Why does some beer cause a headache?
Dr. Irony
in some beers that gives me a headache after only one or two?
Chuck
--
Chuck Machala | I don't care if it rains or freezes
Semiconductor Process and Design Center| as long as I got my plastic Jesus
Texas Instruments, Dallas, Tx. |[can't remember the song this came from]
B. S. Juhasz
wrote:
Well, with wine they say it's sugar content that causes headaches and
hangovers. You adding sugar to your beer?
****************************************************************************
* Brad Juhasz
*
* Under-Utilized Scientist / Religious Home Brewer
*
* MDA-SSD / Club Sweetbay
*
* Huntington Beach / Anaheim
*
****************************************************************************
rw8...@albnyvms.bitnet
>In article <machala.744308679@delphi>, mac...@spdc.ti.com (Dr. Irony)
>wrote:
>>
>> OK, the subject says it all. Is there some type of chemical or whatever
>> in some beers that gives me a headache after only one or two?
>>
>> Chuck
>> --
>> Chuck Machala | I don't care if it rains or freezes
>> Semiconductor Process and Design Center| as long as I got my plastic Jesus
>> Texas Instruments, Dallas, Tx. |[can't remember the song this came from]
>
>Well, with wine they say it's sugar content that causes headaches and
>hangovers. You adding sugar to your beer?
>
>****************************************************************************
>* Brad Juhasz
-----------------------------
a headache _immediately_ following one or two? while it's
actually dehydration that causes hangovers (drink a cup
of water after heavy drinking bouts!), i can't tell you
what's ailing you.
maybe you have a particular sensitivity to dehydration by
alcohol. <shrug.> i'm no doctor, tho.
luxa
Dave Beedle
> OK, the subject says it all. Is there some type of chemical or whatever
> in some beers that gives me a headache after only one or two?
> Chuck
Yes! Yes indeed! The megabrewers use all kinds of chemicals (not to
mention corn sugar and a sever lack of hops or malt!) in their brews.
Preservatives, stuff to make better head retention, stuff to make the beer
taste better after the stuff to make better head retention has been added etc.
Gobs of chemicals that contribute to a headache/hang over the next day - or
two! It is only with megabrewed "beer" that I tend to get a hang over. With
Homebrew - no problems, for the most part. I do tend to have a harder time
after drinking the megea brewed beer (esp. Budweiser - just to name one!) as
opposed to homebrewed/quality brewed beers though mead does tend to do me in!
TTFN
--
Dave Beedle - dbe...@rs6000.cmp.ilstu.edu - Network Services
Illinois State University
"The toque is to keep the head warm in the winter 136A Julian Hall
and your beer cold in the summer" The McKenzie Brothers Normal, IL 61761
Kevin Weber
> in some beers that gives me a headache after only one or two?
>
Beer and alcoholic beverages in general contain numerous chemicals, some
"natural", some added. Science has not yet identified all of the products
of the fermentation process. They are too numerous. My guess is that some
contain chemicals which you have a sensitivity to. Many people have
trouble with preservatives (a la MSG sensitivity). Simply avoid these
beers.
kevin
mike
>In article <machala.744308679@delphi>, mac...@spdc.ti.com (Dr. Irony)
>wrote:
>>
>> OK, the subject says it all. Is there some type of chemical or whatever
>> in some beers that gives me a headache after only one or two?
>>
>hangovers. You adding sugar to your beer?
>
beer but I think Bud has rice and Miller doesn't. Bud gives me some
terrible headaches.
Mike
Michael O Wolf
|> a headache _immediately_ following one or two? while it's
|> actually dehydration that causes hangovers (drink a cup
|> of water after heavy drinking bouts!), i can't tell you
|> what's ailing you.
|>
|> maybe you have a particular sensitivity to dehydration by
|> alcohol. <shrug.> i'm no doctor, tho.
|>
|> luxa
I believe (I could be wrong) that some of the metabolic products of alcohol
digestion, primarily acetaldehyde, causes some of the pain associated with
hangovers. If it were just dehydration you should get a hangover from drinking
too much coffee! Can someone out there who knows about this verify??
tom schmeling
>Dr. Irony (mac...@spdc.ti.com) wrote:
>> OK, the subject says it all. Is there some type of chemical or whatever
>> in some beers that gives me a headache after only one or two?
