Which alcohol is worst for gout?

Beer is the worst because it combines alcohol with purines from brewer’s yeast. Spirits are next, and wine in moderation shows the weakest link, though any alcohol can trigger a flare.

Is there a safe amount of alcohol with gout?

There is no amount proven safe for everyone. Risk rises with each drink, and any alcohol can trigger a flare during an active attack. Many people do best avoiding it, especially during a flare.

Alcohol and Gout: Beer vs. Wine vs. Spirits

Alcohol is also badly underestimated: in one study only about 43% of people with gout knew beer was a trigger (Harrold 2012). Checking a specific drink or cocktail? Run it through the Dish Decoder.

The ranking

Beer Worst

Beer is the riskiest drink for gout. It carries the alcohol effect plus purines from brewer’s yeast, a double hit. Regular beer drinking is one of the strongest dietary risk factors for gout in the research.

Source: Choi et al. 2004, Lancet (beer the strongest of the three)

Spirits Bad

Hard liquor has little to no purine, but the alcohol itself still raises uric acid and slows how your kidneys clear it. More drinks mean more risk, and binge drinking can set off a flare on its own.

Source: Choi et al. 2004, Lancet (spirits raise risk despite little purine)Neogi et al. 2014, Am J Med (any alcohol, recurrent flares)

Wine Least bad

Wine in moderation shows the weakest link to gout in the evidence, and some studies found no increased risk at one to two glasses. It still grades D like the others: any alcohol can trigger a flare, especially during an active attack.

Source: Choi et al. 2004, Lancet (wine, weakest and non-significant link)

Is any amount safe?

No amount is proven safe for everyone. Risk climbs with each drink, and during an active flare any alcohol can make it worse. If you do drink, wine in moderation is the lower-risk choice, keep it occasional, and skip it entirely while a flare is happening. Many people find their flares drop noticeably once they cut back.

How much is too much?

The dose matters as much as the type. Even one to two drinks within a day was linked to a higher chance of a recurrent attack, and two or more beers a day roughly doubled long-term risk, while spirits raised it more modestly. Wine showed little added risk at up to about two glasses a day, which is why it sits at the bottom of the ranking. There is no safe threshold that fits everyone, so treat these as directions, not a budget to spend.

Evidence: Neogi et al. 2014, Am J Med (amount and recurrent attacks)Choi et al. 2004, Lancet (dose-response by drink type)

Stay up to date with the latest gout research

New studies, re-graded foods, and honest reads on the latest remedies, straight from the data.

We only use your email for these updates.

Diet is part of the picture, not all of it

For most people the body makes the majority of its own uric acid; food contributes the smaller share. Eating well lowers your risk and helps you feel in control, but for many people diet alone does not bring uric acid down enough to stop flares. Medication often does the heavy lifting. Use these grades to make easier daily choices, and work with your doctor on the full plan.

To put a number on it: a careful low-purine diet lowers uric acid by roughly 1 mg/dL, while most people need to reach about 6 mg/dL to stop flares for good. That gap is usually closed by weight loss and urate-lowering medication, not food alone. Saying this plainly is the point. We would rather you trust us than oversell what food can do.

Every alcoholic drink we rate

Each grade combines purine load per serving with alcohol as an independent trigger.

Food	Grade	Purine /100g	Fructose /100g	Serving	Confidence
Malt Beverage	C	2.9 mg	3.91 g	240 g	High confidence
Non-Alcoholic Beer	C	18 mg	2 g	240 g	Moderate confidence
Amazake	D	6.2 mg	0.2 g	240 g	Moderate confidence
Brandy	D	0.4 mg	0.2 g	42 g	Moderate confidence
Dessert Wine (Port or Sherry)	D	5 mg	8.5 g	90 g	Moderate confidence
Gin	D	0 mg	0 g	42 g	Low confidence
Hard Seltzer	D	0.5 mg	0.5 g	240 g	Low confidence
Low alcohol Beer	D	4.6 mg	0 g	240 g	Moderate confidence
Margarita Cocktail	D	1.5 mg	5.5 g	150 g	Low confidence
Mirin (cooking wine)	D	1.2 mg	0.2 g	18 g	Moderate confidence
Mojito Cocktail	D	1 mg	7 g	150 g	Low confidence
Radler (beer & lemonade)	D	3.6 mg	3.91 g	240 g	Moderate confidence
Red Wine	D	4 mg	0.8 g	240 g	Moderate confidence
Rose Wine	D	3 mg	2.1 g	240 g	Moderate confidence
Sake	D	1.4 mg	0.2 g	240 g	Moderate confidence
Sake Lees	D	89.1 mg	0.2 g	18 g	Moderate confidence
Shochu (Japanese spirit liquor)	D	0 mg	0 g	42 g	Moderate confidence
Shoko-shu (Chinese liquor)	D	9.7 mg	0 g	42 g	Moderate confidence
Sparkling Wine (Champagne)	D	2.5 mg	0.3 g	240 g	Moderate confidence
Tequila	D	0 mg	0 g	42 g	Low confidence
Ume Liqueur	D	0.2 mg	0.2 g	42 g	Moderate confidence
Vodka	D	0 mg	0 g	42 g	Low confidence
Whiskey	D	0.2 mg	0.2 g	42 g	Moderate confidence
White Rum	D	0 mg	0 g	42 g	Low confidence
White Wine	D	2 mg	0.6 g	240 g	Moderate confidence
Wine	D	1.2 mg	2.1 g	240 g	High confidence
Wine Spritzer	D	2 mg	0.4 g	240 g	Moderate confidence
Beer	E	8.5 mg	0.29 g	240 g	Moderate confidence
Beer (lager, regular)	E	12 mg	0.2 g	240 g	Moderate confidence
Dark Beer	E	13.5 mg	0 g	240 g	Moderate confidence
Export Beer	E	10.7 mg	0 g	240 g	Moderate confidence
IPA Beer (India Pale Ale)	E	12 mg	0.3 g	240 g	Moderate confidence
Light Beer	E	6 mg	0 g	240 g	Moderate confidence
Pils Beer	E	9.8 mg	0 g	240 g	Moderate confidence
Stout Beer	E	16 mg	0.3 g	240 g	Moderate confidence
Wheat Beer	E	8.1 mg	0 g	240 g	Moderate confidence
Wheat Beer (Hefeweizen)	E	17 mg	0.5 g	240 g	Moderate confidence

Sources

Values are per 100g unless a note says otherwise, rounded to three significant figures; per-serving figures are calculated from the unrounded measurement, so recomputing from the rounded number can differ by a milligram or so. A single determination is normal in food composition tables, not a defect. Last reviewed July 18, 2026.

Not medical advice. This is general information, not a substitute for care from your doctor or dietitian. If you drink heavily, do not stop suddenly without medical guidance.

In a flare right now? See what to do during a flare · the gout diet