# Ever Gotten Sick Of Bear?



## brotom7 (1/4/08)

Made my first batch of beer after a 20 years break a couple of weeks ago.
With a lot of confidence after reading loads of stuff on this site I started out with the below recipe, keep it simple was the goal.

2kg DME
0.5kg Crystal
60g EK Goldings at 60 min
20g EK Goldings at 15 min
20g EK Goldings at 2 min
S-04 yeast

Made up to 18l.

The DME and Crystal was boiled for 60min and tap water added to make up the 18l, all equipment brand new and sanitised.

I had a few problems on the way, first I didn't strain the hops so they sat through the fermentation for a week, secondly the lid on the fermentor wouldn't seal properly and I later found a plastic drill out spiral between the O-ring and the lid and lastly I didn't manage to get the temp down further than around 24-26C.

It was then racked to a cube where it sat for another week before bottling.

While bottling I figured I could force carb a bottle by using the sodastreamer.
Done and thrown in the freezer for a good cool down.

Now the bad part,
while tasting it it was very very bitter and possibly a bit sour, I figured the bitterness could be that it fermented with the hopps plus the recipe had a fair bit plus the carbonation adds a little bitterness so while the first zips didn't taste too good it soon was drinkable I thought so the whole liter went down.

To make the story short I felt the stomach go bad after a few hours and I spent the next two days horizontally with only short trips to you know where :icon_vomit: .

First I didn't think it was the beer but since all I had eaten that day also had been eaten by my girlfriend and she was alright and the timing and now two weeks later when opening another bottle it smells a bit offensive I know beleive it was the beer that made me sick.
It's just that I thought a bad beer would smell and taste so bad that I wouldn't drink it in the first place, this beer didn't smell or taste good but not bad enough that it was obvious that it was bad at the time. 

Anybody else had the same happen to them?

I just bottled a second batch and it smelled and tasted much better though with the previous experience I didn't feel like force carbing a test bottled, it's gotta smell and taste perfect for me to drink it next time.


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## kook (1/4/08)

I've never heard of it personally. You'd have to have a pretty serious buildup of enteric bacteria or something like that to get sick. Enteric bacteria doesn't like to grow to that level in wort unless it can take hold for a decent time without the presence of other organisms like yeast.

Are you sure it's the beer that did it?


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## OzBeer_MD (1/4/08)

brotom7 said:


> but since all I had eaten that day also had been eaten by my girlfriend and she was alright



Had to read that bit twice :blink: 

(Sorry)

MD


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## sponge (1/4/08)

Doc_D said:


> Had to read that bit twice :blink:



ditto


and im not sure why


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## brotom7 (1/4/08)

No I'm not sure it was the beer at all but it has a bad taste to it and opening another bottle today I think it's a bit worse then at bottling. I hope it wasn't the beer but wanted to see if anyone else have had similar experiences.

Mmmmm, I guess my girlfriend and I had eaten similar food that day rather then... written English has never been my strong side.


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## white.grant (1/4/08)

Bear has never made me sick, neither has beer and I've made (and drunk) some pretty awful ones in my time. 

Not sure why you'd get a gastro type of reaction unless their was ecoli or a simliar bug already in your ingredients. Is it possible that the warm temperatures grew some form of nasty bug in the fermenter or after you racked? Was the cube clean? Sour/yoghurty flavours are usually the clue that something has infected the brew,

I guess you could always have the beer tested at a lab for pathogens and see what's alive in there..

grant


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## kook (1/4/08)

Traditional lambic can have quite high amounts of E. Coli. and still be perfectly drinkable.

Beer is not a nice environment for bacteria like this - low pH and alcohol don't make for a fun place.


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## Dicko ACT (1/4/08)

Doc_D said:


> Had to read that bit twice :blink:
> 
> (Sorry)
> 
> MD



Ditto again...  

I hope it's not Panda 'Bears' you are getting sick on as they are the worlds most endangered/threatened 'Bear' species.


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## DarkFaerytale (2/4/08)

Doc_D said:


> Had to read that bit twice :blink:
> 
> (Sorry)
> 
> MD




so did i, was gonna say it was the more likely source of getting sick, so wrong in so many ways.

i'd be tempted to try another one of the beers, but i'm a sucker for punishment.

