Diabetic brewers

[wimpy]

Just kind of curious how many diabetic homebrewers there are on this site? Myself, I'm type 2 for going on 20 years, been brewing off and on since '86, and just getting back into the hobby again after 5 years or so. Grown up a bit now in regards to watching my BS compared to the days when I used to brew 11.5 gallons about every other week, had 3 beers on tap, and easily drank 3-5 pints week days and much more on week-ends. 'Course my BS got way out of whack! Sugar's more controlled now, especially when the doc gave me 6 weeks to show some better a1c numbers or I'd be on once a day insulin. Did the good boy stuff and with being good, God has again decided I'm worthy and I find that 1 or at most 2 12oz'ers actually help lower or keep my numbers in the normal range. Now I use a lot more common sense!

My plan now is to build a system like 'The Pols" or 'JKARP's' to brew smaller 2-4 gallon batches since I like the building part almost as much as the brewing/drinking! I still have my 3 keg, all SS RIMS but I don't know if I'll ever but it back together again. The plan is to stay smart and brew small this time!!!

Anyway, again, just wondering if and how many folks are diabetic that started brewing or found out they were, and keep brewing anyway. Statistically, I'm sure that there are brewers here that don't realize that they are diabetic or been told they are "borderline diabetic". I just wonder how many are like me and can't stay away?

 

[genes]

Was told that I am pre diabetic last year. Have since lost 20lbs, eat a bit smarter, quit smoking, exercise more and drink less.

 

[gestyr]

I am type 2 and I have at the most 3 or 4 12oz or 16 oz beers a week. I brew in 5 gallon batches. I give a lot of beer away and I brew because I enjoy it. My bs is under control.

 

[wimpy]

Sucks to be us! I really do love the flavor of beer, especially homebrew, so I'm glad to be getting back to brewing. Just a few a week like U say, from now on, The one thing I really miss though, is judging in competitions! Oh well, can't have it all.

 

[stevea1210]

My wife was recently diagnosed, and I've been looking at options. The one thing I've found is that lower FG = lower carbs. So styles like saisons that typically finish low in FG will be better. Thankfully SWMBO loves saisons,

Any other tricks to make this transition easier on her / my brewing addiction?

 

[bgrayson726]

I'm almost 23 years old and have had diabetes for over 20 years. I have type 1. The best way to manage my blood sugars is to test relatively often, especially while drinking. Recently my insurance lowered the amount of test strips I get per month because they didn't believe that I tested at least 8 times a day. I had to file a report that I did (it was a pain in the ass), but I won't bore you with that.

I want to make a career out of brewing, so drinking beer will always be a part of my life. The best way to keep it in my life is to keep control of my blood sugars. I have had good a1c's and good blood sugars since I began drinking. I am (obviously) insulin dependent, but the BEST thing that happened was the insulin pump. It's basically a manual-artificial-pancreas.. pretty cool.

If you have any questions, feel free to ask here or shoot me a PM!

 

[Xandaria]

That's an interesting query. My husband and I have experienced most forms of diabetes. He is type 1 and has been for years. I developed a very unusual form of gestational diabetes. Now I am borderline type 2 as a result of the gestational onset which did not completely go away. We don't really even think about beer at all in respect to diabetes. We don't drink more than 1 or 2 in a day(and not everyday) so that may be why we don't notice it. We do think about it with mixed drinks some. That's more for mine rather than his and we usually only have one at a time.

As far as brewing quantity...we intend to share generously with friends and family.

 

[wimpy]

My wife was recently diagnosed, and I've been looking at options. The one thing I've found is that lower FG = lower carbs. So styles like saisons that typically finish low in FG will be better. Thankfully SWMBO loves saisons,

Any other tricks to make this transition easier on her / my brewing addiction?

For me what seems to work is the higher the OG/FG the less I drink of it. Lucky for me, I like the "lighter" beers such as session type beers (milds, alts, ect.) and especially the drier continental 'light' lagers. Also, I only drink when I'm having something to eat to slow down absorbtion. For me, A beer has small effect on my BS but ONE bite of any refined carbs such as rice or potatos and my sugar shoots up. Really sucks because my favorite meal is a good sandwich, chips and beer!