>> Chuck
>
> Yes! Yes indeed! The megabrewers use all kinds of chemicals (not to
>mention corn sugar and a sever lack of hops or malt!) in their brews.
>Preservatives, stuff to make better head retention, stuff to make the beer
>taste better after the stuff to make better head retention has been added etc.
Which raises a question I have wondered about recently. How can you _tell_
what's in a beer? Some say "no preservatives". Does that preclude
other chemicals (apart from what fermentation naturally produces?) I
recall Miller label saying "no preservative" but I have a hard time
believing this is an all natural beverage.
Can you only be safe if the label says "only water,
hops, barley, etc"? Someone recently mentioned chemicals in Rolling
Rock and I _thought_ it contained no preservatives. Anybody know
about RR?
Tom
Charles Lesburg
>hangovers. If it were just dehydration you should get a hangover from
>drinking too much coffee! Can someone out there who knows about this
>verify??
I don't purport to know much...but if I drink so much coffee that I
have to urinate often (it *is* a diuretic you know, like beer), I
get a "dehydration" headache. I have also felt this after cycling long
distances. There's more to hangovers than dehydration, but don't
discount the effect of (lack of) water.
cal
Don Put
Don Put
>>Dr. Irony (mac...@spdc.ti.com) wrote:
>>> OK, the subject says it all. Is there some type of chemical or whatever
>>> in some beers that gives me a headache after only one or two?
>>> Chuck
> snip*
>Which raises a question I have wondered about recently. How can you _tell_
>what's in a beer? Some say "no preservatives". Does that preclude
>other chemicals (apart from what fermentation naturally produces?) I
>recall Miller label saying "no preservative" but I have a hard time
>believing this is an all natural beverage.
>Can you only be safe if the label says "only water,
>hops, barley, etc"? Someone recently mentioned chemicals in Rolling
>Rock and I _thought_ it contained no preservatives. Anybody know
>about RR?
>Tom
According to a book I have entitled: _Chemical_Additives_in_Booze_:
"Rolling Rock Premium beer, made in Latrobe, PN, deserves the truth-in-beer labeling award. The company's labels read very clearly, with no italics or
puffery, 'Brewed from water, malt, rice, corn, hops, brewer's yeast'." Asked
if Rolling Rock relies on foam enhancers, preservatives, anti-gushing agents,
or enzymes, James Tito, vice-president of the company, said, 'None at all. We
prefer not ot use them.'"
Although I don't care for RR, compare this to the listing for Miller Light:
Propylene Glycol Alginate, water, barley malt, corn syrup, chemically modified
hop extracts, yeast, amyloglucosidase, CO2, papain enzyme, liquid sugar,
potassium metabisulfite, Emka-malt.
Seems like ther's a potential for a good hangover here :-)!
don
dp...@csulb.edu
Leonard M Thomas
This phase in itself says it all.
Bill Newcomb
>In article <CB94F...@csulb.edu>, dp...@beach.csulb.edu (Don Put) writes...
>>
>>Propylene Glycol Alginate, water, barley malt, corn syrup, chemically modified
> ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
> This phase in itself says it all.
No it doesn't. Beer is made from chemically modified malt and chemically
modified hops. I would bet the only "modification" to the hop extract is
isomerization, which is necessary to get the hop oils into the beer phase
(to use that word correctly).
I'm sure not defending Miller Light (gag), but that's the second time in two
days I've read chemistry getting rapped in this froup. Starch conversion and
boiling are both chemical conversions, and just as important to finished
beer as malting and yeast activity. Lighten up, folks.
I don't advocate putting all that crap into beer to make it work right,
either, when it's just a matter of starting out correctly to let it happen
without such additions.
So drink some good beer, and relax a bit.
Bill
--
Bill Newcomb GSCh d- +p- c++ l m*/-- s+/+ !g w+ t r x+
nu...@reed.edu Stranger than known...
