Yeast varieties and health

[Fran365]

After a recent IPA brew with Saf-05, my wife commented that my energy seemed to drop as I consumed my ale Friday-Sunday at supper, one bottle a night. As interested in health for years it is clear yeasts can be debilitating for some. I wondered is any found a difference in energy while consuming different yeasts.

 

[VikeMan]

It sounds like you'd like to know if various yeast strains have more or less effect on energy than US-05 (quite possibly the most commonly used strain by homebrewers) does. That presupposes that ales yeasts (Saccharomyces cerevisiae) can have a negative impact on energy in the first place.

There's lots of scientific research out there on the affects (positive and negative) of various yeasts, including Saccharomyces cerevisiae (the species to which Ale Yeasts belong), on gut health, immune system response, etc. I can't say I recall anything that would lead me to believe that consuming it would result in an overall loss of energy. But I certainly haven't read everything. Here's an article that states brewers yeast may increase energy (among other positive benefits):
https://www.healthline.com/health/brewers-yeastHowever, the author does not list primary sources.

Have you considered that ethanol, a nervous system depressant, might be responsible for the energy drop that your wife (but apparently not you) noticed? Occam's razor isn't ironclad, but it's often useful.

 

[Fran365]

Thanks, I went years having given up on commercial beers, and began drinking my weekly red wines, mostly juice wines, and felt strengthened by them. While my wife’s observations can be themselves weakening, but in my 70’s I’ve come to consider them seriously. Yeasts have wildly different effects on health, I’ve got many things to experiment with. I was looking if any had the same experience. I listed, briefly, the offending ale in the new member forum. There are other components to consider, like the blue corn, in storage for 3 years, but malted fine.

 

[Miraculix]

Thanks, I went years having given up on commercial beers, and began drinking my weekly red wines, mostly juice wines, and felt strengthened by them. While my wife’s observations can be themselves weakening, but in my 70’s I’ve come to consider them seriously. Yeasts have wildly different effects on health, I’ve got many things to experiment with. I was looking if any had the same experience. I listed, briefly, the offending ale in the new member forum. There are other components to consider, like the blue corn, in storage for 3 years, but malted fine.

Hops lower the energy level in my experience. It's not the yeast, it's the hops.

 

[hotbeer]

There was quite a bit of difference in the ABV of the commercial beers I use to buy and the homebrew I started making. Homebrew was quite a bit more.

US-05 is a high attenuating yeast, so maybe the effect on you is just more alcohol per glass getting in your system.

I've been making a concerted effort to brew lower ABV beers with the tastes and notes of the higher ABV beers I started out brewing. 8% ABV was getting to be too much for my older years. And I'd like to enjoy more than one glass.

 

[Fran365]

Hops lower the energy level in my experience. It's not the yeast, it's the hops.

Thanks
Thanks Miraculix, didn’t consider that. I remember hops where added to lower the testosterone in middle ages Europe. Now what got me into ales was the centennial hops, I love the flavor and smell, but there are many hop Substitutes, maybe I’ll try yarrow.

 

[Miraculix]

Thanks
Thanks Miraculix, didn’t consider that. I remember hops where added to lower the testosterone in middle ages Europe. Now what got me into ales was the centennial hops, I love the flavor and smell, but there are many hop Substitutes, maybe I’ll try yarrow.

Yarrow, mugwort,bog Myrtle, ground ivy... Been there done that, nothing works like hops. Seriously, don't even try it. Either accept the hops or drink something else. Beer without hops does not taste like beer and it will sour most likely over time.

 

[Fran365]

There was quite a bit of difference in the ABV of the commercial beers I use to buy and the homebrew I started making. Homebrew was quite a bit more.

US-05 is a high attenuating yeast, so maybe the effect on you is just more alcohol per glass getting in your system.

I've been making a concerted effort to brew lower ABV beers with the tastes and notes of the higher ABV beers I started out brewing. 8% ABV was getting to be too much for my older years. And I'd like to enjoy more than one glass.

All right Hotbeer, you’ve given me new ideas. My ale drinking habit is a shot of bourbon/whiskey and a ale before supper. My wine has 12-16% abv, and didn’t bother me unless I went to that third glass. My ale PA’d at about 5% abv.

 

[sibelman]

It's impossible to rigorously ascertain the effects of one or another item (yeast, hops, ethanol, prescription meds, the evening news, whatnot) on one person's mood/energy level/state of being. However, the notion that one strain of saccharomyces cerevisiae has a different effect than another on the consumer's energy level is quite novel. I'd look elsewhere first. But, of course, you've gotta trust your gut and listen to your wife. And you may enjoy trying different yeast strains

 

[Fran365]

It's impossible to rigorously ascertain the effects of one or another item (yeast, hops, ethanol, prescription meds, the evening news, whatnot) on one person's mood/energy level/state of being. However, the notion that one strain of saccharomyces cerevisiae has a different effect than another on the consumer's energy level is quite novel. I'd look elsewhere first. But, of course, you've gotta trust your gut and listen to your wife. And you may enjoy trying different yeast strains

Of course Sibelman, true point. We have a bad day/night and wonder what did we eat, drink, breath in…. My low energy comes and goes and we have not been able to figure it out. Not serious, but bugs me. In this chain you’ll see some claim the hops drain energy. I’ve got cider coming on line and it’s pitched with Saf 05, with no hops. Gonna see how it effects energy.

