Anyone else here allergic to hops?

Discussion in 'Beer Talk' started by Oktoberfest, Nov 6, 2025.

?

Do you have an allergy to hops?

  1. No

    150 vote(s)
    77.3%
  2. I think I might, but haven't been diagnosed

    37 vote(s)
    19.1%
  3. Yes

    7 vote(s)
    3.6%
  1. Oktoberfest

    Oktoberfest Maven (1,452) Mar 28, 2005 Ohio
    Trader

    When I drink beer, particularly when it's a hoppy beer like a big IPA, my nose starts to run. Like, a lot. I carry a handkerchief with me just in case I find myself cornered by a pint. It's pretty benign as allergies go, but it's also annoying for someone like me who's otherwise a big hops fan.
     
  2. GetMeAnIPA

    GetMeAnIPA Pooh-Bah (2,559) Mar 28, 2009 California
    Pooh-Bah

  3. ilikebeer03

    ilikebeer03 Pooh-Bah (2,616) Oct 17, 2012 Texas
    BA4LYFE Society Pooh-Bah Trader

  4. BBThunderbolt

    BBThunderbolt Grand High Pooh-Bah (7,846) Sep 24, 2007 Kiribati
    Pooh-Bah Trader

    I think I might be. I sometimes get a huge fit of sneezes, like 12-15 in a row, when I drink hoppy beers. never took the time to track what beers I was drinking, find out what hops were in them, and deduce which hop/hops/combination of hops trigger it.
     
  5. Todd

    Todd Founder (13,518) Aug 23, 1996 Finland
    STAFF Mod Team Society Pooh-Bah

    I just added a poll to this in which I voted no. That said, I've been exposed to extremely high-levels of hops before and I've definitely had various minor reactions, but never from simply drinking beer, brewing it, selecting/handling hops, of wandering hop fields.
     
  6. russpowell

    russpowell Grand High Pooh-Bah (8,292) May 24, 2005 Arkansas
    BA4LYFE Society Pooh-Bah Trader

    I used to have reactions to some real ales in England. Would break out in pink blotches & be itchy. But also factored in the cigarette smoke as well
     
  7. bbtkd

    bbtkd Grand High Pooh-Bah (7,790) Sep 20, 2015 South Dakota
    BA4LYFE Society Pooh-Bah Trader

    Have you checked out whether any specific hops give you more of a reaction? Just thinking that if you find ones that give you more of a reaction that it would narrow things down if you have allergy tests. Hops are related to hemp and marijuana, so there could be an allergy there too.

    Could be interesting if you can literally get your hands on raw hops to see if handling it causes a rash or itching. If there's no reaction to that, it's possible boiling brings out what you're allergic to, and note that hoppier beers are boiled longer, giving off more compounds.
     
    #7 bbtkd, Nov 6, 2025
    Last edited: Nov 6, 2025
  8. Genuine

    Genuine Maven (1,347) May 7, 2009 Connecticut

    Weird enough, I get a stuffy/runny nose whenever I eat out anywhere. Doesn't happen when eating outside or at a cookout...but always indoors at restaurants.
     
    Bitterbill, Shanex and bbtkd like this.
  9. milkshakebeersucks

    milkshakebeersucks Pooh-Bah (2,392) Feb 10, 2020 Maryland
    Society Pooh-Bah Trader

    Is peeing a lot an allergic reaction to hops or just drinking too much beer?
     
    Peach63, Griffin2, Radome and 13 others like this.
  10. LesDewitt4beer

    LesDewitt4beer Grand High Pooh-Bah (6,315) Jan 25, 2021 Minnesota
    Society Pooh-Bah Trader

    If I were allergic to hops I wouldn't be on this site. :beers:
     
    Peach63, tone77, Bitterbill and 6 others like this.
  11. rocdoc1

    rocdoc1 Savant (1,215) Jan 13, 2006 New Mexico

    Not in the least, but I do have a reaction to highly hopped, high ABV IPAs. They cause me to stumble around and have a strange affect on my ability to communicate clearly. But the ill effects are usually gone by the next afternoon.
     