Cail-Master-2000
to the effect of "What brewpubs should I go to in..." with a fairly
small number of areas that usually get asked after (Bay Area, Seattle
area, Denver area...). Now I know that somewhere for ftp there's a
vast list of US brewpubs, but has anyone compiled any local listings?
I'd be willing to compile one, with reviews, for the Bay Area, and
either set it up for ftp or post it regularly here. Would anyone else
consider setting up a similar file for their area? (Manchman...?)
Also, if you have a review of a brewpub/micro in the Bay Area you'd
like to be included, feel free to e-mail it to me.
/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/
/
/''' Kyle Wohlmut - 'Heute back ich, morgen brau ich, und
c-OO / uebermorgen hol ich mir der Koenigin ihr
\ (Actual size) - Kind. Ach, wie gut dass niemand weiss,
- <=- / dass ich ky...@csli.stanford.EDU heiss.'
-
-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-
Michael O Wolf
|> In article <1993Aug3.2...@scott.skidmore.edu> tsch...@scott.skidmore.edu (tom schmeling) writes:
|> >In article <1993Aug3.0...@rs6000.cmp.ilstu.edu> dbe...@rs6000.cmp.ilstu.edu
|>
|>
|> "Rolling Rock Premium beer, made in Latrobe, PN, deserves the truth-in-beer labeling award. The company's labels read very clearly, with no italics or
|> puffery, 'Brewed from water, malt, rice, corn, hops, brewer's yeast'." Asked
|> if Rolling Rock relies on foam enhancers, preservatives, anti-gushing agents,
|> or enzymes, James Tito, vice-president of the company, said, 'None at all. We
|> prefer not ot use them.'"
|>
|> Although I don't care for RR, compare this to the listing for Miller Light:
|>
|> Propylene Glycol Alginate, water, barley malt, corn syrup, chemically modified
|> hop extracts, yeast, amyloglucosidase, CO2, papain enzyme, liquid sugar,
|> potassium metabisulfite, Emka-malt.
|>
|> Seems like ther's a potential for a good hangover here :-)!
|>
|> don
|> dp...@csulb.edu
|>
|>
Please explain why the chemicals you list as the ingredients of Miller Light
should cause a hangover, as opposed to any other beer. I look forward to
hearing what you have to say.
Michael Wolf
Daniel M Giaquinta
and other higher alcohols are natural products of the fermentation
process. they happen to be toxic to your system resulting in
symptoms such as CNS depression, etc. they also cause headaches/hangovers.
Not to mention the fact that natural byproducts of the breakdown of
alcohol in the body create compounds, such as acetaldehyde,
which can cause similar symptoms. this goes along with the fact that
taste in beers is related to the presence of esters and the exact
higher alcohols that can cause these problems. so in other words,
pick your poison. drink for taste, get spanked with fusel oil, or
drink mega and feel the wrath of these so-called additives.
--foaming agents are merely surfactants, doubtful they are ever
responsible a headache to the nonsensitized. since the majority of
the complainers seem to point directly to additives causing headaches
I would appreciate some evidence.
although dehydration may also be related to headaches/hangovers, this
fact is not mentioned in any of the clinical toxicology books I have seen.
perhaps merely a myth since comsumption of any diuretic--coffee, tea--should
have the same effect.
finally, if you don't know what your talking about, don't--none of this
info is secret, it's published in books available in any library, all you
have to do is go get it.
dan
refs available on demand
Leonard M Thomas
Hey I think chemistry is fine. I work in a protein chemistry lab. Its
true that Miller does use hop extracts, thats one of the reasons they
bottle in clear bottles if I reacall correctly. I was just refering
to the fact that from the basic recipe for beer they throw in a lot of
chemicals, some of which alone can be pretty rough, which I imagine modifies
the beer. I imagine on the lable the chem. modification is a purification and
concentration step.
As to relaxing and drinking good beer, I second the motion.
Len
Dr. Irony
[good, to the point stuff deleted]
Well, I can drink two cans of Milwaukee's Best and get an intense headache
almost immediately. Pain is around the temple area. However, I can
drink most other beers all night long and not ever get a headache, even
the next day. There are some beers my friends and I refer to as Headache
Beers because you get one almost immediately (my brother in law refused
a Sam Adams the other day cause he said it gives him a headache right away.)
