I figure the best place to ask this is here, cause I always get awesome answers on this site, from you helpful folks. I have a weird problem, that I don't even know if it's a beer problem, but I suspect it is.
I brewed a Cooper's "Preacher's Hefe Wheat" kit, that I added some dried sweet Orange peel to that I got from the local brew supply place. I added this to a batch which included a pound of Munton's DME to, like I always do and a pound of inverted sugar to, like I always do. Nothing out of the ordinary except the orange peel. It was added right at the beginning of the fermentation.
I took most of it out with a metal strainer when bottling, cause it was getting caught in my spigot in my bucket fermenter. Everything was sterilized, even the strainer. The beer has no off flavours, so I don't suspect any contamination, although it is possible, cause I believe I stuck a non sterilized knife right into the beer to try and pick out orange peel from the entry of the spigot in the bucket. When I realized that was not helping, I stopped and went at the clog from the other end, on the outside with a toothpick. That helped and got the beer flowing again for bottling.
A couple of little pieces of Orange peel made it into some bottles when bottling, but not much, cause I got most of it out with the strainer. Most bottles had virtually nothing in the way of leftover Orange peel chunks. My problem is this, after I drink two of these beer I start getting a headache, every time. If I drink a third beer or even half of a third beer, I get a splitting headache and have to break out the Advil. With each beer, the headache progresses and by not even three, I have to stop. What could be causing this? Did I create a contaminated monster that just didn't come through as an off flavour contamination? Is contamination possible, without getting off flavours? Is this beer somehow toxic now? I know that when brewing shine, you cannot drink the first 50ml of it when distilling, cause it's a powerful solvent (acetaldehyde) which can cause all kinds of issues, like making a person go blind.
It is worth noting that one beer is fine, no headache, but as I progress I develop a headache everytime and I am not drunk. I have even tried hydrating in between thinking that was a problem (dehydration causes headaches), but still to no avail. This headache starts on the right side of my head and progresses from back to front and then causes pain right over my right eye, by the third beer and a the splitting headache. When was the Orange peel supposed to be added also? At the beginning, or later in the fermentation, like halfway through, like with dry hopping? Could it be the peel that is the problem? I am at a total loss here, cause this has never happened to me before. It's also worth noting that I don't use a secondary. I brew for 13-14 days in the primary and bottle. My spigot is mounted above where the yeast cake typically gathers and I never bottle the last little bit near the trub. That stuff tastes awful.
I also try not to jostle the fermenter too much as I am moving it for bottling, cause i don't want to mix trub with good beer. I've done pretty good so far with this method and brewed some good tasting beers. I end with a bit of sediment in every bottle, but I never drink ends of bottles anyway. I dump the last half inch (bottom) of every bottle cause it's not very tasty. Too yeasty I find. I also drink from the bottle till the last half inch. which is mixing a bit of sediment from turning the bottle for sips.
Anyone have any ideas as to why this might be happening or what could have happened? Am I putting myself at great risk by drinking this stuff, even if I only drink one per night, for the rest of the batch? It's an o.k. beer and I don't want to waste it if I don't have to. If it were truly awful/undrinkable, I would dump it, no question, but it tastes alright. Not my best beer, but not my worst either. I am trying to be very detailed in my explanation, in the hopes that someone will see something I did and it will "click" something in their head and give me an answer to what possibly is happening here. Has anyone experienced this problem before?
I have brewed about 12 kits now, never contaminated a batch, never had a failed batch or off flavours or anything and even this turned out o.k., except for this weird headache thing. I've experimented with adding partial mashes, fruits, Maple Syrup etc. and never screwed up anything. Made less than desirable batch with sliced and pitted Cherries once, but that was about my worst beer and was still drinkable, just tot pleasant, like others. I am quite well versed in Chemistry and human Physiology, so if someone has a possible chemical explanation for what is happening, no worries, I can keep up. Lol. Don't be afraid to get technical. Thank's for any insights you all might have!
I brewed a Cooper's "Preacher's Hefe Wheat" kit, that I added some dried sweet Orange peel to that I got from the local brew supply place. I added this to a batch which included a pound of Munton's DME to, like I always do and a pound of inverted sugar to, like I always do. Nothing out of the ordinary except the orange peel. It was added right at the beginning of the fermentation.
I took most of it out with a metal strainer when bottling, cause it was getting caught in my spigot in my bucket fermenter. Everything was sterilized, even the strainer. The beer has no off flavours, so I don't suspect any contamination, although it is possible, cause I believe I stuck a non sterilized knife right into the beer to try and pick out orange peel from the entry of the spigot in the bucket. When I realized that was not helping, I stopped and went at the clog from the other end, on the outside with a toothpick. That helped and got the beer flowing again for bottling.
A couple of little pieces of Orange peel made it into some bottles when bottling, but not much, cause I got most of it out with the strainer. Most bottles had virtually nothing in the way of leftover Orange peel chunks. My problem is this, after I drink two of these beer I start getting a headache, every time. If I drink a third beer or even half of a third beer, I get a splitting headache and have to break out the Advil. With each beer, the headache progresses and by not even three, I have to stop. What could be causing this? Did I create a contaminated monster that just didn't come through as an off flavour contamination? Is contamination possible, without getting off flavours? Is this beer somehow toxic now? I know that when brewing shine, you cannot drink the first 50ml of it when distilling, cause it's a powerful solvent (acetaldehyde) which can cause all kinds of issues, like making a person go blind.
It is worth noting that one beer is fine, no headache, but as I progress I develop a headache everytime and I am not drunk. I have even tried hydrating in between thinking that was a problem (dehydration causes headaches), but still to no avail. This headache starts on the right side of my head and progresses from back to front and then causes pain right over my right eye, by the third beer and a the splitting headache. When was the Orange peel supposed to be added also? At the beginning, or later in the fermentation, like halfway through, like with dry hopping? Could it be the peel that is the problem? I am at a total loss here, cause this has never happened to me before. It's also worth noting that I don't use a secondary. I brew for 13-14 days in the primary and bottle. My spigot is mounted above where the yeast cake typically gathers and I never bottle the last little bit near the trub. That stuff tastes awful.
I also try not to jostle the fermenter too much as I am moving it for bottling, cause i don't want to mix trub with good beer. I've done pretty good so far with this method and brewed some good tasting beers. I end with a bit of sediment in every bottle, but I never drink ends of bottles anyway. I dump the last half inch (bottom) of every bottle cause it's not very tasty. Too yeasty I find. I also drink from the bottle till the last half inch. which is mixing a bit of sediment from turning the bottle for sips.
Anyone have any ideas as to why this might be happening or what could have happened? Am I putting myself at great risk by drinking this stuff, even if I only drink one per night, for the rest of the batch? It's an o.k. beer and I don't want to waste it if I don't have to. If it were truly awful/undrinkable, I would dump it, no question, but it tastes alright. Not my best beer, but not my worst either. I am trying to be very detailed in my explanation, in the hopes that someone will see something I did and it will "click" something in their head and give me an answer to what possibly is happening here. Has anyone experienced this problem before?
I have brewed about 12 kits now, never contaminated a batch, never had a failed batch or off flavours or anything and even this turned out o.k., except for this weird headache thing. I've experimented with adding partial mashes, fruits, Maple Syrup etc. and never screwed up anything. Made less than desirable batch with sliced and pitted Cherries once, but that was about my worst beer and was still drinkable, just tot pleasant, like others. I am quite well versed in Chemistry and human Physiology, so if someone has a possible chemical explanation for what is happening, no worries, I can keep up. Lol. Don't be afraid to get technical. Thank's for any insights you all might have!