 

[stevea1210]

I found this carb calculator for homebrew:
http://www.mrgoodbeer.com/carb-cal.shtml

I don't know how accurate it is, but it can help if you are looking to monitor your carb intake of beer closely.

 

[wimpy]

1!

 

[wimpy]

1

 

[wimpy]

I developed a very unusual form of gestational diabetes. Now I am borderline type 2 as a result of the gestational onset which did not completely go away.

My endocrinologist told me long ago that there really is really no such thing as 'borderline' after my regular doc said I was 'borderline'. My BS was in the 120's but my brother-in-law recommended I see the endo dr. In my case, he was right.

My daughter is right now a gestational diabetic and my neice was also but she didn't take care of herself and is type 2 (with insulin once a day) now. My daughter seems to have learned from my neice and is taking it very seriously now. She agrees that watching carb intake really sucks, especially after not realizing what it was like for us diabetics who always have to think about what we eat!

I found this carb calculator for homebrew:
http://www.mrgoodbeer.com/carb-cal.shtml

I don't know how accurate it is, but it can help if you are looking to monitor your carb intake of beer closely.

Thanks much for that site! Perfect if it's accurate. According to the table, my last brew came out to 14.3 carbs per 12oz!. 176 calories though

 

[Patirck]

I found this carb calculator for homebrew:
http://www.mrgoodbeer.com/carb-cal.shtml

I don't know how accurate it is, but it can help if you are looking to monitor your carb intake of beer closely.

This is a nice tool. I have been trying to think of a way to make more diabetic friendly beer. My brother in law has type 2 diabetes. He loves to drink my homebrew and does so in moderation.

Any tips or recipes for a lower carb beer? I am thinking of something with an OG of around 1.040 and trying to make it finish around 1.010. This would net about 13 carbs per 12 oz. serving.

 

[ArcaneXor]

I am not diabetic (yet - I badly need to lose weight), but out of curiosity, would a beer fermented to dryness with a Brett/bacterial culture do anything to blood sugar levels?

 

[wimpy]

Any tips or recipes for a lower carb beer? I am thinking of something with an OG of around 1.040 and trying to make it finish around 1.010. This would net about 13 carbs per 12 oz. serving.

Light English ales, quick and easy!

 

[wimpy]

would a beer fermented to dryness with a Brett/bacterial culture do anything to blood sugar levels?

I'm by far no expert but Alcohol(s) still have an effect on BS, not just carbs. My Dr. told me "sugar free" candy is not really meant for diabetics which I guess is sweetened with sugar alcohols. I don't understand it but since candy or sweet foods never floated my boat, I never checked into why.

I guess basically though: the dryer the beer= more alcohol = higher BS rise.
Anyone else who knows more than I (most everybody) please chime in!

 

[stevea1210]

I'm by far no expert but Alcohol(s) still have an effect on BS, not just carbs. My Dr. told me "sugar free" candy is not really meant for diabetics which I guess is sweetened with sugar alcohols. I don't understand it but since candy or sweet foods never floated my boat, I never checked into why.

We've learned that sugar free and low in carbs aren't the same thing. Some sugar free candy is as bad as regular in carbs count.

 

[Goblism]

Just want to pitch in a word to all the diabetics, I am not diabetic but have several family members that are (including a grandfather with no eyesight, heart disease, renal failure, ect due to diabetes)

I am currently teaching a 3 month long course on diabetes to some of my patients with diabetes, this is a extremely serious condition and do not take it lightly, keep that A1C in check (what is in check varies, but under 7% seems to be an overall good goal)

Just take care of yourselves and make LIFESTYLE changes, more exercise, smarter food choices, lighter beer consumption.

 

[MBasile]

I'm almost 23 years old and have had diabetes for over 20 years. I have type 1. The best way to manage my blood sugars is to test relatively often, especially while drinking. Recently my insurance lowered the amount of test strips I get per month because they didn't believe that I tested at least 8 times a day. I had to file a report that I did (it was a pain in the ass), but I won't bore you with that.

I want to make a career out of brewing, so drinking beer will always be a part of my life. The best way to keep it in my life is to keep control of my blood sugars. I have had good a1c's and good blood sugars since I began drinking. I am (obviously) insulin dependent, but the BEST thing that happened was the insulin pump. It's basically a manual-artificial-pancreas.. pretty cool.

