Blind From Bad Beer?

**Kayos** · 06-14-2007, 02:35 AM

I am hearing a lot on this board lately that hooch or home distillery types can make you blind. Is this all in fun? Where did that rumor start? Is it some 1850's thing?

Beerrific · 06-14-2007, 02:38 AM

No rumor. If you get to crazy and get some types of bacteria in the stuff you are trying to ferment you can get some methanol. Drink enough methanol you will go blind.

I think this is particular bad if you distill because then you you concentrate the methanol.

**RichBrewer** · 06-14-2007, 03:42 AM

Plus you will get hair on your palms.

Oh wait. I think that is from something else...

pfranco81 · 06-14-2007, 03:59 AM

Distillers use really active yeast that just ferment the crap out of whatever it is you have. This not only creates ethanol (good) but also methanol and a whole host of stuff you dont want to drink. Methanol converts to formaldahyde in your stomach which severs your optic nerve.

This is only a problem with distilling because they concentrate their alcohol, and if not done correctly, you can get dangerous amounts of bad things in your liquor.

Beerrific · 06-14-2007, 04:07 AM

Funny enough a common treatment for methanol poisoning is IV infusion of ethanol. Ethanol is a competitive inhibitor of alcohol dehydrogenase which break methanol down into formaldahyde.

**olllllo** · 06-14-2007, 04:21 AM

Not beer and not directly due to distilling but..

it can make you walk funny.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jamaican_ginger

**RichBrewer** · 06-14-2007, 04:23 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by pfranco81

Distillers use really active yeast that just ferment the crap out of whatever it is you have. This not only creates ethanol (good) but also methanol and a whole host of stuff you dont want to drink. Methanol converts to formaldahyde in your stomach which severs your optic nerve.

This is only a problem with distilling because they concentrate their alcohol, and if not done correctly, you can get dangerous amounts of bad things in your liquor.

I think I will stick to wine and beer.

delboy · 06-14-2007, 01:26 PM

A load of old horseradish i've stayed with friends in crete where the country folk all distill their own wine on antiquated stills, they drink a good glass uncut with nearly every meal except maybe breakfast and guess what they aren't all walking around with guidedogs, there tends to be a load of rubbishh talked about distilling (mostly by people that haven't done it).

**Yooper** · 06-14-2007, 01:35 PM

Vodka, whiskey, etc are all distilled and are safe to buy and drink. I'm sure there are quite a few home distillers that know what they are doing, too. Still, it IS dangerous and can be deadly if it's not done properly. Many people drank moonshine (and grappa, etc) and didn't go blind or die from it, but some did. That's probably one of the reasons that home distillation is illegal.

From the wiki: Incompetently distilled drinks also contain distillation heads, which are poisonous in large amounts and consist mostly of methanol and foul-smelling byproducts of fermentation.

Sir Humpsalot · 06-14-2007, 01:47 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by delboy

A load of old horseradish i've stayed with friends in crete where the country folk all distill their own wine on antiquated stills, they drink a good glass uncut with nearly every meal except maybe breakfast and guess what they aren't all walking around with guidedogs, there tends to be a load of rubbishh talked about distilling (mostly by people that haven't done it).

Ever see the movie "Reefer Madness"?

Our country has always tried to scare people away from things that are illegal. I am sure you can go blind from distilling. I'm also sure that old Jethro in the backwoods doesn't have a Masters degree from MIT. I am absolutely convinced a lot of the "information" you hear is hogwash.

But combine a couple of scary anecdotes with a law prohibiting it and that's a pretty nice combination.