GHBWNY]

Gluten allergy?

I've got a buddy who was diagnosed with celiac's that said he got real bad migraines every time he ate or drank anything with gluten.

Good thought. But unless there is wheat in the beer, I don't see where it would be a gluten issue. I know there are certain sensitivities to grasses which include both wheat AND barley, but I don't think gluten is one of them.

 

[SmokeyMcBong]

Good thought. But unless there is wheat in the beer, I don't see where it would be a gluten issue. I know there are certain sensitivities to grasses which include both wheat AND barley, but I don't think gluten is one of them.

barley has gluten.

 

[aryoung1980]

Good thought. But unless there is wheat in the beer, I don't see where it would be a gluten issue. I know there are certain sensitivities to grasses which include both wheat AND barley, but I don't think gluten is one of them.

There is gluten in barley and brewers yeast.

http://celiac.org/live-gluten-free/glutenfreediet/sources-of-gluten/

 

[GHBWNY]

There is gluten in barley and brewers yeast.

http://celiac.org/live-gluten-free/glutenfreediet/sources-of-gluten/

I stand corrected, thanks! I'll pass that info on to my daughter.

 

[yeahfairly]

If it was Gluten you would think she would be having the headaches more often than just after drinking beer. Gluten is everywhere in the typical diet. However..... considering the fact that Wine and distilled spirits don't contain gluten..... I reckin it's a possibility. Maybe it's something utilized in commercial beer production..... Like a corn allergy (lol)! I still suggest the allergy doctor... they would have an advantage of pinpointing the allergy!

 

[Yooper]

There are people who are allergic to hops, and of course to barley and some are very sensitive to gluten (hence the gluten-free forum and the glut of gluten-free beers are on the market).

It could be the hops, if she's not allergic to barley and can eat beef barley soup, for example, or if she isn't sensitive to gluten.

 

[LongT]

I think that I have a bit of an allergy to hops. I haven't brewed in maybe 20 years but thinking of trying again. The last time I brewed, from a kit, I started feeling ill when I put the hops in. I couldn't drink the beer without getting a real bad headache and sort of a hangover feeing, not even 1 beer. Everyone else thought it was great.

The husband of a co-worker is an avid brewer. She said hops can trigger migranes, related to cannabis I believe she said. I should check the internet to see if that is true! Sounds loosely true from my search.

If she has a gluten intolorance or Celiac Disease she couldn't eat bread. My daughter has, at least, a gluten intolorance. SHe gets sick from just a few crumbs, like left on a knife. Had a piece of pizza that was SUPPOSED to be gluten free but wasn't. Went into near seizures. I'm sure therre are different levels of intolorance though. SHe did not test positive to Celiac. To test positive you have to have had gluten. After the pizza incident she was afraid to have any gluten.

Bill

 

[rhys333]

There's also intolerance to consider as well. I have a slight intolerance to hops. If I go out to a pub and have 3-4 super hoppy IPAs, I end up getting cold-like symptoms and uncontrollable sneezing hours later. If I've been drinking hoppy homebrew, the effects are more pronounced. If I have a malty beer on tap at home I may not react at all.

 

[helibrewer]

There's also intolerance to consider as well. I have a slight intolerance to hops. If I go out to a pub and have 3-4 super hoppy IPAs, I end up getting cold-like symptoms and uncontrollable sneezing hours later. If I've been drinking hoppy homebrew, the effects are more pronounced. If I have a malty beer on tap at home I may not react at all.

Same here, I get hay-fever type symptoms once I get past the mid-25 IBU range.

 

[sky4meplease]

I would precariously get some nasty sinus infection after visiting my LHBS and milling grain in the big mill.
I would say it happened 4-5 times before I put two and two together. Shortly after they put in a dust collection system and I haven't noticed it since.
Coincidence? If I end up allergic to beer my wife has been instructed to kill me in my sleep

 

[Psylocide]

My Mom would get the same "hay fever" symptoms when she used to drink beer. Pretty weird, she'd be stuffed up after 2 drinks.

 

[AnOldUR]

By the time I go to bed on a brewday my head is usually stuffed up and I can't breathe through nose. Fine by the next day. My unscientific diagnosis is that I'm allergic to the dust from milling grain.

