Head ache beer

[kelli]

Hi, im brewing in kegmenters then putting straight jocky box with ice, to tap. Keg room temp, jockey box cools through line. I started brewing last autumn, and my first few brews were great. Im in SE QLD Australia. I usually use a coopers can (or similar), light dry malt and/or dextrose, some ginger/citrus pre-boiled to steralise and a bought refrigerated yeast. Moving into hotter weather, my brews have started giving people head aches the next day. I tried norway kveik yeast, aparently happy between 10-40 degrees celcius. Im not sure why the brews are suddenly giving terrible head ache hang overs. I thought perhaps fusal/methol alcohols from unhappy yeast, but changing yeast doesnt appear to help. Any ideas?

 

[ba-brewer]

How much dextrose and what ABV?

what temp are your fermenting, high temps might cause fusel with different yeast types just the same.

 

[Zambezi Special]

I feement at high temperatures with kveik Voss and that works well, so I would almost rule that one out.

Maybe they are just drinking too much
More seriously, it could be something simple as dehydration/heat stroke as you mention it is hot outside

 

[kelli]

I may be adding too much sweet stuff... i have been adding more apple juice, more oranges etc, to try to bet more flavour, and counting this into the 23L instead of adding it as extra?? So i assume high ABV. we always drink too much on the fri night, weather autumn winter or summer!!

your thoughts are much apreciated

 

[RM-MN]

Your juices are high in sugars so that can be the main problem. Do you take a hydrometer or refractometer of the wort after the boil but before you add any yeast. That will tell you indirectly the amount of alcohol in your beer. Take the formula (OG minus FG) times 131 (or use the calculator here. Alcohol By Volume ABV Calculator | Brewer's Friend ) to get the ABC.

Quick and dirty method is to take a reading and just drop off the first two digits so that a reading of 1.050 will get you a 5% beer. It won't be accurate but it will be close.

 

[kelli]

Ok, its probably about 7% im adding 2L juice, (as though 2 of the 23 L total volume).. also about 6 oranges, and half kg of malt, half kg of dextrose with the tin coopers

 

[madscientist451]

Use the brewing calculator on Brewers Friend or similar and you’ll get a pretty close estimate of your ABV.

 

[kelli]

How does ABV tell me more about the head aches? Is there a strain on the yeast above a certain ABV?

 

[ba-brewer]

How long is your brewing and conditioning cycles?

If your rush your beer to the keg it might not have time to fully clean up.

 

[kelli]

How long is your brewing and conditioning cycles?

If your rush your beer to the keg it might not have time to fully clean up.

 

[kelli]

I brew in a kegmenter, so i dont transfer at all. I brew and serve from same keg. The idea being that i leave it long enough for sediment to settle to bottom, and i use a float with a filter- so beer/cider is drawn from the top of the keg to serve.
I always brew for 14 days or more, primary and secondary together. I have just got more kegs so beer can have a few more weeks sitting in keg before serving. But as i said, the first few beers did not cause head aches. Changes being the hotter weather, and probably adding more juices etc as ive gotten more creative!

Thanks

 

[ba-brewer]

I brew in a kegmenter, so i dont transfer at all. I brew and serve from same keg. The idea being that i leave it long enough for sediment to settle to bottom, and i use a float with a filter- so beer/cider is drawn from the top of the keg to serve.
I always brew for 14 days or more, primary and secondary together. I have just got more kegs so beer can have a few more weeks sitting in keg before serving. But as i said, the first few beers did not cause head aches. Changes being the hotter weather, and probably adding more juices etc as ive gotten more creative!

Thanks

Fermenting for 14days should be long enough the yeast to do any clean up.

Maybe try a swamp cooler approach with some ice bottles to bring the temp down a little and see if that helps. If is does then you are most likely right about about the higher summer temps cause the trouble.

Could also try less juice to see what impact that might make.

 

[Dland]

Does the fully finished product still taste sweet?

 

[mac_1103]

If you didn't have this problem when the weather was cooler, then it seems like you should try to control your fermentation temperatures. Even if you're using a yeast that should be happy at high temps.