Brewing makes me nauseous, sounds strange.... anyone else?

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Mike-H

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I have done about 7 brews, I seem to think that each one has made me kind of sick to the stomach, to the point where i'm not even interested in drinking beer. This happens especially if I taste the wort (less than a teaspoon). Just wondering if anyone else gets this nasty feeling when brewing.
 
You know, I have to admit I sometimes feel the same way.

I love the smell of the boiling wort, but after a while it can seem to be a bit much. I think it's that cloying sweet smell and the smell of the hops that does it. It's great in moderation, but after standing in front of it for over an hour, it's a bit much!
 
I don't get that feeling when I taste the wort, but dealing with a lot of hops sometimes makes me feel a little funky - indigestion is the best way to describe it. I love brew day smells in general, though.
 
I'm with Evets I just can't seem to get enough of brew day smells and tastes. I've been accused of drinking wort and not replaceing the boiling volume, but nobody can seem to prove it!!:ban:
 
The first time I brewed a batch, I had the same queazy feeling. Now I love the smell. My wife still hates the smell though, so much that she made me buy a turkey fryer and move the operation outside. I said if you insist. :ban:
 
Mike-H said:
I have done about 7 brews, I seem to think that each one has made me kind of sick to the stomach, to the point where i'm not even interested in drinking beer. This happens especially if I taste the wort (less than a teaspoon). Just wondering if anyone else gets this nasty feeling when brewing.

Yeah it's happened to me, mainly after I moved to all grain and was brewing in the garage in the winter. I stopped getting that feeling when I remembered I needed to open the main garage door a bit though. Ensure you're properly ventalated and you should be fine too.
 
mmm beer said:
I love the smell and I also always taste the wort. Its yummy and the garage smells great for a day or two.:rockin:

It wasnt the smell that was getting to me, hell I'll stand over my kettle for the entire boil . . . it was the exhaust from the burning propane. CO is an evil bastard.
 
I like the smell of the mash and the taste of the wort. I strongly dislike the smell of boiling hops. Quite frankly, they stink. I can't even put my nose near a bag of hops as the intensity of the aroma is almost enough to knock me out. And it does make me feel queasy to smell them as they boil. I'm talking hop pellets, though. I've never used whole hops, or even smelled one.
 
If there was a wort cologne, I'd wear it. But if there was a wort cologne, there would probably already be a bacon cologne. And I'd already have that on, so maybe the wort would clash.
 
It gets to me sometimes too, but it's the lingering smell in the house. Don't mind the smell while I'm brewing, it's just the continuation. The wife has also said this, soooooooo, I'm now looking for a single burner propane set up. Don't want to go to turkey fryer, but that may be the wave of the future. I try and brew when she's away at her mothers house. I open the doors and turn up the ceiling fan, but it is still there. Guess I'm moving to the garage. Do they make a hot plate on 120V that would work for 3 gallon partials???
 
beer4breakfast said:
I like the smell of the mash and the taste of the wort. I strongly dislike the smell of boiling hops. Quite frankly, they stink. I can't even put my nose near a bag of hops as the intensity of the aroma is almost enough to knock me out. And it does make me feel queasy to smell them as they boil. I'm talking hop pellets, though. I've never used whole hops, or even smelled one.

I'm just the opposite. I love the smell of hops (and the taste in the beer), but I don't care for the taste of the wort. It's just too sweet. However, I do like the smell of the boiling wort, even before adding the hops. If my place smelled like a brewery all the time, I'd be happy.
 
I've never brewed except (more or less) outside, so I haven't run across this problem. There are some sulfur compounds that form during a boil (all grain even more so). I wonder if those are causing your problem?

I've noticed really hoppy ales can clash badly with seafood.

Ol' Grog - hot plates at Target, 1000 watts is probably enough. http://www.target.com/gp/search.htm...c_Hot_Plates&LID=1165191&ref=tgt_adv_XSGT0131
 
Taste, smell and you just gotta love it all. When I check samples of my wort in various stages, I drink the samples to get a feel how my brew is progressing.
A couple of years ago, had anyone said I would do that, I'd call them nuts.
I now inhale hop aromas and sniff my airlocks, and my therapy for this supposed problem isn't working, lol.
 
david_42 said:
Thanks. I'm not sure that will be hot enough. 1000 watts equals only 290 BTU's. Won't be enought for three gallons. Looks like I may have to go propane. I got plenty of tanks, thanks to my garage sell queen wife.
 
I love the aroma of brewing. I even like the way my hands smell after brewing a batch. Some hop varieties smell better than others. For example, I love the way Cascade and Willamette smell while other like Warrior and Tettenanger are kinda dull and sour smelling. My wife has caught me sniffing the empty bag more than once.
 
I'm now looking for a single burner propane set up. Don't want to go to turkey fryer, but that may be the wave of the future. I try and brew when she's away at her mothers house. [/QUOTE]

I'm not sure why you are wary of a Turkey frier. I bought one at Lowes for $50 and it works great. Significantly speeds up my brew day.:ban: Also i can now deep fry all kinds of stuff. (Just cooked of 40 lbs of chicken wings yesterday for my Dads 60th birthday party) MMMMMMMMmmmmmm Chicken Wings:)
 
Well, thanks all for your replies.... I'm glad to hear that some of you get the same feeling.... I think it comes from the hops and lingering smell... Its just the overly sweet stench and I basically stand over the pot for 3.5 hours while brewing. It really makes me feel sick, but its gone the next day. I will also look into the sulfer thing, my only ventalation is the vent on the stove. I dont "mind" the sick feeling too much other than I like to get hammered on brew day and I cant! Anyway, thanks all..
 
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