Acute reaction to small amounts of beer

I drink a beer occasionally when I go out to dinner.  I never have more than one, and sometimes don't even finish the one I order.  Every so often, I notice that after a few sips of beer, my face gets very red and I experience a burning sensation on one side of my face.  When I stop drinking the beer, the redness and burning goes away within 10 minutes.  The weird thing is that it doesn't happen every time I drink a beer, and there is no consistency with the type or brand of beer that I drink.  For example, I can drink a beer and have this happen, but on another occasion, I can drink the exact same beer and be fine.  Another thing worth noting is that this same thing has happened with wine and champagne with the same inconsistency as the beer.  Since I have no other food allergies, I can't figure this one out.  The only other allergy I seem to have is to ragweed.  Every August - September I get itchy, red eyes accompanied by excessive sneezing.  However, I just take some Benadryl for that allergy with no problem.  Any comments or suggestions would be helpful.  Thanks.

[BhumikaMD]

Hi,

You could be having alcohol intolerance but nothing can be said with surety without a proper clinical examination.

You should avoid alcohol if it is causing your symptoms and take oral antihistamine medications for symptomatic relief.

Have you had allergic reactions in the past? Are you allergic to any other specific substances?

You could read more about the condition at the following link -

www.mayoclinic.com/health/alcohol-allergy/AN00818

It would help to take a vitamin B complex and also consult your doctor for your symptoms if they persist.

Post us if you have any other doubts and let us know about how you are doing.

Regards.