Hangovers and Homebrew

[danielthemaniel]

I was just chatting with a gent at the local brewery about this very issue. He says about half the IPA's he's tried trigger major headaches, often times before he's finished half of his first glass. I've had the same issue myself at times...no idea why or wth the exact cause is.

I've found I can get a hangover from just about any beer. Although W00tstout really does it for me...mainly because it's so damn good I have issues throttling after the first glass. Every since I adopted the "Glass of beer to glass of water" it's much better.

Drinking a glass of water between each beer really is the best way to prevent hangovers! It's hard to overindulge when your stomach is getting twice the liquid!

 

[Kealia]

True. Water between beers does help slow things down and keep you hydrated but unfortunately does nothing in terms of migraines.

I adopted the water-between-beers approach years ago and can say that it helps tremendously in terms of preventing hangovers. Now, if you're downing bombers of high ABV stuff, then all bets are off!

 

[Br3w4u]

Sulfates could be the cause of your headaches. IPAs are known for having higher sulfates and sulfates are known to cause headaches. Alternating between rockstars and beers is a great way to prevent a hangover!

 

[jlinz]

Sulfates could be the cause of your headaches. IPAs are known for having higher sulfates and sulfates are known to cause headaches. Alternating between rockstars and beers is a great way to prevent a hangover!

Interesting. Do sulfates and high hop content go hand in hand ?

 

[Br3w4u]

Interesting. Do sulfates and high hop content go hand in hand ?

Sulfates are supposed to help accentuate hops so brewers will increase sulfate levels in hoppy beers.

 

[Kent88]

I wouldn't call this a hangover, but my headache might be bad enough to ruin my day.

 

[Lefou]

The beers that bugged me the most seemed to be BMC brands, especially the ones aged with beechwood.

The unfiltered homebrews seemed much less bothersome, even the ones turning out a higher ABV than session. I'd love to make my own cask ale now that wooden barrels scaled for the homebrew crowd are now available, but there's this nagging thought in the back of my mind about the quality of the wood and how well it's cured...
My sissy session beer is generally under 10 SRM and contains low amounts of hops and sulfate, nowhere near American pale ale or IPA strength, so any hangovers might be beyond my realm of experience.
I typically eat when drinking so hangovers caused by excess are a rare occurrence.

 

[Kealia]

Sulfates are supposed to help accentuate hops so brewers will increase sulfate levels in hoppy beers.

That's a damn good point that I never thought of.