Suppose I could wear one of those filter masks, but that would be too easy. :smack:

 

[Psylocide]

By the time I go to bed on a brewday my head is usually stuffed up and I can't breathe through nose. Fine by the next day. My unscientific diagnosis is that I'm allergic to the dust from milling grain.

Suppose I could wear one of those filter masks, but that would be too easy. :smack:

"No officer... I'm just brewing beer, I swear."

 

[soccerdad]

I had a doc tell me once that headaches are very often a result of dehydration ... I have trouble some days when I drink coffee all morning and switch to beer at noon - forgetting to focus on a daily intake of water

Does she drink enough water?

 

[BeerFst]

A buddy of mine in college had the same problem as your daughter. Turns out he was allergic to barley specifically, not gluten. Wine and the hard stuff were never a problem.

 

[GHBWNY]

I had a doc tell me once that headaches are very often a result of dehydration ... I have trouble some days when I drink coffee all morning and switch to beer at noon - forgetting to focus on a daily intake of water

Does she drink enough water?

Yeah, that and she's otherwise very healthy, eats about everything (except beets, like her dad), works out, doesn't smoke. She's had severe migraines for many years, but thinks now there may be a relational 'trigger' between them and beer. I don't think it's a yeast or gluten issue, since she eats foods that contain both.

 

[Warrior]

I think after brewing for well over 25 years I have discovered I am allergic to certain levels of hops. Had a very good Mosiac IPA from sarnac last night. It's a 75 IBU beer and I got a coughing fit and sneezing and runny nose from it. I've had a sneezing fir before from smelling hops before adding to the brew. Just not a reaction like this when drinking an IPA. I wonder if it's the Mosaic in particular because that's a new hop for me? I had no problem when drinking the Clementine Pale Ale, I think that was only 25 IBU.

 

[brewcat]

By the time I go to bed on a brewday my head is usually stuffed up and I can't breathe through nose. Fine by the next day. My unscientific diagnosis is that I'm allergic to the dust from milling grain.

Suppose I could wear one of those filter masks, but that would be too easy. :smack:

If I'm milling I wear something around my face. Also safety glasses if I think about it. Breathing grain dust isn't good.

 

[GHBWNY]

I think after brewing for well over 25 years I have discovered I am allergic to certain levels of hops. Had a very good Mosiac IPA from sarnac last night. It's a 75 IBU beer and I got a coughing fit and sneezing and runny nose from it. I've had a sneezing fir before from smelling hops before adding to the brew. Just not a reaction like this when drinking an IPA. I wonder if it's the Mosaic in particular because that's a new hop for me? I had no problem when drinking the Clementine Pale Ale, I think that was only 25 IBU.

Interesting. It's going on 2 years since I started this thread and my daughter is STILL allergic to hops (apparently). She can have wheat, barley, gluten, yeast, alcohol, and to a certain degree, low-IBU beers with no allergic reaction. But a hoppy IPA, forget it. Maybe there is an IBU threshold she can't cross. Could there be a lupulin allergy?

 

[rhys333]

Interesting. It's going on 2 years since I started this thread and my daughter is STILL allergic to hops (apparently). She can have wheat, barley, gluten, yeast, alcohol, and to a certain degree, low-IBU beers with no allergic reaction. But a hoppy IPA, forget it. Maybe there is an IBU threshold she can't cross. Could there be a lupulin allergy?

I figure hop allergy is basically the same thing as a pollen allergy.

 

[Ozarks Mountain Brewery]

Interesting. It's going on 2 years since I started this thread and my daughter is STILL allergic to hops (apparently). She can have wheat, barley, gluten, yeast, alcohol, and to a certain degree, low-IBU beers with no allergic reaction. But a hoppy IPA, forget it. Maybe there is an IBU threshold she can't cross. Could there be a lupulin allergy?

I have the same thing, try repackaging 10 pounds of hops in a day, thats how I found out, the dust is the worst, my face turns red for a week, problem is I love IPA's, so I have to cold crash to death and gelatin my beers as a compromise, or just take benadryl

 

[Wylaff]

I've got a good friend that developed a corn allergy to the point where he would get headaches from the corn sugar used in carbonating.

 

[rhys333]

I've got a good friend that developed a corn allergy to the point where he would get headaches from the corn sugar used in carbonating.

Likely story. He probably neglected to say that it took 6 corn sugar carbed beers in a row to make that happen.