Has Home Brew ever 'messed with your head' ?

[Grunaki]

I'm not having a laugh with this, I'm actually serious and it's worrying me.

This has happened a couple of times now. I make a wort from canned mix and tapwater, throw in the yeast and let it go - same as always.

Sometimes, however, I'll get a brew that seems to adversely affect me. It drinks just like a normal beer, I feel the effects just like a normal beer, but it has an effect that hangs on long afterwards (and not a hangover - I mean days and days afterwards).. It's a bit like being stoned or something, but not in a good or pleasant way.. I feel anxious and a bit paranoid, and I feel like it's adversely affecting me at work as I sometimes can't concentrate.

The first time it happened, I didn't make any connection with the beer. I was freaked out by it and ended up going to my doctor and getting a course of anti-depressants. I didn't drink for a couple of weeks while I was on them and it cleared up.

I still had some of the Home Brew left, and had a couple one night after I stopped taking the meds and the feeling came back right away. After that, I tipped away that batch as I thought it must have been bad.

(I've considered allergies, but I don't think I have any yeast reactions - I'm definitely not celiac as I usually have a couple of store-bought beers most evenings and I'm completely fine with those, and I eat bread products all the time.)

I've made other batches since then and not had a problem.

Anyway - I recently made some more Home Brew and drank it for a couple of nights (and it was really good!) but then this weird feeling came back.

I haven't drunk any more since I noticed it, but it's been almost a week now, and although I feel better than I initially did, it's hanging on for an awful long time and I'm a bit worried. I don't want to get meds again as I don't like being on them and feel like this will (hopefully) clear itself up if I don't drink any more of the Home Brew.

What I'm really wondering is:

- What the heck is causing this??

and

- How do I stop it?

I know the obvious answer is "don't make / drink any home brew" as that's what causes it, but it doesn't make any sense.

All I can think of is either that it is some sort of allergic reaction or the other consideration is that there might be something in the local water that is benign on its own, but might have an interaction with yeast during the brewing process.

Any ideas?

 

[Chippy_Tea]

Do you suffer when drinking commercial beers?

 

[Kman]

Do you drink a lot of coffee? Could be a caffeine sensitivity

 

[Grunaki]

Do you suffer when drinking commercial beers?

Not at all. This has only ever affected me when consuming home brew. That's what made me consider it being something in the local water.

Do you drink a lot of coffee? Could be a caffeine sensitivity

Not much. I usually drink tea actually, but I don't mind coffee. It's never made me feel like this though.

 

[Kman]

Tea has caffeine too, the symptoms you describe sound very familiar to what I suffered with but I had developed a sensitivity to caffeine, cut down to 2 coffees a day and been fine since. I can't see it being an ingredient in the beer or you'd be the same on commercial beers

 

[Grafter67]

Obvious question is are we comparing like for like as in one night out drinking v one night on home brew or is the difference a complete wrecking session of 72 hours non stop homebrew or whatever.

2nd obvious question is if there's any weed involved in homebrew sessions that wouldn't be involved when having a few beers at the pub? (That may sound dumb and I don't know forum rules about discussing such things). Those sound very like after grass symptoms, but Kman's point is valid. It could easily be a caffeine AND brew combination or other combination (tannin perhaps?)

 

[Covrich]

Does drinking any tap water have any effect usually?

Like grafter says the situations are different so it isn't always a direct comparison..

Also what kits are you buying? maybe try a small extract brew where you boil the whole plain extract and add hops..

My gut non medical feeling is there may be an underlying problem and the home brew is possibly a trigger not a cause..

 

[Bodleigh Head]

Living in Canada ... does it happen during the winter ? It could be a case of not seeing enough sunlight ... one of the main reasons I moved out of the UK !:-?

 

[Bodleigh Head]

Another idea that comes to mind, HB is a lot more hoppy than commercial beers, particularly the manic IPA's that us home-brewers tend to like. I brewed up some vintage IPA's last year (cf Ron Pattinson), before the bad hop harvest, and I was definitely out of kilter the day after.

 

[BeerCat]

Really sorry to hear that. Glad you got off the meds as they really screw people up. Would not be surprised if its something in the water. Maybe your hyper sensitive to it. I would get a water distiller for drinking or and a reverse osmosis filter. Best of luck to you.

