Headache in a Bottle

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nathani

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Hello everyone,

I've been all grain brewing since January. The beers are turning out better than my expectations. I've been reading and listening to everything I can get my hands on.

One issue that I have to complain about is that I seem to get a headache the morning after I have a couple pints. Even if it's only 1 pint, I still detect a bit of a headache in the morning. I can have the same amount down at the brewpub where I get my yeast from and no problem. Others have complained about this same thing (ie. "Man you're beer is excellent, but I got a wicked headache the next morning). I know higher alcohols can contribute to this, but my fermentation is with the Wyeast London ESB 1956 and it's usually around 18c, so I don't think I should be having problems with this. I've been trying to pitch the proper amount of yeast, but my ferments still stretch out to 4 weeks most of the time. Typical SG is the usual 1.048-1.050 and FG is 1.008-1.010. I've had the brewmaster sample a few of my beers and he says they're a bit sweeter than they should be and suggest balancing that with more hopping. Could this be it? A sugar hangover? The FG is low enough that I don't think there is too much residual sugar, but I'm not sure.

Any help with this would be appreciated!
 
Hello everyone,

I've been all grain brewing since January. The beers are turning out better than my expectations. I've been reading and listening to everything I can get my hands on.

One issue that I have to complain about is that I seem to get a headache the morning after I have a couple pints. Even if it's only 1 pint, I still detect a bit of a headache in the morning. I can have the same amount down at the brewpub where I get my yeast from and no problem. Others have complained about this same thing (ie. "Man you're beer is excellent, but I got a wicked headache the next morning). I know higher alcohols can contribute to this, but my fermentation is with the Wyeast London ESB 1956 and it's usually around 18c, so I don't think I should be having problems with this. I've been trying to pitch the proper amount of yeast, but my ferments still stretch out to 4 weeks most of the time. Typical SG is the usual 1.048-1.050 and FG is 1.008-1.010. I've had the brewmaster sample a few of my beers and he says they're a bit sweeter than they should be and suggest balancing that with more hopping. Could this be it? A sugar hangover? The FG is low enough that I don't think there is too much residual sugar, but I'm not sure.

Any help with this would be appreciated!

Good question but I really don't have an answer. I too have noticed that if I over-do it with homebrew, I pay one hell of a price the next day. And let me tell ya', not sure if it's anything to brag about but I am one hell of an experienced drinker! I have a bit of a local reputation as a guy that "can put it away" and I NEVER get hangovers.....except with homebrewed beer. If I drink one too many (and I've learned now when to stop) I'm a hurtin' unit the next day!! Maybe with commercial beers and all of their expensive filtration systems they clean something out of the finished product that we homebrewers can't.
 
I'm the exact opposite. If I overdo it with commercial beer, I pay the price the next day. With homebrew, I feel a bit groggy until I have my coffee, then I'm just fine.
 
headaches can have a lot of causes. i dunno, maybe try drinking more water?
Also, maybe your beers are of a higher strength (% ABV) than the commercial beers you drink.
what say the others?
 
headaches can have a lot of causes. i dunno, maybe try drinking more water?
Also, maybe your beers are of a higher strength (% ABV) than the commercial beers you drink.
what say the others?

That's always been one of my suspicions. I don't brew "lawn mower" beers and I typically brew nothing less than 6% ABV. Eight of those compared to eight 5% beers can make one hell of a big difference. Especially if consumed in the same amount of time.
 
1000+ on the apfelwein, you better have your s*it together before you go to bed if you have 2 or more of them. I usually drink a pint or two of water inbetween and 2 advil before bed or its hell to pay the next day
 
I don't get hungover too often I pride myself in being a good drinker. But eight 7% beers would sure **** me up.

>6% vs 5% is like drinking 10 beers instead of 8 in the same time with less water inbetween.
 
I'm the exact opposite. If I overdo it with commercial beer, I pay the price the next day. With homebrew, I feel a bit groggy until I have my coffee, then I'm just fine.

This has usually been my experience in the past. Woke up feeling much better the next day having homebrew vs commercial schwab, but since I switched to all grain this isn't the case anymore. I don't have fermentation temperature control and I checked the temperature on my fermenters again and it's actually more like 16c (61f). I used to ferment my non-all-grain beer at a much higher temperature (20c +) and with dry yeast.

My alcohol content has been low, under 5% for all beers so far.

As for drinking water, I know what a dehydration headache feels like and this is different I'm pretty sure.
 