If you have any questions, feel free to ask here or shoot me a PM!

It must be something in the type genes that makes us want to be brewers

I've had Type 1 since I was 10, 24 now. There is actually a calculator on brewheads.com (the quick beer stats calc) that tells you how many carbs per pint. Being on a pump I actually do take insulin for each pint, not much though.

 

[brrit]

Type 1 diabetic for the past 12 years here. Personally, I use an insulin pump and Dexcom glucose monitor to help monitor my diabetes.

Over the past couple of years, my diabetes has been doing well, but my wife picked up a homebrew kit for my Father's Day gift this year. Since then I'm having a tough time figuring out how to manage my diabetes with the beer drinking. I used to normally drink one day a week or so, but since I started brewing I'm drinking about 5 days a week (trying all the different brews... besides ready about beer all the time makes me thirsty). The obvious choice is stop drinking beer, but I'd rather figure out how to manage drinking a beer with my diabetes. It's not like I'm drinking 3 or more each day, but just having one with dinner.

Going to bed my levels are great (80-100), but just a few hours later I'm in the high 200's or low 300's and no amount of insulin will bring it down until morning. Really frustrating. The beer drinking sometimes results in some snacking as well, but I think I'm shooting enough insulin to cover the snacking. But... Not sure.

Any suggestions?

 

[Patirck]

I have a brother in law that is diabetic and also a pharmacist. We did a test where he drank a pint of Aventinus - his blood sugar went up by about 100 pts. He had some injectable insulin to deal with it immediately.

I have decided to try and make some lower carb home brew by starting out at 1.040 or a little less and trying to dry it out to as low an fg as possible. According to the calculator, this should get it down to about 8 carbs per beer. As another poster mentioned, this may or may not cause a significant difference in BS spikes.

 

[MBasile]

Type 1 diabetic for the past 12 years here. Personally, I use an insulin pump and Dexcom glucose monitor to help monitor my diabetes.

Over the past couple of years, my diabetes has been doing well, but my wife picked up a homebrew kit for my Father's Day gift this year. Since then I'm having a tough time figuring out how to manage my diabetes with the beer drinking. I used to normally drink one day a week or so, but since I started brewing I'm drinking about 5 days a week (trying all the different brews... besides ready about beer all the time makes me thirsty). The obvious choice is stop drinking beer, but I'd rather figure out how to manage drinking a beer with my diabetes. It's not like I'm drinking 3 or more each day, but just having one with dinner.

Going to bed my levels are great (80-100), but just a few hours later I'm in the high 200's or low 300's and no amount of insulin will bring it down until morning. Really frustrating. The beer drinking sometimes results in some snacking as well, but I think I'm shooting enough insulin to cover the snacking. But... Not sure.

Any suggestions?

Continuous glucose monitor.

On brewheads.com they have a "quick beer stats" calculator, which includes carbs pet ounce (or 12 ounces). I've also found in the past a list of commercial beers and their various nutrition facts. After studying it you can start to see patterns within the styles.

FWIW, I was 110 this morning after 4-5 pints yesterday evening/last night. Just like setting your carb and correction factors, it takes a bit of trial and error. The added difficulty is that you're a bit drunk.

 

[petep1980]

Just treat beer as dessert, enjoy it, but know your sugars may spike. Just check two hours afterwards and insulin accordingly.

Carbs are carbs, and we need to eat them. Just because you're diabetic doesn't mean you don't need cards. I guess all my beers are about 14g of carbs per 12oz. Now if my carb ration is 10:1 unit insulin, and my correction ratio is 45mgdl : 1 unit insulin, I can deduce that 10 carbs should raise my blood sugar 45 points without the appropriate insulin.

Say I have 3 beers now, and I guess they are 14g each. I find out they are actually 20g each, so I am off by 18 grams of carbs. That means my sugars will be 81 points higher than they should be. If I do this a couple times a week, not the end of the world.

If your carb ratios are all set, and you have a good injection site, and you know the carbohydrate levels in beer, drinking beer (in moderation) drinking some homebrews should be absolutely no different than having a sandwich or crackers, or anything else.

