Greater Tolerance for Sour Beer

[admiral b]

Hi everyone. I'm new here and I had a specific question for my fellow beer lovers.

I fell in love with sour beers several years ago. I love all styles of beer, but I love sours so much, that given the option, I almost exclusively drink sours.

But I have noticed over the past few years that I also seem to physically tolerate sour beers much better than any other type. When I decide to drink (more than one) non-sour beers in the evening, I notice myself becoming physically ill. I drank a few IPAs and Octoberfest style beers last night and now, 11 hours later, I'm in bed feeling sick.

I always equated this kind of feeling with being drunksick or hungover. But since I mostly drink sour beers now, I notice that it doesn't happen with sour beers, even if I drink ten of them. The difference becomes glaring and obvious in situations like last night, where it hadn't occurred to me that I might get sick from a few beers.

Since there's a lot of very informed people about beer ingredients on this site, I wanted to ask if any of you have an idea of what might be causing this. I always assumed it was the alcohol itself until I noticed that sour beers don't cause the same reaction, even if I get very drunk on them.

It seems to be an inflammation reaction. I know alcohol causes inflammation, but what ingredient(s) are excluded in sour beers that I might have an intolerance for?

 

[madscientist451]

That's kind of weird that one kind of beer makes you sick and another doesn't. But it sounds like you figured out the cure, stick with sours. I can only drink about 1/2 a sour beer and then I start feeling sick.....

 

[monkeymath]

Since you mentioned having "a few IPAs": could it be about the hops? Most sours don't have a whole lot of them.

 

[Vale71]

Your problems are probably of a digestive nature. The low PH of sours promotes digestion (much like Coke, only it tastes 1000X better than Coke ) and this is an advantage especially if you take your beer during meals.

 

[admiral b]

Since you mentioned having "a few IPAs": could it be about the hops? Most sours don't have a whole lot of them.

I have wondered this and perhaps it is the hops. I noticed someone else on the site mention a hop intolerance.

Could malt also potentially cause an issue?

Thanks for the response!

 

[admiral b]

Your problems are probably of a digestive nature. The low PH of sours promotes digestion (much like Coke, only it tastes 1000X better than Coke ) and this is an advantage especially if you take your beer during meals.

That's interesting! I can get heartburn easily, but I don't know anything about gut pH or digestion.

 

[Miraculix]

Your problems are probably of a digestive nature. The low PH of sours promotes digestion (much like Coke, only it tastes 1000X better than Coke ) and this is an advantage especially if you take your beer during meals.

I think this is probably the reason. Now in hindsight, I think I have also a less pronounced hangover with sour beer. Not as big of a difference that you seem to experience, but still noticeable.

 

[Vale71]

I have wondered this and perhaps it is the hops. I noticed someone else on the site mention a hop intolerance.

The only hop intolerance I know of is allergy to its pollen, but:

1 - hops used in brewing are usually from 100% female plants, so no pollen
2 - you have to breathe pollen to have an allergic reaction and we usually don't drink beer though sometimes we snort some through our noses

Other ingredients of sour beers are usually the same barley and wheat malt plus possibly some unmalted adjuncts that you would also find in regular beers as well as a thousand other food products so it's be quite unusual to only experience a reaction to them in beer.

 

[Beermeister32]

Sounds like the acid in the sour beers are somehow working like stomach acid breaking down food in your body. Also beer yeast.

Without the acid, your body is letting undigested food, yeast and sugars into your lower gut, causing digestive discomfort and gasses as it tries to digest things.

You might benefit from a probiotic. Sorry to hear about this. A beer lover should be able to glug about a gallon of ale or lager without issues! Go see a doctor!

 

[admiral b]

Sounds like the acid in the sour beers are somehow working like stomach acid breaking down food in your body. Also beer yeast.

Without the acid, your body is letting undigested food, yeast and sugars into your lower gut, causing digestive discomfort and gasses as it tries to digest things.

You might benefit from a probiotic. Sorry to hear about this. A beer lover should be able to glug about a gallon of ale or lager without issues! Go see a doctor!

Thanks for the thoughts! You might be on to something. I've been putting off seeing a doctor for years due to the subpar healthcare system in the US, but I can't put it off forever.

Until then, Gose!

 

[jrgtr42]

The only hop intolerance I know of is allergy to its pollen, but:

1 - hops used in brewing are usually from 100% female plants, so no pollen
2 - you have to breathe pollen to have an allergic reaction and we usually don't drink beer though sometimes we snort some through our noses

Other ingredients of sour beers are usually the same barley and wheat malt plus possibly some unmalted adjuncts that you would also find in regular beers as well as a thousand other food products so it's be quite unusual to only experience a reaction to them in beer.

This isn't quite accurate - I know several people that have reactions to hoppy beers. IPAs, especially highly dry-hopped ones, tend to provoke more reaction than, say British styles, but anything with a hop presense can. Which is a bummer for one especially; he's a massive hop head. Fortunately, his reactions are minor, so he'll suck it up - but limits himself to one big IPA a session.

 

[NickTheGreat]

Just wild speculation, but I'm in the camp that thinks you've goofed up your gut. The pH or messed with the natural order of things in there.

 

[Vale71]

This isn't quite accurate - I know several people that have reactions to hoppy beers. IPAs, especially highly dry-hopped ones, tend to provoke more reaction than, say British styles, but anything with a hop presense can.

Unfortunately there is zero medical literature supporting this. Do those hoppy IPAs they have a stronger reaction to perhaps also have much higher ABV levels?