Some have claimed that fusel alcohols cause them to have headaches though research on that front is inconclusive (according to the Internets). Does your beer have any solvent-like tastes to it? Even a little bit?
 
Fusel alcohols are formed when fermentation occurs:
* at higher temperatures,
* at lower pH,
* when yeast activity is limited by low nitrogen content.

from: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fusel_alcohol

I haven't gotten to the point of checking my pH yet. Looks like I should. My ferments have been longer than I expect. Maybe my yeast is having problems and making fusels.
 
Since you're fermenting in the low sixties, I'd try making sure your wort is well aerated before worrying about the pH. That problem seems more likely, in my opinion.

Just stir it until you feel like your arms are going to fall off. That should get plenty of nitrogen in there.

I get the impression that you should be able to taste fusel alcohols, though. If you don't taste them, then it might be something else.
 
1000+ on the apfelwein, you better have your s*it together before you go to bed if you have 2 or more of them. I usually drink a pint or two of water inbetween and 2 advil before bed or its hell to pay the next day

I've always wanted to get ****ing tanked and then start a Normal Saline drip on myself and got o bed. That way in the morning, I'll be hydrated and no hangover.
 
I've always wanted to get ****ing tanked and then start a Normal Saline drip on myself and got o bed. That way in the morning, I'll be hydrated and no hangover.

We used to do that the night before a long run or hike in the Marine Corps, it helped to get in good with one of the docs for the IV Bags and catheters.
 
Since you're fermenting in the low sixties, I'd try making sure your wort is well aerated before worrying about the pH. That problem seems more likely, in my opinion.

Just stir it until you feel like your arms are going to fall off. That should get plenty of nitrogen in there.

I get the impression that you should be able to taste fusel alcohols, though. If you don't taste them, then it might be something else.

I'm on the verge of buying a march pump, so right now to "wirlpool" (if you can call it that), I stir like crazy for the 7min it takes my chiller to get down to pitching temps (18c). Then I use a 1" siphon hose and let the wort free fall from the top of the carboy. The two combined seem to aerate nicely.

I don't taste any fusels, so maybe you're right and that isn't the cause. But I have no idea what my pH is. I have some crappy pH strips that aren't even worth using, but the one time I checked it was somewhere between 5-6 in the mash.
 
My beer tastes great as well, but I used to be able to polish off a 6'er of Bud Light Lime, with no after effects. Now, all it takes is 2 or 3 IPA's (mine, or store bought) and I wake up a little foggy. I think I must have to do with being double the alcohol, and possibly the significant hop load. I haven't seen that mentioned, but if they originally added extra hops as a preservative, maybe they have a slight toxic effect in large doses that causes the groggy hangover feeling? I have only brewed hoppy IPA's so far.

I am now brewing a keg of Creme Ale with low IBU's to test my hypotesis...haha
 
So far, I've brewed and drank:
Kolsch
Irish Red Ale
Bohemian Pilsner
Blond Ale
English IPA
Southern English Brown

All exhibit this headache after effect. I noticed this and kinda put it in the back of mind to find the cause of this. But lately after a few parties where lots of people were drinking my beer, I've had feedback saying this same thing. So it's not just me.

Some of those are hoppy, some not at all, some have specialty malt, some only base. Most are near 5%, some lower. I'm thinking it's something somewhere in my process, but I don't know. I see no signs of infection, or any medicinal notes. I use all stainless steel and glass, with the exception of my copper chiller and a copper pick up tube in my hot liquor tank.
 
The only other thing I can think of is that Brewer's yeast is a known migraine trigger. It would be odd that several people you know would all have the same migraine trigger, but I guess its possible. But then these may be normal headaches and not migraines at all.

One way to test it, though, is to get an unfiltered commercial beer and see if you get the headache.
 
Actually, a few other theories:

Your brewing water is deficient or has excessive amounts of sodium and potassium salts relative to your average commercial beer. As far as I know, this could lead to dehydration quicker which could cause a hangover.

You and your friends are hitting the booze-a-hol harder than you think.
 
I haven't seen this mentioned yet, so I will chime in. Acetaldehyde may be your cause. Acetaldehyde is a compound that causes off flavors and aromas in beer, often described as tasting and smelling like green apples, cut grass or green leaves, pumpkin, or latex paint. It is normally reduced to ethanol by yeast during the secondary fermentation, but oxidation of the finished beer may reverse this process, converting ethanol to acetaldehyde.

