Looking for the original Bar Towel blog? You can find it at www.thebartowel.com.
We have a trivia question in order to register to prevent bots. If you have any issues with answering, contact us at cass@bartowel.com for help.
Introducing Light Mode! If you would like a Bar Towel social experience that isn't the traditional blue, you can now select Light Mode. Go to the User Control Panel and then Board Preferences, and select "Day Drinking" (Light Mode) from the My Board Style drop-down menu. You can always switch back to "Night Drinking" (Dark Mode). Enjoy!
We have a trivia question in order to register to prevent bots. If you have any issues with answering, contact us at cass@bartowel.com for help.
Introducing Light Mode! If you would like a Bar Towel social experience that isn't the traditional blue, you can now select Light Mode. Go to the User Control Panel and then Board Preferences, and select "Day Drinking" (Light Mode) from the My Board Style drop-down menu. You can always switch back to "Night Drinking" (Dark Mode). Enjoy!
Hangover Beers..
-
TheBeeraholic
- Bar Fly
- Posts: 627
- Joined: Fri Aug 05, 2011 10:58 am
- Location: Whitby, ON
Hangover Beers..
I've had Nickel Brooks Headstock a few times now. Usually when I drink I have several different beers throughout the night. Unless I plan on seasoning or know that I'll be drinking heavily. I don't normally get any kind of hangover. Headache in the morning, dizziness, light headedness anything. At most I'll just be a bit tired. And I tend to attribute that to just not getting that great asleep or not enough. But the last few times I've had Nickelbrooks Headstock I've woke with a headache that takes decal hours to go away. On night I had a few IPA's. Mad Tom. RPA, smashbomb etc. The next time four or five Boneshaker with a Headstock thrown in the mix. Earlier today I had a headstock and already have the headache coming on.. Asked a non craft beer drinker who as well never gets headaches or hangovers and said he has the same experience when he ever had a Stella. Has anyone else had or noticed this with over beers? And really curious as to which beers... Might have this affect on you.
Although all of the mechanisms that contribute to hangovers are not known or completely understood, you can breakdown the big causes of hangovers into two categories....dehydration and the toxins associated with alcohol or alcohol breakdown. Toxins are a big ass topic, so I’ll focus on dehydration as it relates to beer type.
Dehydration happens primarily because alcohol inhibits the action of the hormone vasopressin (AKA anti-diuretic hormone) in the kidney. That’s one of the hormones that regulates water balance in your body. No vasopressin equals excess water loss, even if you are consuming water in the form of beer. Dehydration makes you feel lethargic, achy, tired and all around shitty. Plus, you lose water out of all the compartments in your body, even the cerebral spinal fluid (CSF) that floats your brain and spinal cord. If your CSF is low, the weight of gravity on your central nervous system pulls on all of the blood vessels and fibrous connections (meninges) that anchor your brain in the center of your skull. That hurts, hence the headache. The nerves that record pain for those structures are actually the same nerves that cause people migraines, but for different reasons. Since the diuretic effect of alcohol is proportional to the amount consumed over time, more beer or higher alcohol beer will obviously result in a worse hangover. Dehydration from 5 Pints of Headstock (7.5%) > 5 pints Stella (5.2%). Tell your friend he’s a pussy (kidding). However, it all depends on where you start in terms of water balance. One beer can give you a headache if you haven’t had any water all day and you can feel no pain on 4 pints if you start and keep yourself well hydrated.
But wait, there’s more. Sugar is also a diuretic of sorts. In the kidneys, water always follows solutes (salts, sugar etc) in both maintaining and loosing water. Solutes are good for maintaining fluid balance to a point, but too much and the system is overloaded and your kidney spills solutes and thus water into the bladder. Super sugary imperial stouts or alco-pops have the potential to make you pee out more and thus become more dehydrated. Remember though that water and sugar must first be reabsorbed in your guts/GI tract. Like the kidney, your gut has a limited capacity to reabsorb sugar and thus water (water follows sugar in the gut too!). Excess sugar in your gut will not only prevent water reabsorption, but it will also pull water out of your body and into the tube of your guts if there’s too much of it......resulting in what’s called osmotic diarrhea or, for beer geeks, the beer shits. Dehydration gets worse from this angle too. So, higher residual sugars in beer equal worse dehydration. Dehydration from Charlevoix Milk Stout > Cantillon Gueuze.
