Strange beer allergy

[siobhan]

How many (if any) commercial beers have sulfites in them? If I drink wines with sulfites, I get terrible headache & sinus symptoms. No sulfites, no symptoms.

 

[optimatored]

I've known about this allergy for a couple years now, but since joining here I realized this community might have some insight into the cause of it. Before I found out about this allergy, I drank all kinds of beers: ales, stouts, lagers, etc, from all different regions. But about two years ago, I was drinking with my wife and went to bed only to wake up with my throat swelling and scratching my whole body. My whole body was covered in hives by the time we got to the ER. It wasn't a terrible allergic reaction (not like peanuts or shellfish for some people), but obviously kind of scary.

The only new food/drink item I'd consumed that night was Kronenburg 1664 so we suspected that beer was the cause.

A few months later, my love for beer overpowering fear of allergic reaction, I tried another new beer, Delirium Tremens which resulted in the same allergic reaction, but this time I realized it early, took some Benadryl and it died down (drunk+Benadryl=sooooo tired).

Now my question is, what do you think is in these beers that I might be allergic to? I've always assumed it was the yeast causing the allergy, but I suppose it could be anything, hops, malt, perhaps a bacteria. Is there a shared ingredient between 1664 and DT?

For now, I've just been avoiding Belgian/French beers of any kind, but if I could narrow it down to certain types of Belgians, I could expand my beer options especially since I've got a few bars around me specializing in Belgians.

sorry i didnt read the whole thread but someone i know is allergic to brewers yeast aka Saccharomyces cervisiae

 

[EoinMag]

About 12 years ago or so, I started being told by my friends that my face would get really red when I drank beer. Just half a beer, (it doesn't seem to matter what type) and I'll get red across my eyes like a raccoon mask, and my forehead. Over time, I could tell it was happening because my face would feel warm too. It's not really uncomfortable for me, and it doesn't get worse the more I drink, and it goes away after a while. Doesn't happen with wine or spirits, and oddly doesn't seem to happen with the beer I've made so far.

I've always been curious what caused it, but it would have to bother me a lot more before I went to the allergist.

-A

That sounds like alcohol flush reaction, a lot of Chinese suffer from it, so much so that it's also known as Asian flush.

It's a result of certain peoples inability to metabolise acetaldehyde.

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

 

[Airborneguy]

Allergic reactions are very interesting, especially when they develop against something we have consumed for years without a problem.

I grew up spending all summer and weekends year round with family on the Jersey Shore, eating every type of shellfish you could imagine, mostly fresh-caught by us. At 25, on Christmas Eve, which is the Italian day to eat as much shellfish as you can, I almost died from an anaphylactic reaction. I stopped eating shell fish because it was obvious what caused it, and then confirmed it a few months later after getting tested.

It's wierd, and uncommon, to develop an alergy later in life, but it happens. In my case even more-so: food allergies only affect 2% of adults!

 

[JoanH]

I found this thread on google when I searched for "Delirium Tremens Beer Allergy". I had a really strong allergic reaction to the Delirium Tremens last night (similar to the first poster on this thread). In one of the responses someone mentioned the possibility of an oak allergy, from aging the beer in oak barrels. I do have an allergy to oak and have had allergic reactions to wines aged in oak barrels. Are there beers that are aged in oak, too? I have never had this reaction from a beer before and have enjoyed many other Belgian beers before. Does anyone know about this? Thanks!

 

[samc]

Lots of beers have undergone the Oak treatment. You can add oak chips to get the same effect as aging in a barrel. The one I recall was Blind Pig IPA from Russian River. I don't think they still oak it however.

 

[JoanH]

Any way to find out which beers are aged in oak, or have been treated with oak?

 

[Hernando]

I am goign with yesties as well. A co-worker of mineis allergic to all belgian strains.

 

[GrainMan]

Any way to find out which beers are aged in oak, or have been treated with oak?

I think something like this is going to be at the bottom of the problem. That is why it is so hard to pin down.

 

[GrainMan]

I do have an allergy to oak and have had allergic reactions to wines aged in oak barrels.

