Expert: Spencer W Thomas - 2/8/2008

Question
Hi, thanks in advance for your help.  My husband has cancer and is on an iodine free diet.  He really enjoys a nice beer but can't be sure if there is any beer made free of iodine.  Do you know of any beer that is free of iodine.

Answer
There is no iodine added to beer.  Whether there is some that comes from the ingredients, I can't really say.  There might have been iodine in the water that was used to make the beer.  Conceivably (although I think it is unlikely), there might have been iodine in the barley that was used to make the beer.

You might try contacting the big brewers (Anheuser Busch, Miller, Coors), as they are the most likely to know whether there is a way that iodine would get into their beer, and/or whether there is any in their beer.  Small craft brewers are not likely to know.

Sorry I can't be of more help.