If you have a beer allergy, you are allergic to at least one of the ingredients. Beer is made with barley, wheat, sulfites, and yeast. It is possible, that if you have a gluten allergy that you will also be allergic to beer, because gluten is found in wheat and barley, which are in beer. If you are allergic to sulfites, you may also be allergic to beer. The sulfites in beer can cause asthma symptoms in people who are allergic. If you are allergic to sulfites, you might also be allergic to wine and grape juice, because there is a fair amount of sulfur dioxide in them also. If you are allergic to yeast, you will probably also be allergic to beer also, because yeast is used in the making of beer.
Beer is made with beer and sulphates, which stay in the beer when you drink it. If you are allergic to yeast you are likely to be allergic to wine also, because wine and beer keep their yeast content, which is different than distilled alcohol. If you have an allergy to gluten, you can purchase gluten free beer, which is made from an alternate kind of grain that doesn’t contain gluten. If you are allergic to gluten, which is also known as Celiac disease, you could get very sick if you drink one or two beers. You may drink beer and several hours later have headaches accompanied by nausea and vomiting. If your allergy to beer is due to gluten, you can purchase gluten free beers several places on the Internet. Celiac disease is very limiting, because you have to live on a gluten free diet. To be able to wind down at the end of a day with gluten free beer can be very satisfying. If you are going to a party where there will be beer, you can bring your own gluten free beer and know that you will be safe from an allergic reaction.
Because gluten free beer is specially produced, it is fairly expensive. Some brands of gluten free beer will be nearly $13 a six pack, while other brands run between $8 and $9 a six pack. Other popular brands of gluten free beer, besides Redbridge, are Bard’s Tale and Grist mill. For many who are allergic to the gluten in beer, the taste of a good bottle of gluten free beer is well worth the price.
Anheuser-Busch makes a gluten free beer which is called Redbridge beer. Gluten free Redbridge beer is made by using a gluten free grain, called sorghum. This sorghum based beer is not contaminated with any other ingredients that might contain gluten; therefore, anyone allergic to gluten can drink Redbridge gluten free beer.
Another cause for beer allergy is an allergy to the alcohol. We have an enzyme in the liver that breaks down alcohol. If the enzyme isn’t present in an individual, the person will be intolerant to alcohol. If you have an allergy to alcohol, or an ingredient that is used to create alcohol, such as with grains and yeast, an allergic reaction could from mild to severe. The symptoms of beer allergy could be manifested by flushing of the skin, headache, itching, hives and stuffy nose. More severe symptoms of beer allergy could be swelling of the lips and tongue, chest pain, fainting, stomach pain, asthma, and anaphylactic shock.
If you think you might be allergic to beer, due to untoward reactions when you drink beer, you should see your doctor to be tested for the ingredient in beer you are allergic to. Your doctor can check your for a beer allergy with skin tests to identify just what ingredient in beer your are allergic to. Don’t drink any more beer until you are cleared to do so by your health care practitioner.