Does an alcoholic beverage exist that contains no traces of wheat or yeast? If so, what is it?

Question

My partner has an allegery to both wheat and yeast. We would like to know if there is a form of alcohol out there that she could drink without adverse affect.

Spirits may not contain wheat as they are distilled and not fermented yet they must still require yeast. We have heard that yeast is killed off in alcohol greater than 15%, if this is true is there evidence available?

Answer 1

For those suffering from allergies, try Gin, Whiskey and Vodka.

The allergist I go to recommends Gin whiskey and vodka, they are also supposed to free from preservatives too. Stupid things is I can't have the soft drinks to mix with it Lol. Why the colourings and preservatives. So no alcohol for me.

I have cut and pasted some info for you from FAQ; Shrine to spirits frequently asked questions, web site is the last link.


"There are a number of drinks free from wheat, barley, and rye:

Rum
Rum is made from sugar or molasses, and is grain free.

Brandy
Brandy (including cognac, armagnac etc) is distilled wine - but watch out for fruit ``brandies'' that are really fruit liqueurs and likely to have grain spirit as the base. Apple brandies (like calvados and applejack) and other eau de vie distilled from fermented fruit are fine.

Vodka
A lot of vodka is made from grain, usually rye, wheat, or barley. Avoid these! Most US vodkas are made from neutral grain spirit, mostly from maize/corn, and thus may or may not be safe. I don't have information regarding particular brands other than those listed below.
There are, however, some widely available potato vodkas. I'd recommend Luksusowa, which seems to be widely available, and cheap, in USA and Canada. Also, it's an excellent vodka. Chopin, a rather more expensive Polish vodka in a fancy bottle, is another excellent potato vodka.

Other wheat/barley/rye-free vodkas include Spodka (potato, Poland), Vistula (potato, Poland), Teton Glacier Potato Vodka (potato, USA), Rain (maize/corn, USA), Exclusiv (sugarcane, Puerto Rico), Bushman's (sugarcane, Australia).

Actually, some people with wheat allergies should be able to drink pretty much any vodka, depending on whether or not the particular things they are allergic to make it through the distillation, and how sensitive they are.

Gin
A lot of gins will be made from maize/corn derived neutral spirit, and are wheat-free. Alas, no information about any specific gins.

Whiskey
You might be able to find corn liquor that's 100% maize/corn. All bourbons have wheat, barley, or rye as well as maize, so avoid them.

Tequila and mezcal
100% agave tequila and mezcal is wheat free; cheaper blended tequilas may or may not be - they usually use cane sugar as the extra, but if you react badly to wheat, watch out when trying unfamiliar ones.

Liqueurs
Many liqueurs are made on a base of grain spirits, so be careful with liqueurs. Brandy and rum based liqueurs should be OK. Tia Maria is rum base, the manufacturers tell me that Cointreau is grain-free.

Non-distilled drinks
Wine is grain-free. Sake is wheat free. Cider (alcoholic cider or hard cider) is fermented apple juice, it should be fine. Read the ingredients, though, since some you find might use barley malt as an extra. You'll have to avoid beer.

Allergic to yeast. Are there any spirits I can drink?

As spirit production starts with fermentation, it's possible that some traces of yeast may make it into the final product. However, distilling will tend to remove almost all of the yeast, making spirits the safest alcoholic drinks you'll find. Whether or not you can drink them safely depends on just how bad your allergy is.

A few points to keep in mind:
The more thoroughly the drink is distilled and filtered, the safer the drink will be for you. Vodka and gin are probably the best to start with.
Some liqueurs (and other spirits) do have wine or other fermented products added to them. Some spirits are aged in used wine/fortified wine barrels."

Answer 2

1

Answer 3

Wheat Free Alcohol

Answer 4

Yeast is NOT added to spirits. Only beers & lagers require the addition of yeasts to speed the brewing process.

Wine - the natural 'bloom' of the grapes is a yeast that aids the conversion of sugars to alcohol.

Whisky - made from malted & fermented barley - NO yeast, distilled.

Rum - made from sugar cane - NO yeast, distilled.
Rum based drinks - eg. barcardi breezer.

There is no live yeast is a FULLY fermented drink, and NONE in a distilled drink. Only trace amounts in specialised beers that 'ferment in the bottle' and some wines.

Answer 5

Highly distilled stuff, such as premium vodka, gin and sambucca will not contain yeast, as the distillation process purifies the end product and removes many intermediate constituents such as yeast. She will be better off with the premium stuff as they're 'cleaner' than the cheapo ones. She will have trouble with anything else though, as anything which is not well-distilled will still contain traces, or more, of yeast.
As long as she stays clear of beers, wheat is not a problem. Many beers are wheat free but not all.

Answer 6

Gin is made and is fermented by fruits and to induce types of fermentations, jasper sap and malts. While most alcoholic beverages contain wheat, barley, and/or yeast, Gin does not at all. The most wonderous is "Sake", the Asians know best. The alcohol levels, fermentations, brewing; the whole process of making Sake is done solely by rice and water. Sometimes for tastes and fermentation types, may use proteins, malt, and/or fruits.

Answer 7

Grain Free Alcohol

Answer 8

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Answer 10

i've seen and bought wheat free beer from waitrose in the past, but i don't know if it still contained yeast. there's also hemp beer (found in some organic shops) which is wheat free but, yet again, i don't know if it contains yeast.