Expert: Matt Dick - 5/6/2009

Question
I'm 55 years old and seem to be allergic to beer now
(wasn't in the past)as if I drink one I will be congested within 30 minutes. I would like to try some wheat beers any would like to know what brands you would suggest trying. Have you heard of this congestion problem from anyone else?

Answer
I have heard of it before, but I don't think there is a consensus on the cause.  There also may be people who have different allergic reactions to different components to beer.  Reviewing, beer is water, yeast, barley and hops.

You're not allergic to water.

Yeast is a possibility.  I've heard of people who are allergic.  You might investigate if you're reacting to breads as well.

Barley is a grain, in the same subfamily as wheat (Pooideae).  It's possible that if you're allergic to barley you're allergic to wheat as well.  Also something you can check out as there are barley and wheat products you could test yourself against.  There are barley breakfast cereals.

And on to hops.  Hops are a flower and I've heard you can get a skin test for allergy to them.

The negative is that it would stink to be allergic to any component of beer.  The positive is that you are likely to be able to find out what you're allergic to, and you'll most likely still be able to drink wine or spirits.

And trying out beers to find out will also be fun.

As to Wheat Beers, they are not my favorite style, but loads of people love them.  I would recommend this Beer Advocate article.  It's about six years old, but I checked and most of the brands they mention are still available:  http://beeradvocate.com/articles/351


Good luck!