Expert: Matt Dick - 2/9/2008

Question
QUESTION: Matt
Like most guys I love beer.
I find,however,that when I have a few beers,the next day I often have a headache and nasal congestion that feels like hay fever.
My wife thinks I am allergic to the hops or malt or some other ingrediant in it.
I am not a heavy drinker,but I like a few pops now and then.
I find if I drink to much hard liquor I get a hangover but its just a regular headache without the symptoms I mentioned.
Have you heard of this?
Is there a less hoppy or malty brand?
What if I switched to light beer?
Thanks!
Or

ANSWER: I have not heard of anything like this, but it's interesting to consider.

So... maltier beers tend to be sweeter or "heavier".  Hoppier beers tend to be drier or more bitter.  Darkness is generally an indication of how roasted the barley was.

Hops are flowers, Barley is a grain, yeast is a little bug, and water is, well, water.

Most large breweries use rice as their grain, so budweiser, coors, etc don't have barley malt at all.  So if you have an allergy to barley, these beers won't affect you at all.

Light beers will have less grain/volume.  

Really bitter beers will likely have more hops.

I'd go get an allergy test and see if you have a grain allergy, I've never heard of there even being a test for a hops or yeast allergy.

It's also possible that *other* adjuncts might be allergenic.  For instance, lots of stouts (like Guinness) have lactose in them.

I hope you find the answer.

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Thanks Matt
Further research indicates acetaldehyde may be the cause.Apparently Budweiser uses lots and I remember wicked Bud headaches.
Do you know what the other major brands are like in this regard?

Answer
I have no knowledge beyond the public brewery tour they'll give anyone, but I would have a hard time imagining that the major breweries would differ in their processes by very much.

Your best bet *might* be to find a very local brewer and drink that product as fresh as you can.  There are no preservatives in a lot of micro- or brew pub brews.  

If you tell me where you live, I can look up likely candidates in your area.