 

[sibelman]

Best of luck, Fran. One more thought: often, the solution to a problem is not related to the cause. Cheers!

 

[bwible]

I’d say its the alcohol and carbs more than the yeast. It has come up in discussions many times that once we start drinking beer we pretty much lose the desire to do much else. You’d be very surprised at how many carbs are in your homebrew if you haven’t looked at that before.

 

[Fran365]

I’d say its the alcohol and carbs more than the yeast. It has come up in discussions many times that once we start drinking beer we pretty much lose the desire to do much else.

Well said, some mix of stimulus blocker, blood sugar raises, captivating smells and tastes and pleasant mouth feel are hard to beat. My weekend treats have changed to red wine and it doesn’t compare. I am going to distance myself from ale for a few months and run at it again and see the results.

 

[bwible]

This is why low carb beers have gained in popularity in recent years. Miller Lite “everything you always wanted in a beer and less” has been around since the 1970s. 3.2 carbs. Michelob is making a killing with Ultra, 2.6 carbs. Many other lite and low carb beers.

Zymurgy and BYO have both done low carb and gluten free brewing articles.

My wife and I were drinking low carb stuff when we were trying keto. Impossible to stay on, by the way, for pizza and sandwiches alone. But I notice I don’t get the same feeling from the lower carb stuff.

 

[Miraculix]

I’d say its the alcohol and carbs more than the yeast. It has come up in discussions many times that once we start drinking beer we pretty much lose the desire to do much else. You’d be very surprised at how many carbs are in your homebrew if you haven’t looked at that before.

I'm not sold on the carbs theory. I'm witnessing the same thing with bone dry saisons around 1.0 fg. From my own experience, the only thing I can say is that hops seem to play the biggest role. Sometimes that's a good thing though. If I'm stressed from work at Friday, one or two beers really slow me down. Same alcohol amount as wine or anything else doesn't do that to me.

 

[Miraculix]

This is why low carb beers have gained in popularity in recent years. Miller Lite “everything you always wanted in a beer and less” has been around since the 1970s. 3.2 carbs. Michelob is making a killing with Ultra, 2.6 carbs. Many other lite and low carb beers.

Zymurgy and BYO have both done low carb and gluten free brewing articles.

My wife and I were drinking low carb stuff when we were trying keto. Impossible to stay on, by the way, for pizza and sandwiches alone. But I notice I don’t get the same feeling from the lower carb stuff.

The ones you are mentioning are really low hopped beers, so that might have been the reason as well.

 

[bwible]

The ones you are mentioning are really low hopped beers, so that might have been the reason as well.

And in the case of Miller 64, only 2.8% alc

 

[VikeMan]

I'm not sold on the carbs theory. I'm witnessing the same thing with bone dry saisons around 1.0 fg.

You probably know this, but... We tend to think of 1.000 as "bone dry," but 100% apparent attenuation is only about 82% real attenuation. A beer that starts at, say, 1.065 and finishes at 1.000 has about 14 grams carbs per pint.

That said, it's certainly drier than most beers, if that's what you mean. For comparison, a beer that starts at 1.065 and ends at 1.008 would have about 22 grams carbs.

 

[bracconiere]

how about trying a coffee stout? or brown ale?

and as far as yeast, i eat half an ounce of active dry yeast most days for extra folate, and niacin? so i like yeast myself!

edit: another thought would be maybe esters? they make me grogy....

 

[BPenny]

Personally, I agree that super rich, high calorie beers don’t make me feel great, hoppy beers do tend to make me more relaxed or sleepy. In other cases though, I have noticed some beers feel healthier or easier to metabolize, whereas others hit me pretty hard despite a similar ABV or rate of hopping. A little bit of yeast in the bottle seems to have a positive effect on how I feel, but too much yeast in suspension doesn’t sit well with me. I have also noticed that in general, I feel better after drinking a more natural, wild fermented beer or wine than I do with highly processed beers or wines. On the other hand, some wild fermented beers I have made literally make me feel unwell or even wheezy, but that generally improves with aging. This leads me to believe that perhaps more than yeasts themselves, the byproducts that yeast and bacteria produce such as diacetyl, acetaldehyde, biogenic amines, etc. can have a notable effect on how we feel. I would likewise agree that the vitamins and minerals that yeast either produce or contain could have a positive effect on how a beer makes us feel. After all, yeast are used in the production of vitamin supplements. It stands to reason that different strains will produce varying amounts of both healthy and unhealthy byproducts, as will the same strain of yeast under different conditions.

