Headaches, shakes - hangover?

[The-Engineer-That-Brews]

Jeez - if I had more than three pints and then a whisky, I'd have more than a headache... I'd be out for the count. But I'm a total lightweight.

 

[cheeseyfeet]

I went through a phase of having a huge single malt at the end of a weekend session, always had a headache the next day and was dehydrated as hell.

Cut that out and normal service was resumed.

As long as I'm drinking my own beer and it's not over 6% I am good to quaff to my heart's content!

Drinking commercial is a different story!

 

[pilgrimhudd]

Alcohol/booze can cause "histamine" type reactions...wonder if it's the hops? Try taking an antihistamine before going to bed.
As for the red face...there's a few things..over tired/drinking don't mix well. Alcohol intolerance... alcohol is poisonous after all. Reaction to something else in your system...do you work with chemicals/industrial solvents of any kind?

Horrifically this is something that I found out recently. I'm allergic to beer! I take an anti histamine before I go to bed after drinking, otherwise my face goes bright red, my nose dribbles for hours and I have a headache.

 

[phildo79]

I made a pale ale a few years ago that gave me banging headaches. I don't recall any other homebrew doing this to me in the ten years I've been brewing. I also spoke to a fella that owns a pub and said if he drank 3 pints of carlsberg, he feels legless. Does it to him every time. But if he drank 3 pints of any other lager, he'd feel fine. So what is it about carlsberg that affects him? And what was it about that pale ale that affected me? Must be an ingredient and brain chemistry. Perhaps it's a particular hop that you use. Or a grain. Try changing things up, see if it makes a difference.

 

[StJayJay]

You mentioned the CO2, not sure about the nasties in non-food safe supplies but CO2 itself can be problematic if in high enough concentrations in poorly ventilated environments, for example with a leaky system. Headaches can be a symptom. Maybe consider a pulse oximeter to check your sats.

 

[AlBrew]

Methanol? Some of the symptoms match, the below taken from this article.

"methanol poisoning including loss of consciousness, dizziness, weakness and breathing difficulties, blurred vision and blindness, weight loss, headache, abdominal pains, nausea, diarrhea and vomiting (methanol institute 2013)."

I know it seems unlikely but this study suggests that contamination can produce some higher than normal levels, admittedly mostly in pectin containing fruit fermentation.

Not easy to test for without the correct kit or high enough levels to smell it so we may never know.

 

[obscure]

Well you may have slightly misjudged your hydrometer say an extra .5% not unlikely especially if you add in priming sugar so you are looking at 10 units throw in a double whisky and you are easily looking at 12 units, that’s easily more than a bottle of wine, tolerances of course vary and I know I’m a bit of a light weight but that would be enough that I would be regretting it in the morning.

 

[Cwrw666]

I don't usually get hangovers but what I do find is that homebrew has a bad effect on sinus infections. Which is much worse when lying down. Splitting headache which eases off when you get up and start moving around.

 

[Sandimas]

As others have said, I think it's the spirit. I do like a brandy as a nightcap at the weekend but was also suffering a bit the next day so cut it out, drinking the same amount of homebrew, and I'm fine. Which is annoying as I like brandy, not a lot just a single, even went onto the weaker Spanish brandy but still the same.

 

[dannythemanny]

Thanks, folks. I reckon it probably was the whisky after all. I think I've a tendency to get a bit paranoid about CO2. I mean, it has a "Food Grade" sticker on it, but how do I really know that? I'm just taking the vendors word for it.

 

[DavidB]

One thing I am definitely convinced about after restarting home brew a year ago, is that there is definitely less hangover experience from drinking my own beer than drinking commercial bottled stuff.

 

[labrewski]

Could be the spirits I know that dont suit me I can drink plenty of beer but give one or two shots and I'm done the next day

 

[scomet]

I dont use any chemical treatments in my beers other than water minerals for that very reason. Commercial beers/wines say “may contain traces of sulphites” Yeah Right! and may contain Bucket Loads too!! All my beers are 6%+ and I never get any headaches from home brew, or maybe I’ve already pickled all the 'grey matter'…..

 

[dannythemanny]

I dont use any chemical treatments in my beers other than water minerals for that very reason. Commercial beers/wines say “may contain traces of sulphites” Yeah Right! and may contain Bucket Loads too!! All my beers are 6%+ and I never get any headaches from home brew, or maybe I’ve already pickled all the 'grey matter'…..

Interesting. Do you get headaches from wine? I use CRS, gypsum and campden tablets to treat my water normally. I'm assuming you have no issues with chlorine/chloramines tastes?

 

[scomet]

G'Day d t m.

Wine used to give me fearsome headaches so I stopped drinking it for 40 years! just starting again, I like a nice Shiraz..
I use RO water + minerals in my brewing so no problems with chlorine/ chloramine, where I live you jump in the pool to wash the chlorine off after a shower. Water chemistry was my last major challenge in brewing great beer (imho) I hear that wine makers will smash a vintage with chemicals if the fermentation is going astray then start fermentation again; and write on the bottle "may contain traces of....." I've had people get totally $hit-faced on my beer and say "unconscious for 10 hrs and no hangover at all".... Cheers

 

[dannythemanny]

G'Day d t m.

Wine used to give me fearsome headaches so I stopped drinking it for 40 years! just starting again, I like a nice Shiraz..
I use RO water + minerals in my brewing so no problems with chlorine/ chloramine, where I live you jump in the pool to wash the chlorine off after a shower. Water chemistry was my last major challenge in brewing great beer (imho) I hear that wine makers will smash a vintage with chemicals if the fermentation is going astray then start fermentation again; and write on the bottle "may contain traces of....." I've had people get totally $hit-faced on my beer and say "unconscious for 10 hrs and no hangover at all".... Cheers

 

[Braufather]

I do keep the sachets in the fridge, but I take it out first thing on brew day.

Am I right in assuming that 4 pints of sub 5% beer and a double scotch wouldn't give most a hangover headache?

its weird, sometimes it just hits you. on occasion I’ve had a four pack of Stella On a weekday and wake up hungover next morning. Other times I’ve gone out and drank about 8 pints and felt fine.

with home brew it’s hard to keep track of what you are drinking and my Mrs is sure everything is stronger that my measurements tell me!

bit of a hangover today actually after drinking what I’m guessing is about 4 pints of my 5% cascade pale ale Last night.

 

[Mattyde05]

Check your blood pressure

 

[Mattyde05]

I had hot flushes and headaches turns out my blood pressure was slightly high

 

[Begbie]

Horrifically this is something that I found out recently. I'm allergic to beer! I take an anti histamine before I go to bed after drinking, otherwise my face goes bright red, my nose dribbles for hours and I have a headache.

I also suffer from this terrible affliction. First discovered it at the age of 14 when my Dad bought me a half pint of shandy at Butlins. Next day, it was like I had a really bad cold. As my Dad suffers from the same plague, he knew what it was right away. These days, I try to remember to take an antihistamine before a beer session - if I don't, my snoring becomes worse and the wife gives me the sore head!