Stomach pain and headaches after drinking "hoppy" beers?

I have been experiencing some bizarre, painful symptoms after drinking any hoppy beer lately.

Let me start by saying my fiancé and I spend a few days a month at our local brewery working the tours, we have a beer cellar, and we home brew. So beer is/was a normal part of our life. The last few months, I have significantly cut down my beer consumption after realizing how many empty calories I was consuming each week!

That being said, I have had beer maybe once or twice a week and have found myself experiencing headaches, severe stomach cramping, gassiness and general discomfort for 1-2 after just having ONE beer. It is much much worse with IPAs or double IPAs. I did not have this problem when I had a saison...

So my question is, has anyone experienced this? I have been researching my symptoms and have found it could be hops, brewers yeast, celiac, wheat....

I should note that I eat normal bread on a regular basis, and I haven't experienced these problems any other time. Oh, and I drink water like crazy, so it would be nearly impossible to be some form of dehydration....

Ideas on what this might be?

Replies

  • This same thing happened to me last August. I used to drink quite a bit of beer with absolutely no problem, then all of a sudden I noticed that after a couple I would start to feel very bloated and sick, soon it was after one beer. I was found to have a wheat intolerance (not gluten). For me beer was the first trigger that I noticed, for 6 months I still ate bread, sweets etc. eventually is transferred into those. For your sake I hope it is something else, because I sure do miss a cold beer on a hot day!!
  • CassandraMarie3
    CassandraMarie3 Posts: 147 Member
    Yikes. I really hope it's not something like that. Did you go in for an allergy test, or just through elimination diets?
  • falsecho
    falsecho Posts: 81 Member
    About 6-9 months ago I began to have sleeping problems after I consumed as little as 1 IPA. I get very restless and it feels as though my mind just wont shut down for the entire night. Doesn't happen with any other type of beer. Strange
  • wewon
    wewon Posts: 838 Member
    Ideas on what this might be?

    That's your body saying, "STOP DRINKING 'HOPPY' BEERS!!"
  • CassandraMarie3
    CassandraMarie3 Posts: 147 Member
    Ideas on what this might be?

    That's your body saying, "STOP DRINKING 'HOPPY' BEERS!!"

    Gee, thanks. I've done that now. However, I would like to know why this is happening, hence the question.
  • kipbrin
    kipbrin Posts: 3 Member
    I suffer the same way. I love beer and IPA's, I suffer terrible stomach aches with some but not all beers. I have done some research and Malt seems to be the answer. http://allergysymptomsx.com/malt-allergy.php