Keeping methanol down

[Jokester]

I added amg 300 to a beer (7.5% abv Devils backbone Maibock) and fermented it. It went from an OG of 1.006 to under .99 and dropped a sediment in the process. I got the clear part etc out and freeze concentrated it.

Do I have to worry about creating methanol in the process ?
What creates methanol, I know pectin does, but anything else ?

Now I freeze distilled what I calculated to be 9% abv to something over 30% by calculation. That part I put in the fridge yesterday.
Then I melted another 1/2 oz - my sample to taste it and check if it has alcohol. This bottle had been inverted and put upright a few times, so I suspect it drew more out of the ice than the first part, it had more cloudy and more color than the first melt. However this one even in that quantity gave me a headache, not get me drunk, headache which took 45 mins or so to subside.
The freeze concentrate does not give me the headache. Nor does the concentrate taste as bad as this part did. Its got that pine resiny sharp tang to it. Its there in the base beer as well and in the over ferment, and its the lightest in the freeze concentrate.

Thanks.
Srinath.

 

[dwhite60]

Methanol is wood alcohol. Regular brewing yeast won't produce it.

Interesting in that the cure for methanol poisoning is to consume some ethanol.

All the Best,
D. White

 

[lump42]

Correct, methanol occurs in fermentation from the break down of pectin. Grain has very little pectin and brewers yeast doesn't produce pectinase. It would only be a concern if a contaminating microbe occurred in a high pectin fruit and was then distilled improperly.

 

[Vale71]

Industrial methanol is indeed produced by distilling wood.

Naturally occurring methanol comes from the breakdown of pectin by means of enzymes (pectinase) that are already present in fruit and that break down pectin as part of the natural ripening process. Yeast cannot metabolize pectin so no methanol can be produced by yeast.

Malt has exactly 0.0000% pectin so methanol is not a concern.

Incidentally, I don't think methanol would give you a headache at all. In lower doses it might make you go blind, in higher amounts it would make you drop dead which might be considered a kind of terminal headache if you will...

 

[lump42]

Incidentally, I don't think methanol would give you a headache at all. In lower doses it might make you go blind, in higher amounts it would make you drop dead which might be considered a kind of terminal headache if you will...

Short term symptoms can cause headaches. Altough many other things can too.

From the CDC webiste:"Initial adverse health effects due to methanol poisoning include drowsiness, a reduced level of consciousness (CNS depression), confusion, headache, dizziness, and the inability to coordinate muscle movement (ataxia)."

 

[Vale71]

Sounds like any other drinking session...

 

[Jokester]

This was a sharp taste related headache right at first sip. Something in that pine tar resin flavor without alcohol to cover it gave me a headache. Today I drank nearly 4 drinks worth of it and nothing but mellow chill out. It actually tasted less pine tarry with ethanol.
Yea pine tar resin might be headache causing. LOL. Thanks guys.
Cool.
Srinath.