Anybody concerned about this hobby on their health?

In the UK we have the "unit" system. A unit of alcohol is approximately 20ml. Whats that in fl.oz?

It is used as a gauge for the drink driving limit and for healthy drinking recommendations.

It is also used to describe what is too much.

The current drink drive limit is 2 units. Which equates to 1 pint of session beer of 5%.... actually I think 1 pint is about 2.1 units. But as long as you don't drive immediately, you'd be fine. Of course the proper answer is, just DONT DRINK AND DRIVE, not even 1 unit.

The current recommendation for a healthy moderation level is no more than 4 units for men, and 3 units for women a day. If you drink more than that in one day they call it "binge drinking".

They also say that for every day you drink you should have 2 days without to allow the liver to clean up properly before you add more. 2 days is how long the liver takes to finish processing all the intermediate stages of alcohol break down.

If you drink 4 units a day, everyday, that will be 28 units a week. Which probably won't lead to any major problems on it's own. However, if you start drinking your 4 units (2 cans) a day and then go out and drink 5 pints ( 10 units ) on both weekend nights (like I might) it quickly adds up to 40+ units a week.

There are case studies that show liver degradation will occur at this level if it's kept constant for years on end.

Most of the case studies they used in the article I read where of people who drank 40-50 units a week for decades and then went on a "lads weekend" and drank constantly in Spain or wherever for 5 days straight. They died of liver failure as their liver was weakened enough that it simply could not cope with the levels of toxins and failed. Instant death.

This is a great thread.

I have worked in the bar industry here in Ireland for a period of 15 years. I now work with families and come across a lot of alcoholics and other addictions. I have yet to meet an alcoholic who home brews.

I began home brewing to save money.

However the added benefit ifs now more important;
HOME BREW DOES NOT DO AS MITCH DAMAGE AS COMMERCIAL BEER. It is better as the main component of a hangover and damage is the chemicals. Go out and drink a crap alcohol free beer in the pub and you will have a bad hangover the next day.

To moderate I only drink on weekends mostly. Been homebrewing for 2 years now and no weight gain yet. Only time I get a bad hangover is after the pub.

I have only two beers a day. The first one and the last one.

This hobby introduced me to meat smoking and I'm more worried about THAT hobby's effects on mine and SWMBO's health. There's no fat in pork butts, right?

Half joking, of course. Fatty pork is a sometimes food and we'll enjoy it in moderation.

I solved the weight gain problem by going on a strict, all grain, liquid diet.

i allow myself a couple beers about once every fourth day mainly because i lift heavily on most days and alcohol can interfere with muscle recovery. so on my resting day i indulge myself with a couple beers.

Eat right. exercise hard, die anyway...

Is anybody seriously suggesting that they would drink less beer if they did not brew it themselves? Don’t blame the hobby if you consume more calories than you expend. Put a treadmill in the brewery and get in a few miles during the mash!

heferly said:

Draft mag just covered drinking and running...cant remember the specifics but beer didn't effect runners as much as you'd think

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The calories in beer are fairly easy to work off. Being a runner, I rip through the beer calories. Anytime I want to lose some weight, I just need to deal with my food calorie intake.

mikeysab said:

Cocaine diet, works every time.

Seriously, if you have one or two a night, I don't think it's a big deal. Or just drink on weekends. Or walk more. Or get out of the hobby. Lemme know what equipment you have, maybe I"ll take some of it off your hands.

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Just fantastic!

casperjah said:

Only time I get a bad hangover is after the pub.

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I have found that I can drink 6 cans, (or even 8!) on a week night and get up for work the next day with only a mild hangover. Similarly I can drink 2-3 litres of home brew and only have a mild hang over (assuming I have eaten and got at least 6 hours sleep).

However if I go to the pub after work and drink 2 or 3 pints I will have a fierce hangover.

I have been told by barmen that this is almost certainly as a result that "most bars do not flush their pipes anywhere near as often as they should, due to it being a hassle to do". Therefore all the crud that build up in the pipes is being transfered to the beer week in week out.

As a result if I do go to the pub, I now order bottled beer.

Concerned about health problems?

I drink on average 2 pints of homebrew a night, 4 or 5 nights a week. My resting heart rate is 45 bpm, I haven't been sick in over 8 months, I can burn over 1,300 calories an hour on my elliptical machine at the gym. I have a small pudge of a tummy, but it doesnt negatively affect me.