 

[MyQul]

Try brewing with bottled water to see if it makes a difference

 

[geetee]

Hops are part of the cannabis family, you are using the right one aren't you?

May be possible that there is something in the hop that you are sensitised to?

 

[aamcle]

just get yourself off to the Doctor.


aamcle

 

[Pirate_Pete]

were both beers the same. As in same kit etc?

Try a different style of beer or a different manufacturer.

 

[MyQul]

just get yourself off to the Doctor.


aamcle

I think he already did that and they stuck the OP on anti-depressants

 

[MyQul]

You've alread surmised the obvious answer - stop drinking beer. But by the sounds of things you like drinking beer and want to discover the reasons what causing the problem so you can avoid the beers/ingredients that cause the problem and carry on drinking beers that dont cuase you problems?

So in that case I'd switch to AG stove top brewing (5L) brewing to try and identify what's causeing you the problems. This would mean you've got maximum control over all aspects of your brewing and would be able to figure out what's causing the problem. Whereas with kits youve got minimum control over all brewing area. Also you've only be making 5L instead of 23L so if a particular batch caused your problem you could just bin it.

With AG you could narrow down/isolate each and every ingredient to see if it caused you problems and switch to an ingedient that didnt. Once you know what beers/ingredients are ok for you to drink then just start making 23L batches

AG stove top brewing is really quite simple. Have a look at this thread

http://www.thehomebrewforum.co.uk/showthread.php?t=51779

 

[Grunaki]

Obvious question is are we comparing like for like as in one night out drinking v one night on home brew or is the difference a complete wrecking session of 72 hours non stop homebrew or whatever.

No, nothing like that. It was the result of two nights. The first night I over-indulged a bit as it was my first night tucking into a new batch of brew, but it wasn't that much (about 6 pints' worth) as I figured it was probably going to be weaker than store-bought.

I felt it the next morning but I was OK again by the evening and I had about 2 pints, which is what I usually drink of a night (couple of cans). After that, the weird feeling intensified.

2nd obvious question is if there's any weed involved in homebrew sessions that wouldn't be involved when having a few beers at the pub? (That may sound dumb and I don't know forum rules about discussing such things). Those sound very like after grass symptoms, but Kman's point is valid. It could easily be a caffeine AND brew combination or other combination (tannin perhaps?)

I don't actually use weed. I've tried it in the past (so I have it as a point of reference) but I don't smoke and I don't get high. Couple of beers is my only vice, really.

I hardly drink coffee these days, but when I worked in an office they were always brewing up. The only real reaction I've had to coffee is that dark roast goes through me, but I've never had an 'altered mental state' reaction to it.

Hops are part of the cannabis family, you are using the right one aren't you?

May be possible that there is something in the hop that you are sensitised to?

I'm making everything direct from store-bought can-kits with their own yeast included and tap water.

The only other things I can think of are:

- whenever this has happened, it's been with Stout kits.

- a couple of times the kit has been a little past the sell-by date.

I didn't figure that would matter as it's all boiled up and sealed in cans.

were both beers the same. As in same kit etc?

Try a different style of beer or a different manufacturer.

No. It was all Stout, but different manufacturers.

I think he already did that and they stuck the OP on anti-depressants

Yeah. That was last time this happened. I haven't been to the doctor this time.

There are a couple of reasons I don't want to go.

My company sulks a bit if you take unexpected time off and I figure my doctor will listen to every other word and order me not to drink beer - and it's not regular beer that does this, it's just home brew.

 

[Pirate_Pete]

There you go. Try making a Lager that's in date.

 

[MyQul]

The only other things I can think of are:

- whenever this has happened, it's been with Stout kits.

- a couple of times the kit has been a little past the sell-by date.

I didn't figure that would matter as it's all boiled up and sealed in cans.

Technically it shouldn't but you may be more senstitive to less than fresh ingredients (another reason why you should try AG as it's as fresh as your going to get). I cant drink unrefridgerated HB that have less than the most flocctuant yeast used in them, else I get a stomach ache from the yeast for example

 

[Clint]

Sounds like anxiety. I was terrible leading up to my hip replacement. Sleepless nights, head all over the place etc. You think having a beer helps but it's no good if there's something bothering you as you still think about it or rather dream about it when you sleep whether you think you do or not!
But....if it's becoming a problem and you can't pin it down get some professional advice because there's more artists than doctors on here!
All the best

Clint