Overall, if only 1 or 2 beers gives you a headache it’s more likely there is something shared in the context of when you’ve drank those beers, rather than the beer itself. Starting off dehydrated, empty stomach making alcohol absorption faster etc.
There’s always ingredient sensitivities to consider as well, but those are reeeealy rare and likely wouldn’t be limited to just 1 or 2 beers......unless there’s some weird Franken-preservative in Stella or other macro’s I don’t know about (homebrewers?)
Dehydration happens primarily because alcohol inhibits the action of the hormone vasopressin (AKA anti-diuretic hormone) in the kidney. That’s one of the hormones that regulates water balance in your body. No vasopressin equals excess water loss, even if you are consuming water in the form of beer. Dehydration makes you feel lethargic, achy, tired and all around shitty. Plus, you lose water out of all the compartments in your body, even the cerebral spinal fluid (CSF) that floats your brain and spinal cord. If your CSF is low, the weight of gravity on your central nervous system pulls on all of the blood vessels and fibrous connections (meninges) that anchor your brain in the center of your skull. That hurts, hence the headache. The nerves that record pain for those structures are actually the same nerves that cause people migraines, but for different reasons. Since the diuretic effect of alcohol is proportional to the amount consumed over time, more beer or higher alcohol beer will obviously result in a worse hangover. Dehydration from 5 Pints of Headstock (7.5%) > 5 pints Stella (5.2%). Tell your friend he’s a pussy (kidding). However, it all depends on where you start in terms of water balance. One beer can give you a headache if you haven’t had any water all day and you can feel no pain on 4 pints if you start and keep yourself well hydrated.
But wait, there’s more. Sugar is also a diuretic of sorts. In the kidneys, water always follows solutes (salts, sugar etc) in both maintaining and loosing water. Solutes are good for maintaining fluid balance to a point, but too much and the system is overloaded and your kidney spills solutes and thus water into the bladder. Super sugary imperial stouts or alco-pops have the potential to make you pee out more and thus become more dehydrated. Remember though that water and sugar must first be reabsorbed in your guts/GI tract. Like the kidney, your gut has a limited capacity to reabsorb sugar and thus water (water follows sugar in the gut too!). Excess sugar in your gut will not only prevent water reabsorption, but it will also pull water out of your body and into the tube of your guts if there’s too much of it......resulting in what’s called osmotic diarrhea or, for beer geeks, the beer shits. Dehydration gets worse from this angle too. So, higher residual sugars in beer equal worse dehydration. Dehydration from Charlevoix Milk Stout > Cantillon Gueuze.
Overall, if only 1 or 2 beers gives you a headache it’s more likely there is something shared in the context of when you’ve drank those beers, rather than the beer itself. Starting off dehydrated, empty stomach making alcohol absorption faster etc.
There’s always ingredient sensitivities to consider as well, but those are reeeealy rare and likely wouldn’t be limited to just 1 or 2 beers......unless there’s some weird Franken-preservative in Stella or other macro’s I don’t know about (homebrewers?)
-
phirleh
- Seasoned Drinker
- Posts: 1212
- Joined: Thu Nov 20, 2008 3:20 pm
- Location: Waterdown, Ontario
- Contact:
Can we get a sticky on this one?Tapsucker wrote:boney,
That's the most intimidatingly thorough post I have ever read here! Thanks, I guess...
Malam cerevisiam facieus in cathedram stercoris
"God don't want me yet, man, I got more feet to taste."
photos - http://www.flickr.com/photos/phirleh/se ... 039468171/
"God don't want me yet, man, I got more feet to taste."
photos - http://www.flickr.com/photos/phirleh/se ... 039468171/
-
TheBeeraholic
- Bar Fly
- Posts: 627
- Joined: Fri Aug 05, 2011 10:58 am
- Location: Whitby, ON
I was not expecting that detailed of a response lol. I do keep myself rather hydrated throughout the day and constantly eating, which would explain why I rarley get hangovers. But seem to always when throwing a headstock in the mix.Tapsucker wrote: That's the most intimidatingly thorough post I have ever read here! Thanks, I guess...
When I got in from work 3PM I had a weihenstephaner then a 1827 cider. Around 6pm I had my last Headstock. 10pm rolls around headache starts coming on. I usually have 2-3 beers a night during the week and then up to 12 on a weekend day. Without any headaches. First few times I didn't think anything of it, it wasn't until last week I just had two headstocks that I remembered drinking it the last time it had happened.