I eat a fairly clean diet and beer is the "worst" of my intake. Am I concerned? Not one bit...If I was downing 4 mountain dews a day with ice cream and eating sausages and french fries for dinner, I would be worried.

I think there are a lot of factors to weight gain, like people's genetic predisposition. I have friends that can east 3-4k calories a day and not gain weight. Myself on the other hand....

With that being said, staying away from bad food (IE: soda, fast food, processed food, GMO's, preservatives, chemicals) goes a long way to a healthy lifestyle. Just knowing what it is in my beer is one of the main reason I brew.

Do I think beer has a negative effect on my health? Not really. That is, unless I go out to the pub and drink (6) 12% beer at Kuhnhenn Brewery.
I think the overall picture is much more important than worrying about a couple of beers ever day or every other day. Just my 2c.

Everyone has talked about the effects of drinking homebrew on liver and weight gain. What about the effects on exercise? A hand crank grain mill, lugging water, lifting and carrying the wort to the fermentation chamber. These are all healthy activities, good exercise. These are also health factors due to homebrewing.

I've cut back significantly on my drinking since I started homebrewing. I originally started because it was cheap beer, but enjoyed craft brews occasionally. Then I got hooked on making better quality beer, and I started appreciating it for the taste instead of the alcohol. Now I drink only craft beer, and have no problems keeping myself to 1 or 2 a night. My body has definitely thanked me for it.

I'm 6'3", 245 lbs, at about 8-9% body fat. I workout 4-5 days per week, heavy lifting. I even have an old half barrel That I fill with gravel for overhead pressing... So brewing can be healthy!

I've been brewing and drinking craft beer for 15+ years now and it's by far the least of my concerns towards overall health.

venquessa said:

I have found that I can drink 6 cans, (or even 8!) on a week night and get up for work the next day with only a mild hangover. Similarly I can drink 2-3 litres of home brew and only have a mild hang over (assuming I have eaten and got at least 6 hours sleep).

However if I go to the pub after work and drink 2 or 3 pints I will have a fierce hangover.

I have been told by barmen that this is almost certainly as a result that "most bars do not flush their pipes anywhere near as often as they should, due to it being a hassle to do". Therefore all the crud that build up in the pipes is being transfered to the beer week in week out.

As a result if I do go to the pub, I now order bottled beer.

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The flushing taps and is not an issue as much any more here in Ireland as most breweries do their own taps to make sure the chemicals are flushed out. Quality can be dubious at times through and this can be down to ether individual pub.

I do drink too much beer- at least several classes a night.

I exercise, watch what I eat, and get a physical every year. I haven't even had a stuffy nose in a year or two.

I'm very healthy, my liver enzymes are good, my cholesterol is low, my blood pressure is 90/50, and my pulse is 65. I don't have any health issues, and I don't take any medications at all, not even aspirin.

I weigh 135 pounds and am a size 4. I'm almost 48 years old, and I can outrun/outlift most 25-year-old women who are too fat and eat junk. I'm pretty lean and slim, and fit.

Life is about choices. I haven't had a doughnut in 25 years, or a Doritos chip. I can't tell you the last time I had bread. So, yes, I'm very concerned about my health. But not because I drink beer.

I'm concerned about every American being unhealthy because obesity is killing our nation, including children who are being diagnosed with diabetes in an unprecedented rate (as are adults). I"m concerned that "school lunches" are absolute crap and that physical education is being cut out of schools. I hate being run over in the store by a young (my age) overweight person who needs to drive a scooter to get through Wal-Mart. Those are my bigger concerns.

The land of the free becomes the land of the fat. I don't think us Ulster people are that far behind you though.

I think I'm much healthier since I started to home brew. I don’t sit in front of the TV and eat and drink. I get out more, build brew equipment, lift and move all the water and gear around when I brew every weekend. So I feel much better now than before. Thanks to brewing I never have to buy beer from the store. I may be addicted to this hobby put I don’t need intervention just someone to brew with. I’m off to start my first all grain a Bee Cave Haus ale. Good health to all.

Yooper said:

I do drink too much beer- at least several classes a night.

