I once mentioned to Chugger that some beers cause a reaction in my body that is unpleasent - sometimes to the point of incapacitation. He nodded, knowingly, and rattled off a bunch of stuff about yeast and brewing process as if I understood and I said, yeah and uh-hu as if I did understand, but, in fact, I did not and do not.
Without taking me into the science of brewology, is there a simple guide to what to avoid if one is particularly prone to digestive distress? What should I be careful not to consume?
13 comments:
Simple remedy; don't drink beer, drink CHAMPAIGN! I know by experience.
OK.. Simple.
Beer is made with Yeast. A certain type of yeast.
They eat sugar. They then produce Alcohol, Gas,and new yeast babies.
When all the sugars are gone from the beer (or it has reached a high alcohol content), they go dormant or sometimes die.
Most beers, when bottled, are filtered and pastuerized. That kills all the yeast and removes the dead bodies from the beer.
However, some beers are bottled with live yeast in the bottles. Most notably homebrew, microbrews, and Wheat beers (hefeweisen).
Once consumed, these yeast find themselves in your stomach and nether regions, with lots of sugars to consume (pretzels, onion rings, sausage), so they start the process all over, only this time, the gas is released inside your body. Hence the distress.
I think you'll find your distress is proportional to the types of beer consumed, with live yeast beers being the worst.
To add on...
You have natural yeast in your GI tract that help break the nutrients down, and on occasion produce gas. Every person has a different ecosystem inside, that's why some folks tend to produce more gas than others. It is also why certain foods affect us. Foods with complex carbs (like beans) tend to be the worst for natural GI yeast/bacteria.
Folks under going major anti-biotic treatment will notice their "flatulence profile" will change with this treatment.
For a nice overview of Munchen Biers, our lord and guiding light, Larry Hawthorne, has a nice explanation here...
http://www.beerdrinkersguide.com/BDGWebsite/MunichBeer/MunichBeer.htm
Wow!
All this expertise, just for asking!
To combine several thoughts here, the distress is a reaction of your particular intestinal critters to unfamiliar and complex intakes. Beer and greasy pork and eggs would be an example of something your critters might find difficult, but not beer on its own, lean pork on its own, or eggs on their own. Even wheat beer, taken in moderation and given time to work through your system before other ingestion.
Also, acid content is an issue and some beers are more acidic than others; for this distress, simple antacids will work - those that do not in themselves cause gas - e.g. Zantac instead of calcium.
I bow before you, o flatulent one. Thine is an experience born from the goodness of mother nature, and the wisdom of Zeus.
do you think taking probiotics would help?
All BS. Simply drink one Mass. If the problem does not occur drink a next, etc. Soon you experience your "flatulism" stop drinking. Count the number of Mass you consumed and drink the next time the number minus one.
Or drink wine
I believe the real response to "What beers to avoid" is to not avoid any bier. When in Rome, do as the Romans. Just understand the consequences, and adjust accordingly.
Another approach: find beers here that you might run into there. Practice, practice, practice. Determine which you like, which don't like you.
Very helpful - many thanks to all.
Rod, being a roommate of Chugger, Einfarht you should not bother. You probably are glad that you have your own odeur with you. So drink and don't think. Let it go let it go.
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