The Bar Towel

This November/December I experienced my first bout of gout, and it was without a doubt the worst experience of my life. To make it even more special, 3 different doctors said that it was the worst case they'd ever seen... yay me!

While there are many reasons for a/my gout attack, beer is definitely a contributing factor, and in particular brewer's yeast, which has 3 times the prune levels (prunes are converted to uric acid; too much uric acid = potentially gout). In my research of people who suffer from gout say that unfiltered beer definitely tends to trigger an attack over filtered beer, which leads me to ponder this question:

Which Ontario breweries (or beers) are still filtering? With the trend over the last decade towards cloudy/hazy beers, most breweries seem to have shifted away from filtering even traditionally filtered styles of beer. Some breweries us a centrifuge, which isn't as effective as traditional filtering (to my knowledge), but I ask what breweries, or at least beers, are traditionally filtered?

@matt7215 since your the only brewer I know on here and a swell guy that doesn't seem to mind sharing what Barncat does, your lagers in particular are almost always crystal clear. Do you filter some of your beers?

As much as I like euro pilsners (and there's always whisky), it would be nice to know what breweries/beers I should start to gravitate towards going forward. Cheers.

As a homebrewer, I have some knowledge of this, but no experience using the big guns like commercial filters and centrifuges. Those are indeed two forms of filtering, as is effective cold crashing, which is what us lowly basement dwellers use. When done right, I have made plenty of crystal clear beers, but I'm sure they were not completely decolonized.

This is really not in the absolute trade secret category, so I would expect the brewers you, or any of us here, would be interested in would be happy to tell you if you asked. It would also likely vary by recipe.

Hazy can be tricky. It's a bit wrong to automatically assume the haze is (all) suspended yeast. It can very well be, but it can be proteins and hop compounds. The only common denominator is that yeast selection generally plays a part in the chemistry that produces or emulsifies some of those proteins and compounds. I'm not sure smaller brewers would be able to actually tell you. It would probably take a sophisticated lab.

Also, I thought it was purines. Did autocorrect change it on you or am I wrong? If i recall, the yeast may be gone, but the purines can persist, even after filtering. *citation needed*


Your situation does call to light that consumers really are not given enough information about what is in their beer. This is exasperated by many new trends and adjuncts. My personal pet peeve is the use of lactose (milkshake beers, milk stout). It's an unfermentable sugar added to give body. It's also not so good for the body, especially for those with no tolerance. How does someone who doesn't follow brewing know that that gimmicky girly beer they just ordered because "they don't really like beer, but will try this" know that it could make them sick?

Yeah, yeah, milk stout is a classic style, but at least the name gives it away a little bit to the consumer. I've seen NEIPAs with lactose in them. Who'd a guessed? And for those that don't know, or simply want to agree with me, oats are a far better way to add mouthfeel and haze.

gout confirmed by 3 doctors? It's the beer. switch to wine.

Tapsucker wrote: ↑Thu Jan 05, 2023 6:55 pm Hazy can be tricky. It's a bit wrong to automatically assume the haze is (all) suspended yeast.

Yes I know, however there is no way to knowing (without talking to the brewers themselves) if this is the case or not. Many hazy beers I've had are just filled with yeast particulate, while others just seem hazy. Seems having it "unfiltered" and calling it "hazy" is most just a lazy way to market something instead of doing it right, but that's just my personal biased option. But I can't tell by the can which is which.

Tapsucker wrote: ↑Thu Jan 05, 2023 6:55 pm Also, I thought it was purines. Did autocorrect change it on you or am I wrong? If i recall, the yeast may be gone, but the purines can persist, even after filtering. *citation needed*

Just my misspelling. And yes, purines can persist even after filtering, however less so, according to my limited research.

Tapsucker wrote: ↑Thu Jan 05, 2023 6:55 pm Your situation does call to light that consumers really are not given enough information about what is in their beer. This is exasperated by many new trends and adjuncts. My personal pet peeve is the use of lactose (milkshake beers, milk stout). It's an unfermentable sugar added to give body. It's also not so good for the body, especially for those with no tolerance. How does someone who doesn't follow brewing know that that gimmicky girly beer they just ordered because "they don't really like beer, but will try this" know that it could make them sick?

Yeah, yeah, milk stout is a classic style, but at least the name gives it away a little bit to the consumer. I've seen NEIPAs with lactose in them. Who'd a guessed? And for those that don't know, or simply want to agree with me, oats are a far better way to add mouthfeel and haze.

Big pet peeve of mine, both the non-labeling and in particular the lactose issue, seeing as I am lactose intolerant. When I buy from a brewery where the brewer is readily available I find they're always happy to answer. But when you're buying from uneducated servers, uneducated craft brewery retail workers, and definitely the LCBO (all not necessarily their fault) it can be frustrating. And I therefore don't buy, because the days of having to check off everything are long gone. I'm happy to try new things if I think I might like it, but I'll always go to something I know and like over a total unknown.

MatttthewGeorge wrote: ↑Thu Jan 05, 2023 3:47 pm
@matt7215 since your the only brewer I know on here and a swell guy that doesn't seem to mind sharing what Barncat does, your lagers in particular are almost always crystal clear. Do you filter some of your beers?

we have never filtered a beer

This November/December I experienced my first bout of gout, and it was without a doubt the worst experience of my life. To make it even more special, 3 different doctors said that it was the worst case they'd ever seen... yay me!

Jeez! Sorry to hear that. Only thing that has worked for me when Mr. Gout comes calling is to get off beer entirely for a while and switch to unsweetened cherry juice. Sounds crazy, but this helps.

I to to get the dreaded gout, I have eliminated all read meat and seafood from my diet, and now keep drinking beer (or anything else) to Friday / Saturday only. This has kept things in check for the last year.

I forgot I had heard of the cherry thing before. One thing I really like is to buy frozen cherries and blueberries and use them in smoothies. Despite the cherries being labelled as pitted, it's best to check them before blending them so you don't have a gritty smoothie; I too often find pits. Perhaps these smoothies have inadvertently given me some protection.

I have also heard that peas are a problem factor in gout. Who'd a thought? I guess they can contribute uric acid? Poor little peas being demonized this way...

Meat. I can live without so much meat. Just don't take my beer away.

The cherry juice didn't seem to work with him. In speaking with my doctor and a dietitian it seems, like most things in life, that what affects one person may not affect another (hence the cherry juice not working for me). I might be able to eat as much seafood as possible but beer might be a trigger, whereas someone else might be able to handle beer but seafood sets them off. Seems there's now research suggesting a genetic link, of which my father and his father both suffer(ed) from gout as well. Also the dietitian says that vegetables high in purines (spinach, cauliflower, peas, mushrooms, asparagus) don't increase uric acid production, however I'm thinking it's more the above (different things affect different people) as I know someone that gets a flareup every time they eat too much spinach.

They currently have me on allopurinol for three months, after which the plan is to come off and see if I can stay off it without any flare-ups. While I've reduced my beer intake, I could be doing better, but it's just so damn hard haha

Had gout once a handful of years ago. No fun!
I had pretty much been living off of chicken wings, beer and burgers at the time.
No problems since...don't eat much steak or burgers any more.