I exercise, watch what I eat, and get a physical every year. I haven't even had a stuffy nose in a year or two.

I'm very healthy, my liver enzymes are good, my cholesterol is low, my blood pressure is 90/50, and my pulse is 65. I don't have any health issues, and I don't take any medications at all, not even aspirin.

I weigh 135 pounds and am a size 4. I'm almost 48 years old, and I can outrun/outlift most 25-year-old women who are too fat and eat junk. I'm pretty lean and slim, and fit.

Life is about choices. I haven't had a doughnut in 25 years, or a Doritos chip. I can't tell you the last time I had bread. So, yes, I'm very concerned about my health. But not because I drink beer.

I'm concerned about every American being unhealthy because obesity is killing our nation, including children who are being diagnosed with diabetes in an unprecedented rate (as are adults). I"m concerned that "school lunches" are absolute crap and that physical education is being cut out of schools. I hate being run over in the store by a young (my age) overweight person who needs to drive a scooter to get through Wal-Mart. Those are my bigger concerns.

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You know what, from that perspective, you're right, most of us posting here actually are concerned about our health and intake. I was looking at the question more as "Do you worry that your intake is affecting your health?", but should have thought of it as "Are you concerned about your well-being?"

FatherJack said:

Concerned about health problems?

I drink on average 2 pints of homebrew a night, 4 or 5 nights a week. My resting heart rate is 45 bpm, I haven't been sick in over 8 months, I can burn over 1,300 calories an hour on my elliptical machine at the gym. I have a small pudge of a tummy, but it doesnt negatively affect me.

I eat a fairly clean diet and beer is the "worst" of my intake. Am I concerned? Not one bit...If I was downing 4 mountain dews a day with ice cream and eating sausages and french fries for dinner, I would be worried.

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They key is to freeze the Mt.Dew down to slush and pour it ON the ice-cream...Now we're talking!

Yooper said:

I do drink too much beer- at least several classes a night.

I exercise, watch what I eat, and get a physical every year. I haven't even had a stuffy nose in a year or two.

I'm very healthy, my liver enzymes are good, my cholesterol is low, my blood pressure is 90/50, and my pulse is 65. I don't have any health issues, and I don't take any medications at all, not even aspirin.

I weigh 135 pounds and am a size 4. I'm almost 48 years old, and I can outrun/outlift most 25-year-old women who are too fat and eat junk. I'm pretty lean and slim, and fit.

Life is about choices. I haven't had a doughnut in 25 years, or a Doritos chip. I can't tell you the last time I had bread. So, yes, I'm very concerned about my health. But not because I drink beer.

I'm concerned about every American being unhealthy because obesity is killing our nation, including children who are being diagnosed with diabetes in an unprecedented rate (as are adults). I"m concerned that "school lunches" are absolute crap and that physical education is being cut out of schools. I hate being run over in the store by a young (my age) overweight person who needs to drive a scooter to get through Wal-Mart. Those are my bigger concerns.

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This needs to be put in as your bio

Hanso said:

make smaller batches.

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This!

After reading a few of the posts, I have to say I am a little shocked at how people are kidding themselves that this isnt a health problem. Acknowledge it and judge for yourself how much damage you want to do to your body.

I personally can not do 5 gallon batches as having 50 amazing beers in my basement fridge would be to tempting. People who say they are healthy while drinking 2-3 beers a day and many more on a weekend are out of their mind.

Do what you want, its a motto for brewing and for life, but realize what you are doing. Personally, I would rather drink 2 bombers of amazing beer on a friday night that consume a 6-pack or more of great "session" beers. I pay for it the next morning if I drink 4 or more beers and at best consume 10 beers a week (something like a superbowl weekend).

I agree that as long as one drinks in moderation, watches what they eat, and exercises regularly there's no need to worry.

I would add that the relaxation the hobby provides (most times!) also has health benefits.

Before I took an interest in beer I had dropped 60 lbs from where I previously was and became fascinated with being in shape. Months later I discovered beer, spent thousands of dollars trying every beer I could get my hands on, became a cicerone beer server, started brewing, became a certified cicerone, started kegging, became a master cicerone, gained 10 lbs back that year. Now, I'm able to manage my drinking so I've lost some weight but I still struggle to get into the gym as often because I'm afraid to work out after tasting my beers.