I'm not talking hangover, this occurs within 30 minutes.
Chuck (can't wait to get my three pints o Fuller's ESB tomorrow)
--
Chuck Machala | Happiness is a warm gun.
Semiconductor Process and Design Center| (The Beatles)
Texas Instruments, Dallas, Tx. | This space intentionally left blank
Janos Szamosfalvi
: > in some beers that gives me a headache after only one or two?
: Well, with wine they say it's sugar content that causes headaches and
: hangovers. You adding sugar to your beer?
No, with wine the SO content that causes headache.
2
Daniel M Giaquinta
|> In article <23plrs$k...@scratchy.reed.edu>, nu...@reed.edu (Bill Newcomb) writes...
|> >v141...@ubvms.cc.buffalo.edu (Leonard M Thomas) writes:
|> >>In article <CB94F...@csulb.edu>, dp...@beach.csulb.edu (Don Put) writes...
|> >>>Although I don't care for RR, compare this to the listing for Miller Light:
|> >>>
|> >>>Propylene Glycol Alginate, water, barley malt, corn syrup,
|> Hey I think chemistry is fine. I work in a protein chemistry lab. Its
|> true that Miller does use hop extracts, thats one of the reasons they
|> bottle in clear bottles if I reacall correctly. I was just refering
|> to the fact that from the basic recipe for beer they throw in a lot of
|> chemicals, some of which alone can be pretty rough, which I imagine modifies
|> the beer. I imagine on the lable the chem. modification is a purification and
|> concentration step.
|>
|> As to relaxing and drinking good beer, I second the motion.
|>
|> Len
It seems to me your just digging yourself deeper Len. Once again since it seems
it still isn't clear, water is a chemical, ethanol is a chemical. If you can
please state which of these "chemicals" is rough and why, I'd appreciate it.
Daniel M Giaquinta
I also know people who get headaches from Sam Adams. Seems more characteristic
of a food allergy, however, a la MSG, or something. so, in fact, this does not
characterize any specific additives, etc. I'm not doubting you, I just want
more specific info, or no blanket generalizations.
dan
B. S. Juhasz
So does red wine have more SO2 than white, zin, etc? It seems that in my
experience red wines lead to some real mind-numbers (Egri Bikaver comes to
mind), while whites don't.
Aside to Janos: You're Hungarian, right? Have anything good to say about
Hungarian beers?
Leonard M Thomas
>In article <CBApx...@acsu.buffalo.edu>, v141...@ubvms.cc.buffalo.edu (Leonard M Thomas) writes:
>|> In article <23plrs$k...@scratchy.reed.edu>, nu...@reed.edu (Bill Newcomb) writes...
>|> >v141...@ubvms.cc.buffalo.edu (Leonard M Thomas) writes:
>|> >>In article <CB94F...@csulb.edu>, dp...@beach.csulb.edu (Don Put) writes...
>|> >>>Although I don't care for RR, compare this to the listing for Miller Light:
>|> >>>
>|> >>>Propylene Glycol Alginate, water, barley malt, corn syrup,
>|> >>>chemically modified ...
>
>It seems to me your just digging yourself deeper Len. Once again since it seems
>it still isn't clear, water is a chemical, ethanol is a chemical. If you can
>please state which of these "chemicals" is rough and why, I'd appreciate it.
Well here goes the answer on the additives from the earlier post.
Potasium metabisulfate-used as an antifermentative in breweries and
wineries; bleaching straw (that sounds good), and a perservitive for
friuts and vetables.
This is the stuff that alot of people are allergic to.
Propylene glycol Alginate-nontoxic antifreeze- substitute for
ethylene glycol. Used in the manufature of synthetic resins.
inhibitor of mold growth and fermentation. emulsufier in foods.
LD50 in rats 25 ml/kg.
Papain- proteolytic enzyme-used to clear beverages-also a digestive
aid. Ok this may help. :-)
amyloglucosidase-used to break down sugars, specifically glucose.
All this is abridged from the 11th ed. of the Merck Index.
