Why does home brew make me squiffy?

[kelper]

I'm a seasoned drinker*. I enjoy a couple of GT's before dinner, maybe a glass of wine with dinner and a single-malt whisky in the evening; but these don't make me light-headed, they just make me feel mellow. But a pint or two of Woodforde's Wherry or Norfolk Nog and I feel quite squiffy.

does anyone else experience this? Is there any explanation? I think it '''is related to how long the drink is held in the mouth, savouring the flavour, but that might be rubbish.

* only in Winter, Spring. Summer and Autumn.

 

[Clint]

Your hydrometer is broken...

 

[Chippy_Tea]

Your hydrometer is broken...

 

[An Ankoù]

I'm a seasoned drinker*. I enjoy a couple of GT's before dinner, maybe a glass of wine with dinner and a single-malt whisky in the evening; but these don't make me light-headed, they just make me feel mellow. But a pint or two of Woodforde's Wherry or Norfolk Nog and I feel quite squiffy.

does anyone else experience this? Is there any explanation? I think it '''is related to how long the drink is held in the mouth, savouring the flavour, but that might be rubbish.

* only in Winter, Spring. Summer and Autumn.

If you drink all this other stuff before the beer then there's quite a lot of alcohol in your stomach. The beer's carbonated and that increases the svp in your stomach which forces the alcohol into your stomach lining giving you an alcohol rush.
It's like champagne, innit!

 

[Clint]

He's brewing Wherry to 10l....

 

[kelper]

Amusing answers! But I am talking about a standard kit, brewed to instructions. And I feel the effect if I have a couple of beers with no other alcohol beforehand. My brews must be 5% or less and I sometimes feel the effects after quaffing less than half a pint. Who can offer a sensible explanation?

 

[Chippy_Tea]

Who can offer a sensible explanation?

I guess that's ruled me and Clint out.

 

[kelper]

YES!

But you guys make me laugh!

 

[Chippy_Tea]

Kicking the tyres here maybe you have a different tolorence to different drinks.

 

[trevorS]

Seriously you need more practice

 

[Slid]

Alcohol content of 2 pints of something like Wherry and 1 glass of wine plus 3 standard measures of spirits sound roughly the same to me. If you drink on an empty stomach, alcohol will be absorbed faster than if you drink with or after food?

 

[An Ankoù]

Woodford's Wherry 3.8% abv.
Whiskey 40% abv.
1 pint WW 3.8/40 of a pint of whisky= a tenth of a pint of whiskey.
2 pints = a fifth of a pint of whiskey
3 pints is well over a quarter of a pint of neat whiskey.
Factor in the carbonation which will increase the pressure in your stomach and force the alcohol into the stomach lining and hence the bloodstream and that's why we all love beer.
And that's if you make your WW to commercial weakness.

 

[DrGMc]

Amusing answers! But I am talking about a standard kit, brewed to instructions. And I feel the effect if I have a couple of beers with no other alcohol beforehand. My brews must be 5% or less and I sometimes feel the effects after quaffing less than half a pint. Who can offer a sensible explanation?

Oh the other thing not mentioned yet is all the complex sugars that are still hanging around in some home brew. If your blood is carrying all of that stuff around your blood stream it has less capacity to carry (think about a storage depot) the alcohol so guess what ...
The alcohol is there as alcohol in your blood stream not hidden in the plasma i.e. squiffy quicker
but the good news is it makes you work on it sooner so all things being equal - you'll feel sober sooner.
Best thing though is to drink on/after a meal as keeping the liquid in your stomach for longer allows the enzymes in your stomach to work on the alcohol - and you will actually be sober sooner not just feel it.

 

[kelper]

I think you are missing my point. A pint of beer might contain three units of alcohol; 568ml x 5 (%) divided by 1,000 is 2.8 units. A double whisky is 100ml at 40% equals 100 x 40 divided by 1,000, 4 units. But the beer has more effect on me. And it seems to affect me in a different way. There's no way CO2 in your stomach 'forces' alcohol into your bloodstream! If you have any pressure in your stomach you will belch/burp. And it can't be the carbonation; a gin and tonic does not have the same effect as a pint of home brew, even a 'crippler'.

I can believe it's due to the other ingredients, maybe some complex sugars. Personally, I suspect that it the proportions of alcohol, water, sugars and other fermenting byproducts including dissolved CO2 that is what causes my lightheadedness.

Kudos to those who disagree; I welcome any contrary opinions or, even better, medical evidence or informed conjecture.

 

[DrGMc]

actually just out of interest - and I know its a strange question but - are you the genotype that can metabolise sugar easily?
The simple test is to put a plain cracker (or a bit of it) in your mouth and chew it (without swallowing) until you can taste sweetness. Does it happen within 20 seconds or less?
or are you the genotype that does not metabolise sugars well and actually it takes ages (minutes) or you never actually taste the sweetness as you chew a cracker (jacob's although other brands are available)

My money is on the fact that you do not metbolise sugars well but lets see.

 

[DrGMc]

There's no way CO2 in your stomach 'forces' alcohol into your bloodstream!

agree it actually only the new inteface - the bubble ! its suggested to increase the rate at which alcohol gets across the stomach wall into the blood but it does explain your lightheadedness

I can believe it's due to the other ingredients, maybe some complex sugars. Personally, I suspect that it the proportions of alcohol, water, sugars and other fermenting byproducts i is what causes my lightheadedness.

I think you've nailed it on the head with that statement - what temperature do you ferment at? Controlled and low or " room temperature with no control"

 

[kelper]

agree it actually only the new inteface - the bubble ! its suggested to increase the rate at which alcohol gets across the stomach wall into the blood but it does explain your lightheadedness



I think you've nailed it on the head with that statement - what temperature do you ferment at? Controlled and low or " room temperature with no control"

I ferment at 18 to 21 C. but my experience also relates to commercial beers. I have only brewed kits and have no control over the temperature, but my understairs cupboard seems to be ideal and stays between 18 and 20 due to nearby pipes.

but, thinking about it, I suspect that my homebrew DOES actully affect me more than a really good pub 'real ale', so you've got me thinking! Thanks.

 

[DrGMc]

I ferment at 18 to 21 C. but my experience also relates to commercial beers. I have only brewed kits and have no control over the temperature, but my understairs cupboard seems to be ideal and stays between 18 and 20 due to nearby pipes.

but, thinking about it, I suspect that my homebrew DOES actully affect me more than a really good pub 'real ale', so you've got me thinking! Thanks.

I'm still abroad at the moment but when I get home at the weekend I'll pull out 'Fix and Fix' and have a look at likely suspects for the squiffy head - it usually only happens with really strong beers but as you said you're steering clear of those so this one is a bit of a challenge ....

 

[Clint]

"scientific" discussion is not a forum strong point due to the very nature of us all being here and not running brew dog type empires....but I'll keep chucking my pearls of wisdom into the ever stodgy mire...

 

[DrGMc]

"scientific" discussion is not a forum strong point due to the very nature of us all being here and not running brew dog type empires....but I'll keep chucking my pearls of wisdom into the ever stodgy mire...

Clint no problem, we all need to be grounded and a sense of humour is a bonus - you and chippy always make me smile