Personally, now that I brew my own beer, I drink less now then I did earlier in life. I never buy 12 packs or cases of store beer anymore and only buy one or two craft beers and enjoy them for the flavor and not the buzz. Plus, I don't mind waiting for my homebrew to finish up. If i am in between batches, i just dont drink. I do attribute this hobby to helping me drink less. Now if I could just stop eating so much, I think I would be in better shape.

As with everything, enjoy in moderation. Moderate consumption (I think current CDC guidelines are 2 drinks/day for men and 1 drink/day for women) is associated with decreased risk of death generally compared to non-drinkers and heavy drinkers.

The association is a bit counter-intuitive - although ANY consumption of alcohol increases your risk of certain cancers (gastric, esophageal, and liver in particular, with some evidence of breast cancer as well), moderate consumption diminishes the risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD). Since cancer is rare (even if you are twice as likely to get cancer as a beer drinker, if the baseline risk is 1/1000 your new risk is only 2/1000...) and CVD is common, the decreased mortality from CVD more than offsets the increased risk of cancer.

However, once you get into heavy consumption mode, which varies greatly (an Italian study defined it as more than 80(!) drinks per week, while an American study set the limit at 27), the risk of cancer starts to increase dramatically and CVD mortality goes way up as well. Alcohol is then one of the few examples we get in epidemiology of the "J-curve" for risk and it's in pretty much all of the textbooks.

Beer (particularly homebrewed beer with more yeasties) can be a good source of micronutrients (Vitamin K and some of the B vitamins). In this respect it is probably "healthier" than non-bottle-conditioned commercial beers, but this would be very difficult to test.

So while my consumption of beer has gone up since I started brewing (from maybe 5 beers per week to 8), it's more spaced out and I'm more likely to have one beer each night and maybe 3 at a pub, whereas before I would drink less often but more each time I drank. Unless your average nightly consumption starts doubling or tripling, health effects will probably be minimal.

I don't have the time to drink that much during the week or risk being hung over during the week. I have a crappy metabolism so I have to be at least semi-health conscious with my diet. Otherwise I'd end up really overweight (again) and I prefer being in decent shape. So I limit my drinking and try to contribute most of my calories to more macronutrient-rich food and less to beer. I do a fair amount of working out but with a slow metabolism it's always an uphill battle. I'm still about 15-20lbs off ideal weight (ideal being a six pack) and about 10lbs. off reasonably happy goal weight. I definitely put on some weight when I started homebrewing but it also coincided with other life changes that were partially responsible for the weight changes. I've taken all of it back off though.

However, I don't judge others for their choices.

I share the concern: urge for craft beer research at war with urge for healthy. I ride road and MTB anywhere from four to six hours a week and observe a quasi-primal diet, including fasting. Sounds like others are similarly mindful of diet and exercise. Would I like to drop those last five pounds? Sure. And but for the beer, it'd prolly be gone. Do I want to give up a hobby I love for those five pounds. Nuh uh. It's a compromise worth making.

Cheers!

I didn't really expect this topic to get as many responses, but maybe it touched a sore spot with some. The point of my post wasn't to judge anybody, get anyone wound up or criticize the hobby. Hell, I have 45 gallons of home brew in my house waiting for me to drink and 10 more gallons planned for next weekend. So to the person who said to get out of the hobby and give them my brewing equipment, come and pry it from my cold dead hands.

I love this hobby and it has become extremely therapeutic. My wife even mentioned that I was happier a few weekends ago because I had my brew day all planned out. I have gotten into quite a few expensive hobbies (Saltwater Reeftank and building cars), but neither has really got my attention like brewing beer. I grew tired of rolling around underneath my car and swapping motors just to have to fix something new that breaks or goes wrong and I'm about to throw the towel in on reefkeeping because I don't have enough time to keep up with tank maintenance. Brewing has been really fun and when we move in a few years, one of the main things I'll be looking for is a room that I can dedicate to brewing.