The problem you can really come across are morning lows following nights of too many.

 

[petep1980]

If your night times are going to 200-300 over night I highly doubt it's from a beer at dinner. You likely will need continuous glucose monitoring.

You say you're type 1 for 12 years? Where is your infusion site? I did my stomach fat for about the last 6 years, and since switching to my legs I have seen a huge improvement in my sugars.

In fact I would say my 30-day averages were 175 before, and I just checked my monitor this morning and they are currently 155.

Also, if you're going to be drunk and you have a pump, just let them get a little high than over-bolusing.

 

[brrit]

PeTep _

Thanks for the advice. I am using a continuous glucose monitor (Dexcom) right now.

Encouraging to hear other diabetics not having trouble drinking their homebrew. I was starting to wonder if it was somehow causing insulin resistance. I remember reading in Papazian's book that beer eliminates our B vitamins, which created another theory for the highs. Doesn't sound like either has been your experience.

I might actually be using too much insulin with my beer drinking resulting in late night troubles. I've been shooting around 2 units per beer and should be closer to 1 - 1.5 units according to some of the comments above.

The trail and error process will continue!

 

[coypoo]

People with pumps can correct for the carbs of the beers easily. But for the Type 2's out there, I would suggest just working the beer into your dinner. If you only want to have ~4 servings of carb's for dinner, then the beer will count as 1 of the servings and you will just have to plan your meal around that beer. (I'm a pharmacy student and I spent the last 6 weeks in a diabetes clinic teaching/managing mostly Type 2 pts). Moderation is the key and just being aware of the carbs in beer.

For those people looking to have a low FG to avoid calories, you should know that alcohol has calories as well. So, to have the smallest amount of calories you'll need a lower OG as well.

Another thing that a lot of people dont think about is the "late effects" of alcohol on blood sugar. After you drink and the sugar is metabolized you'll see a small blip in your BS. But later on, like 6-8 hours after finishing drinking, you liver is focused on metabolizing the alcohol. So, if you drink a ton of alcohol, your liver will have to work for a good amount of time to work off the alcohol and instead of slowly releasing sugars (usually you drink at night, so this process is occurring while you sleep) you can actually become hypoglycemic. This only occurs when you drink a significant amount of any alcohol, but it still something to keep in mind. If you do drink a lot, I recommend checking before going to sleep if possible to make sure you're not low before you go to sleep and to try to eat a small amount of food while you drink. Foods that are high in fat/protein/fiber (good fats, eg nuts) are good because they stay in the stomach longer and release slowly to provide good glycemic coverage overnight.

Good luck to all those diabetics out there! Have fun, and take care

 

[scrambledegg81]

...the BEST thing that happened was the insulin pump.

Hell. Yes.

I've been told twice now (after a few spells of severe hyperglycemia) that the pump saved my sorry arse. *highfive*


As for brewing as a diabetic, I'm a bit lax on testing myself when I drink, but 2 1/2 years so far & no snafoos...*knock on wood*

 

[ChshreCat]

SWMBO is type 1 since she was 12 and she's been on the pump for almost 10 years now. Trying to get insurance to spring for the continuous glucose monitoring now.

 

[petep1980]

SWMBO is type 1 since she was 12 and she's been on the pump for almost 10 years now. Trying to get insurance to spring for the continuous glucose monitoring now.

Make sure you look into this. It's not for everyone. You still have to finger prick twice a day to make sure it's calibrated, then as far as corrective actions it's not good because it's display is prob 15-20 minutes behind. It's actually good for something like the previous poster said about night time highs.

Insulin pump = an extra 20lbs minimum though.

What kind of pump do you have? Is it a minimed, if so PM me. Like I said, the paradigm system was NOT for me.

 

[2ndstage]

Type 1 here since age 15 so 16 years in and 11 years brewing. I've never had too much of a problem with it if you just treat beer as the food that it is. I test alot though and finally got the CGM addon for my pump several months ago. In my case most average beers 1.045 and under 1.014 fg tend to lower my blood sugar rather than raise it. Though these things vary from person to person. Like the poster above just test the hell out of yourself all the time. has nothing to do with the beer per se for me, its more that I like keeping my 5.5 - 6 AIC.

