Hops = heartburn????

[beerdad]

I get heartburn from all the regular stuff, spicy food and stuff like that. I get heartburn sometimes when i drink a lot of stronger commercial beer like sam adams or heinekin. I'm thinking it's the hops that does it. Is there anything i can do to get a little relief from this? I like brewing higher ABV beers that take a lot of hops. If i decrease the amount of hops in the recipe it will throw everything out of whack and taste funny won't it?

 

[cheezydemon]

Imperial stouts and the like have much less hops.

 

[Beerrific]

Alcohol itself is really tough on the stomach. That and the low pH of the beer, especially highly carbonated beer is what is giving you heartburn. It might be something you should talk to your doctor about (if it happens even when not drinking). He/she will probably tell you to stop drinking. You an try Tums and Rolaids for immediate relief. I do not think the hops have anything to do with it.

 

[Evan!]

Imperial stouts and the like have much less hops.

Quite the opposite:

Imperial Stout

Dark copper to very black, imperial stouts typically have a high alcohol content. The extremely rich malty flavor and aroma are balanced with assertive hopping and fruity-ester characteristics. Bitterness can be moderate and balanced with the malt character or very high in the darker versions. Roasted malt astringency and bitterness can be moderately perceived but should not overwhelm the overall character. Hop aroma can be subtle to overwhelmingly hop-floral, -citrus or -herbal. Diacetyl (butterscotch) levels should be very low. This style may be subcategorized into black and quite robust “American” versions and dark copper colored and caramel accented “European” versions.

Original Gravity (ºPlato): 1.080-1.100 (19.5-23 ºPlato)
Apparent Extract/Final Gravity (ºPlato): 1.020-1.030 (4-7.5 ºPlato)
Alcohol by Weight (Volume): 5.5-9.5% (7-12%) Bitterness (IBU): 50-80
Color SRM (EBC): 20+ (40+ EBC)

50-80 IBU's is IPA territory. If the OP is looking for low-hopped beers, IS's aren't the right way to go.

The thing about alcohol is that, often, it comes at the price of additional unfermentable sugars, unless you bump it up with dextrose, candi sugar or some other clean-fermenting sugar.

IMHO, a way to go would be strong belgian ales. None of them are hopped too heavily, and their ABV's can be huge. Tripels, Abbey's, Trappists, etc. Here's the BA profile for belgian dark strong ales:

Belgian-Style Dark Strong Ale

Belgian dark strong ales are amber to dark brown in color. Often, though not always, brewed with dark Belgian "candy" sugar, these beers can be well attenuated, ranging from medium to full-bodied. The perception of hop bitterness is low to medium, with hop flavor and aroma also in this range. Fruity complexity along with the soft flavors of roasted malts add distinct character. The alcohol strength of these beers can often be deceiving to the senses. The intensity of malt character can be rich, creamy, and sweet with intensities ranging from medium to high. Very little or no diacetyl is perceived. Herbs and spices are sometimes used to delicately flavor these strong ales. Chill haze is allowable at cold temperatures

Original Gravity (ºPlato): 1.064-1.096 (16-23 ºPlato)
Apparent Extract/Final Gravity (ºPlato): 1.012-1.024 (3-6 ºPlato)
Alcohol by Weight (Volume): 5.6-8.8% (7.0-11.0%)
Bitterness (IBU): 20-50
Color SRM (EBC): 7-20 (14-40 EBC)

Here's my recipe for a clone of Rochefort 10, which only has 36 IBU, but almost 10% ABV:

Rochefort 10

A ProMash Recipe Report

BJCP Style and Style Guidelines
-------------------------------

18-E Belgian Strong Ale, Belgian Dark Strong Ale

Min OG: 1.075 Max OG: 1.132
Min IBU: 15 Max IBU: 35
Min Clr: 14 Max Clr: 20 Color in SRM, Lovibond

Recipe Specifics
----------------

Batch Size (Gal): 5.00 Wort Size (Gal): 5.00
Total Grain (Lbs): 15.44
Anticipated OG: 1.092 Plato: 22.03
Anticipated SRM: 39.5
Anticipated IBU: 36.2
Brewhouse Efficiency: 71 %
Wort Boil Time: 90 Minutes

Pre-Boil Amounts
----------------

Evaporation Rate: 15.00 Percent Per Hour
Pre-Boil Wort Size: 6.45 Gal
Pre-Boil Gravity: 1.071 SG 17.37 Plato

Formulas Used
-------------

Brewhouse Efficiency and Predicted Gravity based on Method #1, Potential Used.
Final Gravity Calculation Based on Points.
Hard Value of Sucrose applied. Value for recipe: 46.2100 ppppg
% Yield Type used in Gravity Prediction: Fine Grind Dry Basis.