Now, with the whole health thing, I mention it for obvious reasons. Alcohol is a poison to living things. Sugar coat it anyway you want, it's a poison. I'm aware that small amounts aren't going to kill you and there are far worse things you can put into your body, not to mention that the liver is the only organ that will regenerate. Secondly, a single beer is 150+ calories, so 2-3 on a weeknight and 6-7 on Friday & Saturday certainly add to one's caloric intake. Realistically, I know that my schedule is partially to blame as started going back to school to become a pharmacist. I don't have much time anymore, so I don't eat as healthy as I'd like and I don't exercise as often as I'd like, so I know that's a large part of the weight gain. On the other hand, 300+ additional calories a night and 900-1,000+ additional calories each weekend day certainly have contributed without a doubt. I didn't drink this much before I started homebrewing because I didn't enjoy commercial beers this much. I love home brewing and I'm not going to stop brewing or drinking it. I do however feel that I have a valid concern that I must address some lifestyle issues because I'm going to continue this long term.

Happy Brewing everyone.

^^ well, yeah we're all alcoholics in denial so of course it struck a cord You never know what will get a thread rolling... I started one one time about an old guy that showed up at my work and I found out he was a home brewer using the exact same recipe and yeast from his original vial of 001 for 7 or 8 years. Before I knew it it had 200 posts and someone had started a "which is nastier, Belgians or Tofu" poll thread based off mine lol. You never know what will get people going.

LitterBox said:

Now, with the whole health thing, I mention it for obvious reasons. Alcohol is a poison to living things. Sugar coat it anyway you want, it's a poison.

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So is water, and yet if we don't get enough of that we'll die in pretty short order. Beer has also been shown to improve cardio health when consumed in reasonable quantities.

So I think that, like with everything else one consumes, if you do so in moderation, there isn't much to worry about for most people. If you are taking certain meds, maybe it's a different story, but generally speaking I am not, and I don't think people should be, concerned about brewing or beer on their health any more than they should be worried about other foods.

I run around 25 miles a week - i eat pretty clean and I usually only drink the alcohol I make at home.

i feel good about my hobby.

I'm considering dialing back my batch size for health reasons too. Having a lot of beer around does mean I drink more of it, and as a woman I'm apparently courting a grim doom if I have more than 1 per day. Which sucks. One beer is not a lot of beer, and I love beer.

I'm healthy and I want to stay that way. I also don't want to fuss more than I already do about exercise or calorie-counting. Basically, I don't want to re-calibrate my life for the primary purpose of being able to drink more beer. All joking aside, that doesn't seem like a good idea.

There are more dangerous hobbies out there. Scuba, rock climbing etc...there are always risks with hobbies. Take a break if you're concerned...I would. If you love beer...and brewing, than you should do it. If you have an ailment that prohibits you from doing so then that's something different altogether.

I have several health concerns without alcohol. High blood pressure, high cholesterol, diabetes, and I recently had surgery to remove an infected bone in my right foot. My doctor told me that one beer a day won't hurt me. So that's what I do, and well I'm not concerned about it honestly.

Thankfully I have a SWMBO who enjoys craft beers and a friend who drinks like a fish. lol. I just love making beer more then drinking it, and I do love drinking great beers. I guess I am rambling here. Sorry!

Dude, 26... take care of that ****! Good luck and I hope it all worked out.

Well I'm proof to get a physical once a year, a good one. I was an apparently uncontrolled diabetic. No good, but I have no complaints. Makes that one beer taste so much sweeter...

weirdboy said:

So is water, and yet if we don't get enough of that we'll die in pretty short order. Beer has also been shown to improve cardio health when consumed in reasonable quantities.

So I think that, like with everything else one consumes, if you do so in moderation, there isn't much to worry about for most people. If you are taking certain meds, maybe it's a different story, but generally speaking I am not, and I don't think people should be, concerned about brewing or beer on their health any more than they should be worried about other foods.

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I would have to agree,flouride(a drug) but 60% of america uses this sodium flouride-which is a byproduct of the glass metal industry which leached it into the water system and classified it as safe. Good for cavity's Yes good for bone no! good to injest into the body wtf?no! Sold as baby water-yes--wtf? Hard to filter yes,cancer yes,osteoperosis ummm ya think?scam scam scam,fraud fraud fraud. $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$
Basically illigal in Europe but somehow "they" conssider it good for us peons of Codex.I dont even want to begin thinking about the rest the blind are led. Until then its sugar coated diets-60% corn like they fatten cows,choc full of gluten high fructose laden,hydronated bs.FDA approved of course.Revolving doors and heavy lobbyist controlling the u.s.