The chemical compound of acetaldehyde is a known cause of headaches in the vast majority of the population. It's typically higher in some beverages than others (one of the big three purposly adds it to promote the "green apple taste" because their customers are used to it.) Champagne also has higher levels of the compound than other alcoholic beverages - so if you're sensative to champagne that's an indicator you may be sensative to acetaldehyde.

If you really only are having one of your beers and getting a headache, then my guess is dehydration or the other "alcohol associated headache producers" are not your cause. You may not be giving your beer enough time on the yeast to propertly convert all of the acetalhyde to enthanol - or the yeast just isn't doing its job all the way around as evidenced by the comments concerning a sweet taste. That, or you are oxidizing your beer on the back end during the bottling process. Anyway, my guess is you've got higher than normal levels of the compound in your beer and that's what's giving you skullsplitters.
 
What about filtering the beer? I've noticed blue moon gives me a killer headache. Though that might not be it, because I love german hefe's and they give me almost no headache!
 
Actually, a few other theories:

Your brewing water is deficient or has excessive amounts of sodium and potassium salts relative to your average commercial beer. As far as I know, this could lead to dehydration quicker which could cause a hangover.

You and your friends are hitting the booze-a-hol harder than you think.

Well the people who are complaining are saying they had a worse than average headache. They were hitting it pretty hard, I know because the kegs were down quite a bit the next day. But I know myself, and I've had a couple glasses on many occasions without consequence, but these first few batches aren't. I'm not feeling any more alcohol effects than the pints at the bar (and my gravity readings indicate this as well). Just a headache soon after.

I obtained water reports for my area, and the water seems pretty good (and the local brew pub brewmaster told me he loves the water and just runs it through a charcoal filter, which I do too.

I went to Palmer's website and used his excel sheet to analyze my water:
Calcium 17 / Magnesium 3 / Alkalinity as CaCO3 49 / Sodium 2 / Chloride 1 / Sulfate 8/ Water PH 7.9

My chloride to sulfate ratio is very bitter. I'm in the process of trying to figure out what I should add to adjust my water, but this depends on recipe and other stuff.
 
I haven't seen this mentioned yet, so I will chime in. Acetaldehyde may be your cause. Acetaldehyde is a compound that causes off flavors and aromas in beer, often described as tasting and smelling like green apples, cut grass or green leaves, pumpkin, or latex paint. It is normally reduced to ethanol by yeast during the secondary fermentation, but oxidation of the finished beer may reverse this process, converting ethanol to acetaldehyde.

The chemical compound of acetaldehyde is a known cause of headaches in the vast majority of the population. It's typically higher in some beverages than others (one of the big three purposly adds it to promote the "green apple taste" because their customers are used to it.) Champagne also has higher levels of the compound than other alcoholic beverages - so if you're sensative to champagne that's an indicator you may be sensative to acetaldehyde.

If you really only are having one of your beers and getting a headache, then my guess is dehydration or the other "alcohol associated headache producers" are not your cause. You may not be giving your beer enough time on the yeast to propertly convert all of the acetalhyde to enthanol - or the yeast just isn't doing its job all the way around as evidenced by the comments concerning a sweet taste. That, or you are oxidizing your beer on the back end during the bottling process. Anyway, my guess is you've got higher than normal levels of the compound in your beer and that's what's giving you skullsplitters.

Good info here. I don't notice any acetaldehyde, but the yeast I use almost exclusively London ESB 1968 (free from brewpub) is a fairly low attenuating yeast. I think this accounts for my residual sweetness. It's barely noticeable though. I don't bottle my beer, I keg it, and I always purge my kegs.

This may end up being a wild goose chase. Since my process changes quite often, seeing as how I just kegged my 8th batch. For instance everything from #12 back used a really inefficient chiller that took a half hour to cool the wort down to pitching temps. Also I recently learned about 'hot side aeration'. My wort from from #10 back would would run from the mash tun into the kettle and fall about 3 feet, creating some significant aeration.
 
Why not try picking up a cheap dry yeast pack for your next batch? It's a quick way to test one of the possible reasons.

Maybe the yeast strain you're using isn't ideal for homebrewing conditions.
 
What if it is not the beer, but the kegs & lines? I know one bar I go to, no matter what I get on tap I get a headache. Ive suspected whatever they might be using to clean the lines might be the cause, or maybe not cleaning them at all? Just a thought as it is another "common", have you had the same issue with beer you bottle? Or maybe it is your gas source, unless you are guaranteed gas makeup or virgin Ive never trusted anything as who knows what has been (or still is) in that canister if you are getting from a commercial supplier who refills.
 