That's interesting. Do you get a reaction from skin contact with unfinished oak? For example, if you lay a piece of raw oak on the inside of your forearm does it raise a welt?

 

[JoanH]

That's interesting. Do you get a reaction from skin contact with unfinished oak? For example, if you lay a piece of raw oak on the inside of your forearm does it raise a welt?

I don't know; I've never tried that. The symptoms I experienced from drinking red wine aged in oak included itchy eyes, red itchy face and neck, scratchy throat and nasal congestion. The reaction I had from the Belgian was similar, however, much more severe and truly frightening.

Obviously I'll stay away from Delirium in the future and make a trip to an allergist to figure it out.

Thanks, Joan

 

[aschildg]

I've lived with a lot of allergies.. shellfish, pollen, mold, dust, dander, certain seeds, vegetables, fruits, etc, so I am pretty familiar with my reactions.

I also have what seems like an allergy to belgian beers, and I'm pretty sure it's the yeast strain. I had a pretty authentic bottled saison at a brewpub recently and felt a gathering tightness in my throat and stomach... had to order a coke and stop drinking. Please note that it's not anaphylactic, because it's my esophagus that's allergic, not throat.

Recently I brewed a Petite Saison extract kit from Northern Brewer and am feeling the same reaction. So unless they put sunflower seeds in the specialty grains, it's gotta be a certain strain of yeast.

Most good commercial beers are fine. Never a problem with anything except Otter Creek. So definitely not hops, malt, or uh water... I hope this info is helpful to others.

 

[JoanH]

Update: My allergist tested me for food allergies and I had a mild reaction to baker's yeast; he did not have a test for brewer's yeast. Because my most severe allergies are to mold, and with all the rain in the Mid-Atlantic region this year my allergy symptoms started earlier and are much stronger than previous years; The Dr. thought that it was most likely the high amount of yeast in the DT compounded with the early onset of my mold allergies that caused the reaction that I had. His suggestion was to stay away from the Delirium Tremens (duh), especially during my allergy season.

 

[smizak]

Little late to this thread, I gave a sour mashed saison to a friend and he had an allergic reaction. I posted about it on this forum.

 

[Revvy]

Interesting. Since bakers and brewers yeast are the same then its no surprise he wants you to watch out. At least he's not having you stop entirely.

 

[Dale_3rd]

I have an interesting allergy to beer and other alcoholic beverages as well, seems the more I consume my speech begins to slur and I eventually am unable to walk....it's the damnedest thing really.

Joking aside, allergies are serious stuff an can come on instantly and unforeseen. Much like the previous poster about the shellfish allergy, my Aunt was born and raised eating crabs (father was a waterman, they had crabs almost twice weekly) and she loved lobster and shrimp. One day in her 40's she had some crabs like any other time in her life. Luckily they had a dog at the time that required having an epi-pen handy, because within the hour, she had to use it and went to the ER swelled up and having trouble breathing. She hasn't had shellfish in over 20 years and can't even stand to have crabs steamed in the house. She also has what she believes is an allergy to sulfites as she can not drink wines. Allergies are some serious stuff and should really be checked out by the proper people. Hopefully the OP has gone to an allergist instead of trying to chance it with antihistamines.

Interesting bit on the asian flush thing, fits my wife as she gets very flushed even after drinking a 1/2 a beer.

 

[mousedog]

I just found this thread whilst searching for an ale allergy. I apparently have developed something similar.

For a couple months now I've noticed a swollen soft pallet and itchiness in my throat and corners of my mouth occasionally when drinking beer. At first I assumed it was indoor dust or mites, to which I'm allergic (also allergic to mold and several other non-food allergens). But I've now narrowed it down to certain types of beer... so far confirmed: Murphy's Irish Stout (can), Boddingtons (draught), and Goose Island Christmas ale (bottle). There have been others that I suspect caused the same reaction, but those are the one I can say for sure. The only other food I'm allergic to is peach rind. And that only started several years ago (I'm now late 20s).

While I can't say for certain there isn't some lager out there that causes the same reaction, there haven't been any I've noticed. I can say that Miller Lite and Bud Light are fine. So I'm thinking it's the type of yeast. Or maybe a higher yeast content remaining in ales?