 

[Cider Wraith]

"The Sedating Power of Hops"​

"The use of hops came about because Protestant reformers felt these drinks promoted a greater tendency to sin. Hops were promoted as the best herb for beer for two reasons—it was sedative instead of stimulating and it reduced, rather than increased, sex drive. As a result, today’s beer drinkers are getting calmed down, both physically and sexually, which leads naturally into a discussion of the properties of hops.

Hops are the third herb in the sleep-promoting trio I’ve discussed in the last couple of articles, the other two herbs being skullcap and valerian. Hops is different from the other two plants because it acts as a mild central nervous system (CNS) depressant. In other words, it inhibits the function of the CNS, which will inhibit pain, slow reflexes, and make you feel drowsy.

The effect is strong enough that people harvesting hops have been known to fall asleep on the job. Occasionally, they also experience breathlessness, cardiac irregularities, and profuse sweating, all probably due to an over suppression of the CNS.

This also points out the fact that you don’t have to ingest hops to get the sedating effect. People have put hops flowers into small pillows to help them sleep, just like they do with lavender. It would be interesting to make a sleep pillow out of both."

 

[Cider Wraith]

"The sedative effects of hops (Humulus lupulus), a component of beer, on the activity/rest rhythm"​

L Franco 1, C Sánchez, R Bravo, A Rodriguez, C Barriga, Javier Cubero Juánez
Affiliations expand

• PMID: 22849837
• DOI: 10.1556/APhysiol.99.2012.2.6

"Abstract​

The hop (Humulus lupulus), a component of beer, is a sedative plant whose pharmacological activity is due principally to its bitter resins, especially to the α-acid component 2-methyl-3-buten-2-ol. The mechanism of action of the resin of hop consists of increasing the activity of the neurotransmitter γ-aminobutyric (GABA), inhibiting the central nervous system (CNS)."

.....
.....

"Conclusion: The concentration of 2 mg of hop extract effectively decreased nocturnal activity in the circadian activity rhythm. On the basis of this investigation, administration of non-alcoholic beer would be recommended due to its hop content and consequent sedative action"

 

[Cider Wraith]

Hops: The Ingredient In Beer That Can Help You Sleep​

https://www.farmersalmanac.com/hops-sleep-29314

Can Hops Help You Sleep?​

https://www.healthline.com/health/can-hops-get-me-to-sleep

Hops for Sleep​

https://supplementsinreview.com/sleep/hops-sleep/

 

[Cider Wraith]

8 Impressive Health Benefits of Apples​

https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/10-health-benefits-of-apples

​

8 Outstanding Health Benefits of Apples​

https://www.everydayhealth.com/diet-nutrition/impressive-health-benefits-of-apples/

 

[McMullan]

A relative (unfortunate) few are a tad sensitive to active yeast. The wine experiment is flawed by the fact the high alcohol levels filter active yeast cells. Not that I wish to add to your suspicions, but Saccharomyeces cerevisiae can express pathogenic behaviour in some. But, to be brutally honest, I've had really sh*t weekends after missing a bus. Unless the symptoms are consistent over more time, I'd stop worrying. Listen to some Iron Maiden for a while

 

[bracconiere]

Listen to some Iron Maiden for a while

isn't that the way this thread started in the first post?

 

[McMullan]

isn't that the way this thread started in the first post?

My wife reckons I listen to Iron Maiden more when I'm consuming yeast. I say, bring on the yeast

 

[sibelman]

Maybe an iron supplement would stave off any de-energizing effects of the yeast Do Metal enthusiasts tend to become energized by the tunes? Or more entranced?

 

[Fran365]

This is why low carb beers have gained in popularity in recent years. Miller Lite “everything you always wanted in a beer and less” has been around since the 1970s. 3.2 carbs. Michelob is making a killing with Ultra, 2.6 carbs. Many other lite and low carb beers.

Zymurgy and BYO have both done low carb and gluten free brewing articles.

My wife and I were drinking low carb stuff when we were trying keto. Impossible to stay on, by the way, for pizza and sandwiches alone. But I notice I don’t get the same feeling from the lower carb stuff.

You probably know this, but... We tend to think of 1.000 as "bone dry," but 100% apparent attenuation is only about 82% real attenuation. A beer that starts at, say, 1.065 and finishes at 1.000 has about 14 grams carbs per pint.

That said, it's certainly drier than most beers, if that's what you mean. For comparison, a beer that starts at 1.065 and ends at 1.008 would have about 22 grams carbs.

Didn’t know that, I have thrown around the term,”bone dry” incorrectly I see. I have a zuchinni;/pineapple/ginger aging and it registered way below .999, on the meter, low, not sure what’s going on their.

 

[Fran365]

Best of luck, Fran. One more thought: often, the solution to a problem is not related to the cause. Cheers!

Your reply has been in my mind for a week: the world says stress causes many issues, and all agree, but how do complicated physical/spiritual conflict reveal themselves in our bodies, minds.Like many our lives have been altered, to some new system. We have traditional folks in our family and Democrats. There is no dialogue to consensus. It can be difficult.