As to water and ethonal being chemicals, that is true, and the
main cause of a hangover is the ethonal and the by products in
the old body form its break down. Going over the list of ingedients
for Lite beer, it looks like they are trying to remove the beer. :-)
The assurtion that food allergies cause headaches is backed up and
the suflite is not needed in beer and does cause headaches with the
general population. I would consider this rough. And who knows what
they do to modify the hops.
My assurtion is that these chemicals are not needed and most likly
were not meant for ingestion.
I hope that this does clear somethings up.
Let us both relax and have a beer (without additives).
Len
Rob Bradley
> ... this goes along with the fact that
>taste in beers is related to the presence of esters and the exact
>higher alcohols that can cause these problems. so in other words,
>pick your poison. drink for taste, get spanked with fusel oil, or
>drink mega and feel the wrath of these so-called additives.
This dilemma is an over-simplification. It is true that a lot of
the more robust tasting ales carry esters, phenols and fusel alcohols
along with them. It's also true that these chemicals cause headaches,
as anyone who has over-indulged in weizenbock can attest. But
there are "clean" beers which are made without preservatives.
First and foremost, lager fermentation is much cleaner than a
typical ale ferment. The lower temperatures, the higher pitching
rates and the nature of the yeast all go into making a beer with
fewer fermentation by-products. Although the usual reason given in
the literature for the historical development of the traditional
lager technique is the desire to have beer that will keep through
the hot months, I would conjecture that the desire to produce a
clean-tasting beer played a part in the process as well. A lager
brewed without preservatives would pass between the horns of Dan's
dilemma.
Even among ales, there are "clean" and "dirty" strains of yeast.
At the dirty extreme you would find the Belgian strains, which give
cloviness, bananas, even bubblegum aromas and flavors due to
various esters produced in the fermentation. At the other end
of the spectrum is a selection of relatively clean yeasts (e.g.
Sierra Nevada, Worthington, Guinness) which produce clean beers with
modest levels of fruitiness. [BTW, all three yeast strains mentioned
are widely used by homebrewers who can attest to their cleanliness.]
The Scots carry it a step further -- in addition to using clean
yeast varieties, temperatures and pitching rates in traditional
Scottish ale fermentation are geared to low ester production.
To sum up, when it comes to preservatives and fermentation by-products,
you CAN have your cake and eat it too. Support your local microbrewer.
>Not to mention the fact that natural byproducts of the breakdown of
>alcohol in the body create compounds, such as acetaldehyde,
>which can cause similar symptoms.
This adds another nail to the megabrewers' coffin. Breakdown of
alcohol in the body is not the only source of acetaldehyde. Unhealthy
fermentation can lead to acetaldehyde (and other nasties) in the beer
itself. The high levels of adjunct that North American megas use mean
nitrogen-poor worts and unhealthy fermentation. So those who claim
worse hangovers from megabrew may well stand on solid ground from a
point of view of the chemistry of the situation.
Refs? How about _Principles_of_Brewing_Science_ by George Fix, _The_
_Practical_Brewer_ Master Brewers' Association of America, and
_Scottish_Ales_ (AHA style series) by Greg Noonan.
--
Rob Bradley --> bra...@adx.adelphi.edu <-- "For a quart of ale
Dept of Math & Computer Science (516)877-4496 is a dish for a king."
Adelphi University, Garden City, NY 11530 William Shakespeare
Neil Flatter
>Keywords: No problems with chemistry.
>Refs? How about _Principles_of_Brewing_Science_ by George Fix, _The_
>_Practical_Brewer_ Master Brewers' Association of America, and
>_Scottish_Ales_ (AHA style series) by Greg Noonan.
>--
>Rob Bradley --> bra...@adx.adelphi.edu <-- "For a quart of ale
>Dept of Math & Computer Science (516)877-4496 is a dish for a king."
>Adelphi University, Garden City, NY 11530 William Shakespeare
Since I don't have a copy of _Principles_of Brewing_Science readily
available, I didn't consult it. _The_Practical_Brewer_, while a good
reference for beer production, does not discuss hangovers. It does cover
the safety concerns of a production plant, such as the large volumes of
carbon dioxide produced. Any other suggested references? This is a FAQ
around here, but with no reproducable answers.