Then that it happened again last night I feel safe in assuming it has something to do with the Headstock IPA. Which I guess I won't be drinking anymore anytime soon.
-
JeffPorter
- Beer Superstar
- Posts: 2552
- Joined: Tue Jul 26, 2011 9:39 am
- Location: Brampton, ON
When you get these headaches (or after you get them) are you taking tylenol or anything?TheBeeraholic wrote:I was not expecting that detailed of a response lol. I do keep myself rather hydrated throughout the day and constantly eating, which would explain why I rarley get hangovers. But seem to always when throwing a headstock in the mix.Tapsucker wrote: That's the most intimidatingly thorough post I have ever read here! Thanks, I guess...
When I got in from work 3PM I had a weihenstephaner then a 1827 cider. Around 6pm I had my last Headstock. 10pm rolls around headache starts coming on. I usually have 2-3 beers a night during the week and then up to 12 on a weekend day. Without any headaches. First few times I didn't think anything of it, it wasn't until last week I just had two headstocks that I remembered drinking it the last time it had happened.
Then that it happened again last night I feel safe in assuming it has something to do with the Headstock IPA. Which I guess I won't be drinking anymore anytime soon.
I had a long string of headaches a while ago until I realized it was rebound headaches from the muscle relaxers I was taking...once I stopped taking those, my headaches stopped...
"What can you say about Pabst Blue Ribbon that Dennis Hopper hasn’t screamed in the middle of an ether binge?" - Jordan St. John
-
TheBeeraholic
- Bar Fly
- Posts: 627
- Joined: Fri Aug 05, 2011 10:58 am
- Location: Whitby, ON
After it comes on ya I'll pop a tylenol. It's not often just after a headstock. Any other beer I don't get them. Simple resolution, don't drink it anymore. I was just simply curious if any others had simlair instances with this beer or others.JeffPorter wrote: When you get these headaches (or after you get them) are you taking tylenol or anything?
I had a long string of headaches a while ago until I realized it was rebound headaches from the muscle relaxers I was taking...once I stopped taking those, my headaches stopped...
I'll keep this one short, without the physiology mumbo-jumbo. Never mix Tylenol with alcohol because the combo is toxic and can cause liver damage. That includes taking Tylenol for a hangover the day after or drinking soon after taking a Tylenol. Advil/Ibuprofin are fine.TheBeeraholic wrote:After it comes on ya I'll pop a tylenol. It's not often just after a headstock. Any other beer I don't get them. Simple resolution, don't drink it anymore. I was just simply curious if any others had simlair instances with this beer or others.JeffPorter wrote: When you get these headaches (or after you get them) are you taking tylenol or anything?
I had a long string of headaches a while ago until I realized it was rebound headaches from the muscle relaxers I was taking...once I stopped taking those, my headaches stopped...
-
MatttthewGeorge
- Seasoned Drinker
- Posts: 1009
- Joined: Tue Apr 03, 2012 4:45 pm
- Location: Woolwich, ON
- Contact:
-
icemachine
- Beer Superstar
- Posts: 2637
- Joined: Mon Mar 12, 2007 11:20 am
- Location: Aurora, ON
- Contact:
-
JeffPorter
- Beer Superstar
- Posts: 2552
- Joined: Tue Jul 26, 2011 9:39 am
- Location: Brampton, ON
That sh%t sounds gross...Belgian wrote:I think the beer cocktail to knock back gallons of when hung over is a 3:6:1 blend of:
Mott's Clamato
Bud Light Lime
Ballantine IPA clone homebrew (or see Gary threads for how to recreate Ballantine's using Stella, ST Un*Earthly and sparkling mineral water.)
While I liked Derek's recipe, my recipe is this...
Just drink gatorade until your sick of it, and then go eat some bacon and eggs and hash browns at Sunset Grill.
(Also, I'll +1 on not taking any tylenol)
"What can you say about Pabst Blue Ribbon that Dennis Hopper hasn’t screamed in the middle of an ether binge?" - Jordan St. John
-
velovampire
- Seasoned Drinker
- Posts: 1079
- Joined: Thu Feb 28, 2008 11:12 pm
- Location: Parkdale
