Beer
Beer: high in histamine, tyramine and gluten; moderate in salicylate; low in nickel. If you're sensitive to any of these, check it against your profile before eating.
Intolerances
- Histamine (+liberators / DAO inhibitors)High
Beer carries histamine from its fermentation and ethanol that blocks DAO, and unlike wine it adds a third thing: it is brewed from barley malt and often unfiltered, so it carries yeast and its breakdown products too. Pasteurised bottled beer stops there; a cask or a bottle-conditioned beer is still fermenting.
Sources· 3
- Maintz & Novak, Am J Clin Nutr 2007
- Comas-Baste et al., Biomolecules 2020
- EFSA (2016), re-evaluation of sulfur dioxide and the sulfites, EFSA Journal 14(4):4438
- TyramineHigh
Tap and unpasteurised beer is the drink Gardner's 1996 review singles out - live yeast keeps producing tyramine in the barrel, which is why draught can be well above bottled. Shulman's assay of over 100 foods, seven years earlier, had found alcoholic beverages safe as a class, so this is a restriction the later review ADDED rather than one it kept. Pasteurised bottled beer is the lower form, and 'craft' or 'unfiltered' on a label points the other way.
Sources· 2
- Gardner et al., J Clin Psychiatry 1996, the review that narrowed the MAOI diet
- Shulman KI et al., J Clin Psychopharmacol 9 (1989)
- GlutenContains
Beer is brewed from barley malt, and the gluten survives the brewing. Two labels are not the same thing. A beer may be called gluten free only at or below 20 ppm, and that one is accepted; a GLUTEN REMOVED beer, where an enzyme breaks the protein down, must say “contains barley” on the label, because the standard test cannot measure the fragments the enzyme leaves. Only beer brewed from sorghum, rice or millet starts without it.
Sources· 5
- Coeliac UK — gluten free diet guidance: “All spirits are distilled during the manufacturing process and this process removes any trace of gluten”
- beer, lagers, stouts and ales not suitable
- gluten free beer at or below 20 ppm
- barley malt vinegar to be both tested and labelled gluten free
- Regulation (EU) No 1169/2011, Annex II
- SalicylateModerate
Beer's salicylate comes from the hops, which are a dried flower — the more heavily hopped the beer, the higher it runs. Alcohol then compounds it. Neither study publishes a value for this particular drink.
Sources· 2
- Duthie G.G. & Wood A.D., Food Funct 2 (2011) 515-520, natural salicylates in foods
- Scotter M.J. et al., Food Chem 105 (2007) 273-279, and Venema D. et al., J Agric Food Chem 44 (1996) 1762-1767
- NickelLow
Beer is brewed from barley and hops, both low, and then filtered. What little nickel the grain carried mostly stays in the spent malt rather than reaching the glass. The nickel here follows a national survey covering four decades - the kind of series that shows whether a level is drifting, which a single study never can.
Sources· 1
- Jorhem L. et al., Livsmedelsverket rapport 28/2017, metals in Swedish foods over four decades
- SucroseNone
- FODMAPsNone
- LactoseFODMAPsNone
- OligosaccharidesFODMAPsNone
- SorbitolFODMAPsNone
- FructoseFODMAPsNone
- OxalatesNone
Intolerance levels are based on our documented scientific sources. See sources →
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Frequently asked questions
Which intolerances does beer affect?
Beer is notable for histamine, tyramine, gluten, salicylate and nickel. Clear on sucrose, FODMAPs, lactose, oligosaccharides, sorbitol, fructose and oxalates.
Does beer contain histamine?
Yes — beer is high in histamine. Beer carries histamine from its fermentation and ethanol that blocks DAO, and unlike wine it adds a third thing: it is brewed from barley malt and often unfiltered, so it carries yeast and its breakdown products too. Pasteurised bottled beer stops there; a cask or a bottle-conditioned beer is still fermenting.
Does beer contain tyramine?
Yes — beer is high in tyramine. Tap and unpasteurised beer is the drink Gardner's 1996 review singles out - live yeast keeps producing tyramine in the barrel, which is why draught can be well above bottled. Shulman's assay of over 100 foods, seven years earlier, had found alcoholic beverages safe as a class, so this is a restriction the later review ADDED rather than one it kept. Pasteurised bottled beer is the lower form, and 'craft' or 'unfiltered' on a label points the other way.
Does beer contain gluten?
Yes — beer is high in gluten. Beer is brewed from barley malt, and the gluten survives the brewing. Two labels are not the same thing. A beer may be called gluten free only at or below 20 ppm, and that one is accepted; a GLUTEN REMOVED beer, where an enzyme breaks the protein down, must say “contains barley” on the label, because the standard test cannot measure the fragments the enzyme leaves. Only beer brewed from sorghum, rice or millet starts without it.
Does beer contain salicylate?
Beer contains moderate levels of salicylate. Beer's salicylate comes from the hops, which are a dried flower — the more heavily hopped the beer, the higher it runs. Alcohol then compounds it. Neither study publishes a value for this particular drink. Amounts vary by brand and recipe, so always check the label of the exact product.
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