The continuous monitor is pretty nice though I don't wear it everyday as it is one persistent bugger sometimes so not when I have a bunch of meetings usually. It will teach you a few things about what you thought you knew your baselines were though.

Basically sure drink some beers just watch how it reacts to your system and proceed accordingly.

Prost
Michael

 

[MBasile]

Make sure you look into this. It's not for everyone. You still have to finger prick twice a day to make sure it's calibrated, then as far as corrective actions it's not good because it's display is prob 15-20 minutes behind. It's actually good for something like the previous poster said about night time highs.

Insulin pump = an extra 20lbs minimum though.

What kind of pump do you have? Is it a minimed, if so PM me. Like I said, the paradigm system was NOT for me.

Yeah, it wasn't for my mom either. I'll be trying it out in the next few weeks though.

Diagnosed when I was 10 (14 years ago) and have been on the pump for I think 10 years. My A1C fluctuates more than it should, but that's my fault for being forgetful and easily distracted.

 

[petep1980]

White males are difficult to get under control. Even when you're on regime you'll have a difficult time.

 

[MBasile]

White males are difficult to get under control. Even when you're on regime you'll have a difficult time.

I've noticed consistently better results when I do what I'm supposed to and stick to a fairly consistent schedule (part of the reason why I just quit my job). Of course there are the occasional "WTF?" moments, but on a whole I'm better with a routine.

 

[2ndstage]

Schedule is definately the key. I know when I work a ton of extra hours it takes me a little while to recalibrate. I've heard a lot of people didn't like the minimed cgm but its the only one I've used and it works for me. Though it can get pretty damned insistent if you are a little late for a calibration check.

 

[scrambledegg81]

Kinda surprised how many of us pancreatic freaks are on here! Been type 1 since I was 6 (now 29, so little over 2 decades), and like I told petep1980, I've been on the pump since the Blue Brick days. After this long with the thing, I've basically been able to eat what/when I choose (with exceptions, obviously), and I've been in relatively good control for quite a while.

 

[ChshreCat]

Make sure you look into this. It's not for everyone. You still have to finger prick twice a day to make sure it's calibrated,

If you're a type 1 and you're not already testing your BG at least that often, there's something wrong.

 

[petep1980]

If you're a type 1 and you're not already testing your BG at least that often, there's something wrong.

You misinterpreted my point. When you get the continuous monitoring you kind of have the idea you don't need to prick anymore because it will watch your sugars for you. Well, it needs calibrating at least twice a day. Say 3 on the safe side. So you get rid of what 3 finger pricks a day?

Here's a question I never considered. Since our entire population is going to get type II diabetes, can we?

 

[scrambledegg81]

Pills vs. stabbing myself in the stomach with a needle-driven device every 4 days? I wouldn't mind.

 

[ChshreCat]

You misinterpreted my point. When you get the continuous monitoring you kind of have the idea you don't need to prick anymore because it will watch your sugars for you. Well, it needs calibrating at least twice a day. Say 3 on the safe side. So you get rid of what 3 finger pricks a day?

Here's a question I never considered. Since our entire population is going to get type II diabetes, can we?

She checks hers 8-10 times a day already, so 2 or 3 won't be an issue. The reason she wants the CGM is because she's very brittle and he BS goes all over the place to matter what she does. She was hospitalized and they didn't allow her to even have water. Nothing went in her that didn't go through the IV and they STILL couldn't get her BS to do what it was supposed to do. The CGM would give her a better idea of what it's doing because she could see if it's rising or falling before it gets to an extreme.

 

[MBasile]

She checks hers 8-10 times a day already, so 2 or 3 won't be an issue. The reason she wants the CGM is because she's very brittle and he BS goes all over the place to matter what she does. She was hospitalized and they didn't allow her to even have water. Nothing went in her that didn't go through the IV and they STILL couldn't get her BS to do what it was supposed to do. The CGM would give her a better idea of what it's doing because she could see if it's rising or falling before it gets to an extreme.

Part of the downfall of minimed's current CGM is that to calibrate it, your sugars have to be stable, which seems odd since most of the people that want to use it, want it to get their sugars stable.