--------------
Marriage is 90% giving. The trick to a good marriage
is knowing when to take your 10%! -- Grandpa Inman.
<usual disclamer>
Neil.F...@Rose-Hulman.Edu (812) 877 - 8316
MICHAEL WILLIAM CLARK
>From: cute...@athena.mit.edu (Daniel M Giaquinta)
>Subject: Re: Why does some beer cause a headache?
>Keywords: problems with chemistry?
>this beer-headache thing has gotten out of hand.
[A bunch of interesting stuff deleted]
>although dehydration may also be related to headaches/hangovers, this
>fact is not mentioned in any of the clinical toxicology books I have seen.
>perhaps merely a myth since comsumption of any diuretic--coffee, tea--should
>have the same effect.
>
>finally, if you don't know what your talking about, don't--none of this
>info is secret, it's published in books available in any library, all you
>have to do is go get it.
>
>dan
>
>refs available on demand
I am interested in seeing the refs, especially about coffee and tea. There
have been times when I have headaches from drinking coffee, that's the only
reason that I can think of for the headache. Somewhere earlier in this
thread someone suggested realxing with a good beer. I heartily concur,
headache or no headache.
Mike
Rob Bradley
>
>Since I don't have a copy of _Principles_of Brewing_Science readily
>available, I didn't consult it. _The_Practical_Brewer_, while a good
>reference for beer production, does not discuss hangovers. It does cover
>the safety concerns of a production plant, such as the large volumes of
>carbon dioxide produced. Any other suggested references? This is a FAQ
>around here, but with no reproducable answers.
Sorry, Neil. I don't have any references for hangovers. My post
made no claims whatsoever about physiology. I did write about the
production of esters, phenols, fusel alcohols and acetaldehyde but
I relied upon Dan's post for the relevance of these chemicals to
hangovers (except for personal, anecdotal information concerning
weizenbock :-). The thrust of my article was to refute a posited
dichotomy between poisoning by chemical additives and poisoning by
fermentation by-products. My post was concerned with brewing
techniques and thus so were my references.
Daniel M Giaquinta
time. Alcohol acts as a diuretic, thus dehydrating the imbiber. any
arguments here? Coffee and tea through caffeine also act as diuretics.
maybe other substances are also involved here. Anyway, the question of
headache from coffee ignores the effects of caffeine as a stimulant.
Otherwise one could expect the get a headache from drinking too much
cranberry juice. here are some of the refs which were requested. good
general info or at least good for cross-referencing:
Clinical Toxicology of Commercial Products
Encyclopedia of Chemical Technology
Daniel M Giaquinta
discussed was not if bud causes a worse headache vs. something more
tasty, but merely what causes the headaches/hangovers in beer. Clearly
from all the postings over the last few weeks, natural products which occur
in "good" beer can cause headaches. these include ethanol and the byproducts
of alcohol dehydrogenase. since these will follow me no matter which beers
I choose to drink--being no fan of low-/non-alcohol brews--it seems clear that
the headache come from the beer, not from the mega brewer, although he/she
may be making it worse.
Steve Nash
M{>just a followup in my own defense, but if I recall, the question being
M{>discussed was not if bud causes a worse headache vs. something more
M{>tasty, but merely what causes the headaches/hangovers in beer. Clearly
I think the original thread was about a headache after one or two beers.
Not hangovers.
Steve
J Church
I agree, I find that more "natural" things like bitter, brown ale etc give me
enormous stonking hangovers, whilst lager, full of chemicals and brewed in
enormous twenty million gallon vats leaves my head reasonably clear by morning.
Oh, yes, I once heard that Methanol is produced in small quantities in some
fermentation processes, and is therefore partly responsible for the symptoms of
a hangover. The same amount of methanol is present in low alcohol beers, so it
is possible to get a bit of a hangover after remaining sober all evening!