Whatever the cause, it's a shame. I love ales of all kinds and don't much care for lager.

Any recommendations for Lagers I might like?

 

[Zamial]

I am not a Dr. I am not an allergist. I am not telling you that this will work for your case.

One thing that helps the wife get through high pollen/mold times is my ales. I brew special batches for her that have local, unfiltered, pure as bees made it honey. Honey has some fantastic properties. I recommend 1-2 pounds of the same kind of honey in a 5 gallon batch. If it works, then you can adjust the honey levels to where your body is telling you they need to be.

GL

 

[wardstbrew]

Not sure if anyone is still following this, but I have had reactions very similar to that of the original poster. Once was after drinking an imported beer from Switzerland, and the other a local US craft beer. I've had both beers before without any reaction. One thing that I noticed that in each of the instances where I had a reaction it happened when I drank the beer after the recommended expiration date. It has led me to believe that it may have to do with a specific ingredient that may have a certain shelf life. I haven't been able to identify the ingredient and have asked some local brewers, but they aren't aware of it either. I haven't experienced a reaction when drinking US Big Co beers (Bud, Miller) after they've been stored for a year or two.

 

[geschaaf]

My wife has an allergic reaction too. Have tried to narrow down the yeast, etc. She discovered on http://www.md-health.com/Beer-Allergy.html that she may be having an allergic reaction to the chemicals we use for cleaning and sanitizing equipment, which seems to be common in home brewing. Will see if it helps to change chemicals. Hope this helps baah.

 

[ctzulu]

here is a story from my side

i have a allergic reaction against wallnuts
( i eat them 5 minutes later i get heavy breating problems with loud alien sounds and heavy heavy breating for about 2 hours .. then it completly disappears )

today i drink belgian blond ale http://www.kufleikapsle.pl/taps/ (13 )
i suppose its this http://beerlab.pl/#/piwo-butelka/rubio
and exactly the same symptoms

is the simple analysis the beer contains nuts ?
do i have to avoid all ( pale beers ? )

 

[Mark222]

Just had a friend experience Anaphylactic shock from a Belgian Dubbel home brew.

 

[Revvy]

here is a story from my side

i have a allergic reaction against wallnuts
( i eat them 5 minutes later i get heavy breating problems with loud alien sounds and heavy heavy breating for about 2 hours .. then it completly disappears )

today i drink belgian blond ale http://www.kufleikapsle.pl/taps/ (13 )
i suppose its this http://beerlab.pl/#/piwo-butelka/rubio
and exactly the same symptoms

is the simple analysis the beer contains nuts ?
do i have to avoid all ( pale beers ? )

I know this is an old post- But the more I learn about in molecular gastronomy (and the more that is learned about this, from folks like Heston Blumenthal and the folks at the Harvard Food Sciences program where a lot of ground breaking research has been done over the last few years) the more I understand that it might not be the actual INGREDIENTS that are the same.... but the similar molecular COMPOUNDS that make up the ingredients that could cause a problem.

That's how food pairing are done these days, it's on the molecular level (for example chocolate and bleu cheese may sound gross, but they found out the several compounds overlap and work amazingly well together- Heston Blumenthal's chocolate bleu cheese lava cake is amazing.)

And with fermentation a ton of compounds are produced- So that beer might not contain nuts- but that recipe, that particular yeast strain, maybe at a certain temp, or in conjunction with the sugar produced by a certain grain could produce just enough of the same compound as found in whatever nut it is, to give people problems.

It's one of those things that are so complex, and food science is only now scratching the surface on it- where I think for people who have food allergies- it's going to be a crapshoot... you're going to have to learn which beers work for you, and which don't.. it may be a style- but it may be a beer style that's brewed slightly differently (maybe different temp) by two different breweries. So for example one Leffe Blonde might be fine, while another blonde ale might be problematic.

One of my friend's breweries now brews all their beers with an enzyme (I'm drawing a blank on the name right now) that prevents people with gluten allergies from getting sick from his beers. So his IPA may be perfectly fine for someone, but the bewpub on the next block may not be...

Something to think about.