  12. beergoot

    beergoot Grand High Pooh-Bah (9,310) Oct 11, 2010 Colorado
    Mod Team BA4LYFE Society Pooh-Bah Trader

    ...if I had allergies to hops, I'd avoid beer completely and stick with bourbon :grin:...
     
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  13. ChazMania

    ChazMania Savant (1,028) Jun 13, 2006 California

    I think I do. This started 3-4 years ago. While not scientifically diagnosed, I think it happens alot with C hops. I will sneeze 8-12 times in a row and get stuffed up.
     
  14. 2beerdogs

    2beerdogs Grand Pooh-Bah (5,682) Jan 31, 2005 California
    BA4LYFE Society Pooh-Bah Trader

    Dear God, NO. Thankfully! But my liver may wish I was.
     
  15. bbtkd

    bbtkd Grand High Pooh-Bah (7,790) Sep 20, 2015 South Dakota
    BA4LYFE Society Pooh-Bah Trader

    That's weird!
     
  16. dcotom

    dcotom Grand High Pooh-Bah (6,637) Aug 4, 2014 Iowa
    BA4LYFE Society Pooh-Bah Trader

    Well played, sir! :beers:
     
  17. dcotom

    dcotom Grand High Pooh-Bah (6,637) Aug 4, 2014 Iowa
    BA4LYFE Society Pooh-Bah Trader

    I get this reaction from spicy foods these days. I used to be a chile-head, but my tolerance for chiles that are high on the Scoville scale has diminished as I've gotten older. I've never experienced that with hoppy beers, fortunately.
     
  18. Immortale25

    Immortale25 Grand Pooh-Bah (3,775) May 13, 2011 North Carolina
    Pooh-Bah Trader

    This is a topic that is super fascinating to me, as I've had several friends over the years that have or have developed hop allergies:

    1. An old friend of mine's face would always get super flushed whenever he drank Ipas

    2. This one's the craziest. I was in a band with a dude who, apparently, developed a hop allergy quite literally overnight. According to him, when he was in college, he was at a rager where they had a keg of DFH 90 Minute, and he was drinking it all night. Woke up the next day and, when he went to start day drinking, he took one sip of it and started sneezing uncontrollably. Ever since then, he can't drink any Craft beer since it generally has a higher hop content vs. BMC which he can actually drink just fine and not start sneezing. One night we were at a craft beer bar that had Prairie Bomb! on draft and I told him he had to risk it to try it since it was so good. He takes a sip, likes it, and maybe 15-20 seconds later, sure enough, "Ahchoo!" So bizarre. He generally just drinks cider and wine now

    3. I have a friend who is a craft beer enthusiast that is allergic to only certain kinds of Hops. It's like Russian roulette when he drinks IPA which is one of his favorite styles. Every so often he'll get a sick kind of migraine like feeling. He's identified Ipas as being the culprit but, again, it must be only certain hop varietals since it's not always the case that he gets sick when drinking them. The only way he'd be able to figure out which hop it is is if he had a single hop Ipa of all the major varietals, which is obviously difficult to swing. So now he just generally drinks dark beer

    I think there are others, but those are the main ones
     
    #18 Immortale25, Nov 6, 2025
    Last edited: Nov 6, 2025
  19. HouseofWortship

    HouseofWortship Pooh-Bah (2,735) May 3, 2016 Illinois
    Pooh-Bah Trader

    Light hops are all I can tolerate these days. I think the hop overload of NeIPAs permanently damaged my healthy gut biome with their antibacterial properties. I feel awful after drinking an NEIPA these days and even trad ipas or pales still have issues.
     
  20. rodbeermunch

    rodbeermunch Grand Pooh-Bah (3,900) Sep 30, 2015 Nevada
    Pooh-Bah Trader

    Yeah during harvest time my arms get all scratched up and hive-y. Sometimes drinking ipas my nose will plug up, but it could just be coincidence with my other allergies (grass/trees/sagebrush). . .

    [​IMG]
     
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