Color Formula Used: Morey
Hop IBU Formula Used: Tinseth
Tinseth Concentration Factor: 1.30

Additional Utilization Used For Plug Hops: 2 %
Additional Utilization Used For Pellet Hops: 10 %
Additional Utilization Used For First Wort Hops: -10 %


Grain/Extract/Sugar

% Amount Name Origin Potential SRM
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
32.4 5.00 lbs. Gleneagle's Maris Otter Pale Great Britain 1.038 5
32.4 5.00 lbs. Pilsener Belgium 1.037 2
8.1 1.25 lbs. Honey Pennsylvania 1.042 0
6.5 1.00 lbs. Candi Sugar (clear) Generic 1.046 1
6.5 1.00 lbs. Candi Sugar (dark) Generic 1.046 275
9.7 1.50 lbs. CaraMunich Malt Belgium 1.033 75
3.2 0.50 lbs. Special B Malt Belgian 1.030 120
1.2 0.19 lbs. Carafa Special Germany 1.030 600

Potential represented as SG per pound per gallon.


Hops

Amount Name Form Alpha IBU Boil Time
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
1.00 oz. Goldings - E.K. Whole 6.00 16.5 First WH
1.00 oz. Styrian Goldings Pellet 3.50 10.5 50 min.
0.50 oz. Fuggle Pellet 4.00 4.8 30 min.
1.00 oz. Hersbrucker Pellet 3.80 4.3 10 min.


Extras

Amount Name Type Time
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
0.20 Oz Coriander Seed Spice 5 Min.(boil)
0.25 gm Grains of Paradise Spice 1 Days(boil)


Yeast
-----

WYeast 1762 Belgian Abbey II


Mash Schedule
-------------

Mash Type: Multi Step

Grain Lbs: 12.19
Water Qts: 14.64 - Before Additional Infusions
Water Gal: 3.66 - Before Additional Infusions

Qts Water Per Lbs Grain: 1.20 - Before Additional Infusions

Acid Rest Temp : 0 Time: 0
Protein Rest Temp : 0 Time: 0
Intermediate Rest Temp : 133 Time: 30
Saccharification Rest Temp : 152 Time: 45
Mash-out Rest Temp : 158 Time: 20
Sparge Temp : 167 Time: 0


Total Mash Volume Gal: 4.64 - Dough-In Infusion Only

All temperature measurements are degrees Fahrenheit.

 

[Drunkensatyr]

Prilosec !!! It will change your life. My wife made me try it 4 years ago, and I can not BELIEVE the diffrence it has made!

 

[beerdad]

Sounds like you're right beerrific. I have been to the doc for it and he told me to change what i eat and it helped tremedously. I have been bad with my diet lately plus the beer I think that's the problem. I've been eating a lot of pizza and drinking coffee. For the sake of being able to drink lots of homebrew i'll have top get back on a better diet.

 

[cheezydemon]

Since the question has been answered.....
Evan - I brew the "subtly" hopped stouts. A stout with less hops in it will be OK. An Ipa with very little hops would probably be sweet and not at all an IPA. That is all I was suggesting.

 

[Beerrific]

Sounds like you're right beerrific. I have been to the doc for it and he told me to change what i eat and it helped tremedously. I have been bad with my diet lately plus the beer I think that's the problem. I've been eating a lot of pizza and drinking coffee. For the sake of being able to drink lots of homebrew i'll have top get back on a better diet.

I had been taking some kind of pill for heartburn for 5 years until a few weeks ago when I ran out and hadn't bought any. For about tha last 4 months I have been on a diet...lets say I have changed my diet. Haven't needed any for the last week even after drinking beer. So yeah, changing your diet makes a big difference and I have lost 20+ pounds.

 

[gonzoflick]

Tums Tums Tums

 

[Trencher]

I would suspect the carbonation as well. You could try some hoppy cask-conditioned ale to get an idea of how much effect the CO2 has. Found some great ones in Edinburgh this spring! :rockin:

If you aren't lucky enough to live in or visit the British Isles, try lightly priming a batch to give it a similar carbonation rate. Or fill a few bottles before priming so you could do a side-by-side comparison of identical beer with and without carbonation.

 

[BrewBrain]

It's summertime and there's a hidden, unsuspected acid reflux food out there - watermellon. I cut the watermellon from my daily fruit cup and my problem was solved. I love watermellon, but the acid in that stuff in huge. This, by the way, was a third-hand lesson from a relative's doctor.

 

[scopey]

It's summertime and there's a hidden, unsuspected acid reflux food out there - watermellon. I cut the watermellon from my daily fruit cup and my problem was solved. I love watermellon, but the acid in that stuff in huge. This, by the way, was a third-hand lesson from a relative's doctor.

Watermelon may cause acid reflux, but it's definitely not acidic or acid-forming in the body. According to the doctrine of food combining, melons are a food group that should be consumed alone, not along with other foods. The reason for this is that they're quickly digested--faster than any other food. The idea with food combining is you eat things that digest quickly first, followed by foods that take longer to digest (avoiding a internal traffic jam).

Here's a list of acid/alkaline foods:
http://rense.com/1.mpicons/acidalka.htm

 

[Calichusetts]

Alcohol loosens the muscles of your stomach and esophagus. If you are drinking beer before you go to bed...then lay down, your acids can come out of your stomach. Smoking does the same thing. I used to have crippling heartburn but it seems to have gone away without any medication or changes in my life.