Wow, what happened last night?

[Ernst-Haeckel]

The wife and I cracked open my black oatmeal IPA last night, and man, I have never been so drunk off two beers in my life! Granted, it is ~9% ABV, but still, only 2 beers? My wife was on the couch complaining about the room spinning! I woke up at 4 a.m. and felt completely hung-over. When my wife woke up she said she felt super hung-over (headache, dehydrated, etc.) So what the hell is going on here?? It was a good time, but man, 2 beers???? I'm a 2-3 beers a night kind of guy, sometimes with a shot of fine Colorado whiskey!

I remember coming across a thread that talked about homebrew supposedly having a greater effect on you. Something about the hops, high yeast, etc, etc. THis is only my 3rd all-grain batch, and my first decent strength homebrew.

Anybody ever experience this or have some insight? I just hope there's not something in the beer that shouldn't be there....

By the way, the recipe is freakin' delicious! It is basically the NB Black IPA with the addition of 1# oats, 0.5# Carahel and 0.5#Carafoam. Freakin' delicious! and potent!

 

[jfr1111]

High amounts of fuesel alcohol due to high fermentation temperatures can cause headaches/nausea. Previous fatigue and dehydratation along with drinking quickly can do that to you. There was a pizza joint next to the university where we would routeinely stop after gigging. The high fat/salt content of the pies along with dehydratation caused massive headaches and hungovers the next morning, even though I would not drink at all for the whole night (never drank when playing music).

 

[Ernst-Haeckel]

Fusel alcohol huh? Interesting, I have not heard that. I fermented around 66-68 deg., so I think temp was okay. I will have to read further into this... Thanks!

 

[jfr1111]

Ambiant or wort temp ? If it was ambiant and you used 1056 or US-05, you found your answer since high gravity beers produce a lot of heat and clean strains get stressed at higher temperatures, producing fuesel alcohol. They don't disappear with age.

Fuesel alcohols manifest themselves as a hot, slick sensation on the tongue. Not unpleasant in higher gravity beers with a lot of mouthfeel if present in moderation, downright nasty in delicate or dry styles.

 

[Ernst-Haeckel]

Ambient ~66 to 68. Not sure what the actual wort temp is. I used Wyeast 1272, American Ale, which has a T range up to 72, and an alc. tolerance up to 10%.

The taste is not unpleasant at all. Maybe slightly hot, but not really noticeable with all the hops and full body.

If it is Fusel Alc., then I guess this is a beer for having 1 of and sipping it slowly over an evening!

Thanks for the reply's, I am surprised to be getting real answers! I kind of expected people to say "Well duh, it's 9%!! Man up!!"

I will have to research how much heat I should expect to be produced for a particular strain of yeast. Is the solution to keep the ambient lower so that any heat produced during fermentation equalizes with the cooler ambient temp?

 

[motobrewer]

I will have to research how much heat I should expect to be produced for a particular strain of yeast. Is the solution to keep the ambient lower so that any heat produced during fermentation equalizes with the cooler ambient temp?

most ferments are 5-6F above ambient.

the best solution would be to get a thermowell and send a probe down to measure beer temp. then rig a cold box to control to that sensor.

 

[jfr1111]

Or just ferment lower (if possible) and put the beer in a water bath. The heat exchange from the water to the beer will allow for more stable and cooler temperatures. Fermentation temperature plays a crucial part in the ester/phenol profile, but also in the production of byproducts (diacetyl, sulfur, fuesel alcohols, etc.)

I shoot for the low range most of the time (60-64F) for active fermentation, unless I want more fruitiness, and then up the ambient around 68F for the beer to clean any diacetyl or sulfur that the cold fermentation might have brought on.

 

[ksbrain]

My wife was on the couch complaining about the room spinning!

Isn't that the point?


BTW the recipe sounds great!

 

[Ernst-Haeckel]

Isn't that the point?


BTW the recipe sounds great!

 

[r8rphan]

Fermometers are like $3-4.. put one on each of your fermenters and end the guessing game!

If your ambient temp was 68, then your ferment temp could easily be several degrees higher... especially during primary, which is when most of the alcohol is produced...

FERMOMETER