Hi guys! New here to beer advocate. I need any possible help i can get! Ive newly been made aware that i have a wheat allergy. Wheat allergy is completely different from needing to live gluten free. As we all do, the love for great beer is hard to say good bye too. I have been trying to do research and Ive found things to be misleading, confusing, or contradictory. I read somewhere that IPA's were safe because they weren't brewed with wheat and then I read there are dome wheat based IPA's... How do I recognize the difference if any. Obviously, if I need to go straight gluten free I will but if anyone has anything they can give me, please give away! Thanks so much!! Rhy
Welcome Rhy! I don't know enough about wheat allergies but try posting on the Beer Talk forum for help. While not beer obviously, maybe some craft ciders might fill the void.
If it's only a wheat allergy, you may want to contact some Brewers who you buy beers from and ask them which of their beers are wheat-free. Wheat seems to be more common in some recipes lately, even in styles not associated with being a "wheat beer". Best of luck!
I second @SaisonRichBiere. If it was my health on the line, I would contact the breweries who make it. That way they can give a definitive answer yay or nay. Otherwise, you're just relying on what people have been told from breweries, which may not always be the most accurate or precise.
Welcome to the BA site, Rhy. I'm going to take a wild-ass guess that 75% of beers do NOT have wheat used in the brewing process, but no popular style that I can think of excludes using wheat, and that includes IPAs. I know of no place to give you a definitive answer to what you are looking for. I think you'll have to research each beer that you intend to try drinking in order to determine if its safe for you to drink, and I would not trust anyone's say-so unless it is the brewery's website or the brewer directly. One helpful hint might be that I think many beers that use wheat will say that on the label, but I doubt that you want to look around that "many" word that I used to try the ones that don't specify it. Figure out a brewery or two that you think makes good beers that are easily available to you and then send them an email asking which beers that are distributed in bottles are wheat free. I think breweries are good about answering important questions like that.
I would also add that it depends on how severe your allergy is. If severe, there will be cross contamination risks if the brewery uses wheat in the brewery at all.
So, are you saying that malted barley is OK? There are some hoppy beers brewed exclusively with a single malt, such as Founder's Mosaic Promise, which uses Golden Promise barley malts. Most breweries would likely be more than happy to answer your questions. Or to be on the safe side, explore the growing array of "gluten-free" beers and craft hard ciders.
Honestly @Rhypie , most beers are made of water, malted barley, hops, and yeast, and usually state otherwise if other ingredients are used. Exceptions are specifically styled wheat beers such as german Weizens (hefe, bock, dunkle, etc.), and american versions simply called Wheat Ales. But like @tillmac62 stated, if the allergy is severe, most breweries do make/have made beers with wheat and you'll have to consider that. Best advice, brew your own! No, seriously! It's fun, delicious, and you'll never have to worry. Cheers, good luck, and happy drinking!