 

[jrgtr42]

Unfortunately there is zero medical literature supporting this. Do those hoppy IPAs they have a stronger reaction to perhaps also have much higher ABV levels?

Considering he also likes BBA stouts, I'm gonna say no to that.
Look, I haven;'t looked at any medical literature - I'm an amateur drunk, not a doctor - but I know or have heard stories of people allergic to everything under the sun. Why is it that unbelievable that someone could be allergic or sensative to lupulin oils?

 

[Dland]

Maybe not related, and likely not scientifically provable, but I tend to feel more hung over after drinking high FG beers, even when the drier ones have higher ABV. (EG sweet English ale vs Danish malt liquor).

I believe the souring process does lower FG somewhat, not that I ever make them (on purpose anyway).

 

[LostArtBrewer]

Sounds like the acid in the sour beers are somehow working like stomach acid breaking down food in your body. Also beer yeast.

Without the acid, your body is letting undigested food, yeast and sugars into your lower gut, causing digestive discomfort and gasses as it tries to digest things.

You might benefit from a probiotic. Sorry to hear about this. A beer lover should be able to glug about a gallon of ale or lager without issues! Go see a doctor!

If you drink sour beer with live lacto cultures, it is already probiotic. This might be the reason you tolerate sours better. If you’re not already familiar with it, check out the co sour method posted by @RPh_Guy

 

[Evendim]

For months I've been poking around in posts related to allergic reactions to hops. I used to be able to down a 6 pack of IPAs (now 10 years or more ago), but now even a taste threatens an instant headache! Considering this, I have tried American micros with lower IBU content only to find that these have similar if somewhat less dramatic effects. Old fashioned and European beers do not give me this problem, so I figured that sticking to certain hop varieties was the solution, but again modern interpretations of these beers using traditional hop profiles produce similarly bad results. Latest example was a reputable Oregon brewery's "German-style Pilsner", which is one of my favorite varieties when actually German, low IBUs, traditional continental hops but left my gut roiling, my head throbbing, and ganky aftertaste that lasted well into the next day.

What I am left with is a hypothesis that it may have something to do with the method of hopping. More specifically, dry hopping or late additions where compounds in hops typically broken down in the boil are left "unbroken", and these are possibly the culprit. Shot in the dark, but seriously limiting when exploring all the wonderful variety of modern beer styles.

 

[pdxal]

Good subject for a new thread

 

[pruttel priester]

Hi everyone. I'm new here and I had a specific question for my fellow beer lovers.

I fell in love with sour beers several years ago. I love all styles of beer, but I love sours so much, that given the option, I almost exclusively drink sours.

But I have noticed over the past few years that I also seem to physically tolerate sour beers much better than any other type. When I decide to drink (more than one) non-sour beers in the evening, I notice myself becoming physically ill. I drank a few IPAs and Octoberfest style beers last night and now, 11 hours later, I'm in bed feeling sick.

I always equated this kind of feeling with being drunksick or hungover. But since I mostly drink sour beers now, I notice that it doesn't happen with sour beers, even if I drink ten of them. The difference becomes glaring and obvious in situations like last night, where it hadn't occurred to me that I might get sick from a few beers.

Since there's a lot of very informed people about beer ingredients on this site, I wanted to ask if any of you have an idea of what might be causing this. I always assumed it was the alcohol itself until I noticed that sour beers don't cause the same reaction, even if I get very drunk on them.

It seems to be an inflammation reaction. I know alcohol causes inflammation, but what ingredient(s) are excluded in sour beers that I might have an intolerance for?

i have a theory, its mostly speculating but hops contains terpenes just as weed. in weed the terpenes are the cause of different kinds of high with how it interacts with your body. maybe hoppy beer has the same as in that it simply causes a different drunk than non hoppy beers. i always get way more drunk from ipa's than from pilsner. my speculation is also that the low ph of sour beers has caused your stomach acid to get out of its usual ph level

 

[pruttel priester]

Hi everyone. I'm new here and I had a specific question for my fellow beer lovers.

I fell in love with sour beers several years ago. I love all styles of beer, but I love sours so much, that given the option, I almost exclusively drink sours.

But I have noticed over the past few years that I also seem to physically tolerate sour beers much better than any other type. When I decide to drink (more than one) non-sour beers in the evening, I notice myself becoming physically ill. I drank a few IPAs and Octoberfest style beers last night and now, 11 hours later, I'm in bed feeling sick.

I always equated this kind of feeling with being drunksick or hungover. But since I mostly drink sour beers now, I notice that it doesn't happen with sour beers, even if I drink ten of them. The difference becomes glaring and obvious in situations like last night, where it hadn't occurred to me that I might get sick from a few beers.

Since there's a lot of very informed people about beer ingredients on this site, I wanted to ask if any of you have an idea of what might be causing this. I always assumed it was the alcohol itself until I noticed that sour beers don't cause the same reaction, even if I get very drunk on them.

It seems to be an inflammation reaction. I know alcohol causes inflammation, but what ingredient(s) are excluded in sour beers that I might have an intolerance for?

i have a theory, its mostly speculating but hops contains terpenes just as weed. in weed the terpenes are the cause of different kinds of high with how it interacts with your body. maybe hoppy beer has the same as in that it simply causes a different drunk than non hoppy beers. i always get way more drunk from ipa's than from pilsner. my speculation is also that the low ph of sour beers has caused your stomach acid to get out of its usual ph level..