My chloride to sulfate ratio is very bitter. I'm in the process of trying to figure out what I should add to adjust my water, but this depends on recipe and other stuff.

You can add some kosher salt (or other non-iodized salt) to balance it out.

Also I recently learned about 'hot side aeration'. My wort from from #10 back would would run from the mash tun into the kettle and fall about 3 feet, creating some significant aeration.

Around here hot side aeration is considered one of the big boogeymen of brewing. I doubt your problem is related to hot side aeration. But, you're right, as you are changing your process the problem may just go away.
 
Well my most recent batches haven't exhibited this headache effect.

The difference between the headache batches and my recent ones are that I didn't have any pale malt to begin with, all I had was pilsner malt. So I was using that as a base malt and only boiling for 60min (should have been 90 with pilsner). Also my mash temps were way too low on a couple of my first batches (144f). I'm not entirely sure what the exact cause was, but I'm just glad it's gone. As my process gets more stable (just built a stainless mash tun, and about to add a whirlpool pump), I'll keep an eye out for it, and hopefully if it crops up again, I'll be able to nail it down.

Thanks for all the help on this.
 
My latest batch is giving me monster headaches the following morning if I drink more than 1 beer. Here are the details:
I made this 5 Gallon extract batch of a hoppy stout on 3/13/10.
7 lb light dme (3.5 at boil, 3.5 with 15 min left)
1 lb crystal 60L
8 oz black malt
6 oz chocolate malt
1/2 cup coffed grounds (at boil)
3 oz fuggles 60 min
1 oz cascade 10 min
1 oz cascade 0 min

2.5 gallon boil
used WLP001 with 1.5 L starter.

I have experimented with this beer for a week or so now. It is like clockwork. If I have more than 1 of this batch, I have a headache the next day. If I have just one (then switch to BMC) I am fine the next day.

I am thinking the problem is fusel alcohols. I am pretty sure that the initial fermentation of this batch happened quickly and was hot for a couple of days. I ferment in a spare bathroom and thought the temp was OK (about 72F in the house), but with fermentation it was probably a good bit higher.

My OG was 1.057
stayed in primary till 4/3 (3 weeks) FG was 1.013 = ABV 5.7%
transferred to corny on 4/3, (I did not purge the keg first because my co2 was out. 2 days later I got co2 and gave it a shot, released pressure, and gave it another shot) primed with some corn sugar and let sit at room temp for about 1 week. Then forced carbed the rest of the way while in the kegerator.
It tastes pretty good (not as hoppy as I would have liked), but def. has a strange taste I can't place. It could be described as solventy.
--------------------

So, my real question is this: If this is fusel alcohol, is there a way to correct it? It has been in the fridge for over 3 weeks and it still gives me a headache. Can I pull this out of the fridge and leave it a room temp for a couple of weeks? If I repitch some yeast will it "clean up" the fusels? Or, worst case scenario, can I heat up the beer and boil off the fusel alcohol?

Help!
John
 
Well my most recent batches haven't exhibited this headache effect.

The difference between the headache batches and my recent ones are that I didn't have any pale malt to begin with, all I had was pilsner malt. So I was using that as a base malt and only boiling for 60min (should have been 90 with pilsner). Also my mash temps were way too low on a couple of my first batches (144f). I'm not entirely sure what the exact cause was, but I'm just glad it's gone. As my process gets more stable (just built a stainless mash tun, and about to add a whirlpool pump), I'll keep an eye out for it, and hopefully if it crops up again, I'll be able to nail it down.

Thanks for all the help on this.

I was thinking maybe your cleanser/sanitizer, but if the headaches went away without changing that then that's not the (primary) cause.

So what's your efficiency with this new setup? Sounds like it should be lower... I know that when I drink sugary drinks the hangovers are always worse (dang you, Moscato!) and if you had a drop in efficiency you would have less sugar present. If that caused your yeast to "poop out" before cleaning up their own poop (acetaldehyde) then, as they say on teh Myfbusters, "Well, there's your problem!"

Whenever there is sugar around, yeast like to use it up first, before cleaning up their own leftovers. If the alcohol level got high enough to inhibit their activity, and there was still sugar, maybe they didn't eat the acetaldehyde, etc.

So, I dunno... OG/FG all your batches and see if the headaches come back. A good notebook is a brewer's friend!! ;)
 
Sometimes a solvent-like taste is just green beer. Since you only aged it under pressure at room temp for a week, I'd let it sit at room temp for a couple more weeks and see if that taste goes away.