Julian
--
,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,
ph...@uk.ac.bris.siva : julian...@uk.ac.bristol : "venus as a boy"
''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''
Michael Keightley
I agree, I find that more "natural" things like bitter, brown ale etc give me
enormous stonking hangovers, whilst lager, full of chemicals and brewed in
enormous twenty million gallon vats leaves my head reasonably clear by morning.
Oh, yes, I once heard that Methanol is produced in small quantities in some
fermentation processes, and is therefore partly responsible for the symptoms of
a hangover. The same amount of methanol is present in low alcohol beers, so it
is possible to get a bit of a hangover after remaining sober all evening!
Julian
My experience is that if I drink the same cask ale all night you
don't get a headache, if you have 6 or 7 different pints I usually do.
Also it depends on the condition of the beer. Very young or stale
beer gives me a thumping headache, beer which is in excellent
condition doesn't.
--
_________
Michael Keightley (m...@aisb.ed.ac.uk), Tel: 031-650 2689
Dept. of AI, University of Edinburgh,
80 South Bridge, Edinburgh EH1 1HN, Scotland.
Johnny Svensson
(Michael Keightley) claims an amazing cross-correlation between
different drinkers:
My experience is that if I drink the same cask ale all night you
don't get a headache, if you have 6 or 7 different pints I usually do.
I must say that most of the time, the amount of headache *I* get
depends on the amount of beer *I* drink. I assume the situation is
similar for other people.
:-)
Seriously, I sort of agree. If I stick with one beer all night it
allows me to keep better track of how much I've been drinking, and as
a consequence, the morning after isn't as bad. In contrast, if I drink
(say) De Koninck for a few hours and then switch to something
considerably stronger (such as Duvel), I'm likely to keep drinking at
the same rate as before and end up quite intoxicated. Going down in
strength usually means the second beer tastes like water, so that's
not likely to happen even if it's a good idea from a rehydration
perspective. So: to minimize the morning-after headache, keep some
beer on hand that's rich in taste but relatively low in alcohol, and
switch to that as the evening winds down. End with water---lots of it.
The above notwithstanding, there are clearly differences between
"clean" and "dirty" yeasts, alse and lagers, etc. I have actually all
but given up one of my favorite beers of all time (Rochefort 8)
because of the horrible hangover an all-nighter would give me. On the
other hand, since I was living in Belgium at the time, it isn't like
there were no reasonable alternatives.
J
Keith R. Jurena
>In article <24qh9f$1...@senator-bedfellow.MIT.EDU>, cute...@athena.mit.edu (Daniel M Giaquinta) writes:
>> just a followup in my own defense, but if I recall, the question being
>> discussed was not if bud causes a worse headache vs. something more
>> tasty, but merely what causes the headaches/hangovers in beer. Clearly
>> from all the postings over the last few weeks, natural products which occur
>> in "good" beer can cause headaches. these include ethanol and the byproducts
>> of alcohol dehydrogenase. since these will follow me no matter which beers
are higher alcohols (n-propanol, n-butanols), aldehydes, and sundry hydrocarbs.
produced in the fermentation\aging. Budwiser also has some salicyclates from
the beechwood aging. When the ethanol is metabolized in the body, ADH
first oxidizes it to acetyaldehyde. This is partly to blame for hangovers ans
cannot be eliminated but can be remedied by drinking 1-2 liters of water
before retiring. This over-hydration helps the body eliminate waste
(and get the sheets wet if you are really toasted) and further metabolize
the EtOH.
>enormous stonking hangovers, whilst lager, full of chemicals and brewed in
>enormous twenty million gallon vats leaves my head reasonably clear by morning.
>Oh, yes, I once heard that Methanol is produced in small quantities in some
Methanol can be produced but beer that brews unbder the conditions is unfit
due to the horrible stench (like puke).
Temperature control during fermentation is the requirement for quality brews
go too high with ales and shit is produced. That is the main ale problem.
When done right, ales are every bit as pleasant both during and after.
>fermentation processes, and is therefore partly responsible for the symptoms of
>a hangover. The same amount of methanol is present in low alcohol beers, so it
>is possible to get a bit of a hangover after remaining sober all evening!
If you get enough MeOH to cause a hangover, you will be blind!.. Fusel oils
are responsible for this quirk.
