Does Beer Have Sulfites and Should I Care?

If you have been hearing about sulfites in beer and wine, or you have been getting headaches after drinking wine, you may have had a friend tell you it’s the sulfites.

Now you’re wondering, does all alcohol have sulfites? So, do all alcoholic beverages have sulfites? Is it the sulfites causing my headaches? Wait… does beer have sulfites?

All are fair questions. First, let’s talk about sulfites.

Sulfites and Sulfates

Sulfites, and their cousins sulfates, are naturally occurring sulphuric compounds that can be found in foods and are created during the fermentation process.

Most commonly, when we think of sulphuric compounds, we think of matches, and that sulphur smell we get when we strike a match. This sulphur is known as sulfide.

But there are many variants on these sulphuric compounds.

Sulfates occur as a result of various salts that are often present in water. These sulfuric flavors are known as sulfate ions, and they typically show up in Epsom and gypsum salts in combination with calcium and magnesium.

In beer and wine, we most commonly find sulfites made during fermentation, which we call sulfur dioxide.

Sulfites in Wine

Sulfites in wine can show up in multiple ways.

In wine, sulfites arrive during fermentation, thanks to the yeast.

The basic winemaking process is as follows:

The vintner will crush grapes and boil and steep them. Once they have cooled down, yeast is added. The yeast then ferments the liquid (now called must), during which process the yeast consumes all of the naturally occurring sugars and starches from the grapes and converts those sugars into alcohol, carbon dioxide, and hundreds of other chemical compounds and micronutrients.

Sulfites are only one of those “hundreds of others” created during fermentation, and they serve a brilliant purpose.

Sulfites are antioxidants. They are also preservatives. They inhibit the growth of bacteria, and they preserve the color and aroma of the wine.

And Your Headache?

Many studies have been done to show that it is unlikely that sulfites are causing your wine headache. As most people report getting migraines or headaches from red wine, and not from white, and there are more sulfites in white wine than in red, it is probably not the sulfites.

You may simply be getting a headache from too much wine.

Dehydration causes headaches, and wine can certainly dehydrate you. So if you’re drinking wine, make sure to drink a glass of water for each glass of wine.

Added Sulfites

Several wines also have added sulfites for extra preservation, and this is where things can get tricky.

A small percentage of the population, presumed to be around 1% of all people on earth and 5% of people with asthma, do have an allergic reaction to sulfites. This allergic reaction can show up as an asthma attack or even anaphylaxis when it gets serious enough.

However, it is important to note that the amount of sulfites that are naturally occurring in wine or beer is unlikely to cause said allergic reactions. It is typically only as a result of those added sulfites in wine that will trigger a response.

Thus, be sure to read your wine labels as distributors are legally required to note on the label if sulfites have been added.

You can also feel safe with any organic wine, as organic wines by nature cannot have added sulfites.

But How About Beer? Does Beer Have Sulfites?

Sulfites can also show up in beer in various ways.

The most obvious, like with wine, is through the fermentation process.

In beer, barley, or some other grain, is malted and cracked, boiled and steeped, and then yeast is added to the resulting liquid (now called wort).

The yeast, like in wine, gets busy consuming all those sugars and starches and creating all those compounds, one of which is, again, sulfites.

It is important to differentiate here between ale and lager, the two different types of beer.

The yeast used to make lager produces many more sulfites than the yeast used to make ale, though the total amount is still minimal enough not to need labeling.

Still, if you find you are sensitive to sulfites, choose ales over lagers every day.

Another way sulfites can get into beer is through the hops.

Sometimes, growers can spray hops with a sulphuric compound that prevents the growth of mold and bacteria. Most of this sulphuric compound is then removed during the boiling process, up to 90%, but it is still something to be aware of.

Sulfites from fermentation in lager, in addition to the sulfites leftover in the hops, may be enough to trigger an asthma attack for those select few.

Stick with less hoppy ale, and you should be fine.

It’s Probably Not the Sulfites

So the short answer to the question “are there sulfites in my beer?” is yes. But as to the “should I care?” part of the question, it is safe to say probably not.

If you’re reacting to something in wine or beer, it is probably the alcohol itself. Drink responsibly, and be sure to drink only the good stuff.

Aim for high quality beer and wine, go organic if you can, so you can avoid all the extra processing and additives in cheaper and lower quality beer and wine.

Both beer and wine can have tremendous health benefits, from anti oxidant and anti cancer properties to good gut health, which is great for your whole body and mind.

When it comes to sulfites, they are everywhere, and there are more sulfites in a single dried apricot than in a glass of wine, so it is highly unlikely, though admittedly not impossible, that you are having a food sensitivity to sulfites.

Just be sure to treat yourself and be mindful of what you put in your body.

Because, in the end, it’s probably not the sulfites that are bothering you.

Cheers!

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