If it doesn't go away, then it could be fusel alcohols. In that case, you're pretty much stuck with them. Fusel alcohols do boil away at about 140*F, but ethanol boils away at 173.1*F. That's a pretty narrow window to keep the beer in to get rid of the fusel alcohols. Plus I have no idea what that would do to the flavor given that you'd be killing pretty much all the yeast.

If it doesn't age out, I'd chalk it up to a lesson in the importance of fermentation temperatures and set up a swamp cooler for next time. Boiling away the fusel alcohols may be more trouble than it's worth.
 
I ferment in a spare bathroom and thought the temp was OK (about 72F in the house), but with fermentation it was probably a good bit higher.

Some people say that the fermentation temp can be a good 10 degrees higher than ambient temp, so the beer could've gotten up to 82*F.

So, basically, room temperature is rarely OK unless you live in a 60*F or below house. You'd have to be doing a Belgian or something.
 
I think mojotele is really onto something. Science itself doesn't have a firm grasp on hangovers yet, but some of the leading suspects are fusel alcohols and other congeners. Short of distilling I don't think there is any way to remove them once they are present. My guess would be like his, to keep a sharp eye on fermentation temperature. We know that a lot of off-flavors and unwanted compounds are produced at higher temps.

My question is to anyone who notices this effect with ales: Do you experience the same with your lagers?
 
well, for me, i haven't noticed this effect with any beer before. Also, I am not prone to getting headaches very often. Of course, I have had hangovers, but not from 2 beers. This is a pounding headache in the front of my head from 2 beers. Something is def. off about this batch, I just want to get it nailed down ASAP so that future batches aren't effected.

i just heated up about 24 oz. of this beer to 150+. It fluctuated between 150-170 for about 25 minutes. It is just an experiment to see:
A. what effect it has on taste, and
B. what effect it has on my headache.

I'll post back tomorrow on the results of my sad, little experiment.
 
I'm anxious to see the results! I honestly didn't think about only heating some of the beer even though that is painfully obvious. In my defense, I was in the middle of a rather stressful work day :)

Anyway, experimentation is what home brew is all about. I don't think there's anything sad about your experiment.
 
If it doesn't go away, then it could be fusel alcohols. In that case, you're pretty much stuck with them. ... If it doesn't age out, I'd chalk it up to a lesson in the importance of fermentation temperatures and set up a swamp cooler for next time.

So, does anyone have a swamp cooler set up, and how well does it work? I've also heard you can put your primary in a half-full-o-water bathtub to get rid of the extra 10 degrees from fermentation, does anyone do that?

I live in an apartment, so what has worked for you other apartment dwellers to control ferm temps?
 
Well, the beer was flat after heated and cooled, but I'm happy to report that I had absolutely no trace of a headache this morning. This was not exactly a scientific experiment, but it does suggest that fusel alcohols are to blame.

If I have time, tonight I will try the same thing again, but be careful to keep the temp about 150F (yesterday the temp fluctuated quite a bit, so may have hit 180 or more). I don't want to boil off the ethanol, just the fusels.

I will post back when I get a chance to try this again. If it works, I'll heat, cool, then force carb the remainder of this batch (probably 2 -3 gallons).

--------------
As for the question about fermenting in a bathtub. I found that adding about 3 inches of water and loosely wrapping a towel around the carboy to wick up water does lower the temp by at least 5 degrees. I did this for my next 2 batches. They aren't ready to drink yet, so I don't know if it was enough to prevent fusels (if that even is my problem). I also use some frozen apple juices bottles to keep it cool. It helps, but I live in FL and we are hitting 90's now, so this method is not cool enough for the summer.

I really need to build a fermentation chamber.
 
Sounds great!

My apartment usually stays in the 70's, so if the bathtub trick can drop the temp 5 degrees or so that's probably good enough for ales during the summer, at least.

I can only imagine the look SWMBO's face when I say I need to build a fermentation chamber! :drunk:
 
So, does anyone have a swamp cooler set up, and how well does it work? I've also heard you can put your primary in a half-full-o-water bathtub to get rid of the extra 10 degrees from fermentation, does anyone do that?

I live in an apartment, so what has worked for you other apartment dwellers to control ferm temps?

Justibone, I live in an apartment and this is what I use to keep my fermentation temps down:

http://www.target.com/Rope-Tub-Blue-18-gal/dp/B002C0VBB8/ref=sc_qi_detailbutton

I just stick it inside my closet so I don't tie up my bathtub/shower. I can keep my temps around 68F and get it lower with frozen water bottles if needed.
 
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