-Phill


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## solidghost (2/4/08)

One of my friends have problem with home brew because of the yeast. He gets wind in his stomach or something and then he gets slightly ill. Not too sure, but I think he is okay if he drinks commerical ones. Anyway, it doesn't bother him, he still drinks a lot.


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## lowtech (2/4/08)




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## pint of lager (2/4/08)

Am not a microbiologist, but when the same question has come up before on the board and other places, the answer has been that bugs that make you sick cannot survive in beer. Usually when people blame the beer, it is something else that has made them crook.

Your brew may very well be infected with something as well. If you are finding the aroma off putting, you may have to ditch the whole lot.

Reading your recipe and technique, it appears that you have had alot of hot and cold break in the fermenter along with the hops. Excess hot and cold break could contribute to weird flavours. Usually, brewers aim for as little aspossible of each in the fermenter. Also, did you boil the crystal grain? Or just the resulting fluid from the specialty grain steep?.


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## kevnlis (2/4/08)

I am with POL here. Even the leading scientists in the field say that there is nothing that will make a human sick that can survive the fermentation process.


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## Fourstar (2/4/08)

kevnlis said:


> I am with POL here. Even the leading scientists in the field say that there is nothing that will make a human sick that can survive the fermentation process.



Quite interesting! Have anything to read on this? I was planning on making a belly pork porter! :icon_drool2: 

wanted to know if i would survive it!


...Definatly not a serious idea.


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## brotom7 (2/4/08)

Good to hear it probably wasn't the bear, I would much prefer it that way.
Still got the bear bottled so I will give another one a try in a week or two.

And then I will learn to spell beer, beer, beer, beer, beer, beer, beer, beer, beer, beer, beer, beer, beer, beer, beer, beer, beer, beer, beer, beer, beer, beer, beer, beer, beer, beer, beer, beer, beer, beer, beer, beer, beer, beer, beer, beer, beer, beer, beer, beer, beer, beer, beer, beer, beer, beer, beer, beer, beer, beer, beer, beer, beer, beer, beer, beer, beer, beer, beer, beer, beer, beer, beer, beer, beer, beer, beer, beer, beer, beer, beer, beer, beer, beer, beer, beer, beer, beer, beer, beer, beer, beer, beer, beer, beer, beer, beer, beer, beer, beer, beer, beer, beer, beer, beer, beer, beer, beer, beer, beer, beer, beer, beer, beer, beer, beer, beer, beer, beer, beer, beer, beer, beer, beer, beer, beer, beer, beer, beer, beer, beer, beer, beer, beer, beer, Beer, BEER, BEEEEEEEEER.....................beer.


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## sinkas (2/4/08)

_Drop-Bear_ doesnt agree with me.


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## Wisey (29/6/09)

I reckon i spewed last night due to a brew.

I went to bed at 9pm after 5 schooners, got up 1.30am and spewed my guts up. Sore guts and headache all day too.

the missus had the same tea as me and didnt have any drama's.


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## bum (29/6/09)

kevnlis said:


> I am with POL here. Even the leading scientists in the field say that there is nothing that will make a human sick that can survive the fermentation process.



I could be remembering this completely arse-about but haven't you basically stopped brewing due to coeliac disease?

Apologies if I'm mistaken (but I still present that illness as a counter to your post).


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## raven19 (29/6/09)

sinkas said:


> _Drop-Bear_ doesnt agree with me.



Especially those beer drinking drop bears!  

fwiw - Your bitterness wont come from the hops in the fermentor either, just from the boiled hops.

Welcome back to the world of brewing after 20 years!


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## manticle (29/6/09)

April 2008 
April 2008 
April 2008
April 2008 
April 2008 
April 2008 
April 2008 
April 2008 
April 2008 
April 2008 
April 2008 
April 2008 
April 2008 
April 2008 
April 2008 
April 2008 
April 2008 
April 2008


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## QldKev (29/6/09)

bloody bear bears

QldKev


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## bum (29/6/09)

manticle said:


> April 2008
> April 2008
> April 2008
> April 2008
> ...



I see what you did there.

My apologies.


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## manticle (29/6/09)

bum said:


> I see what you did there.
> 
> My apologies.



I'm still sick of bears but.


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## Cocko (29/6/09)

manticle said:


> I'm still sick of bears but.



Yeah, Damn bear and his but this and but that!!


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## Sammus (29/6/09)

bears are cool, ill never get sick of them.

was this an attempt at an april fools joke?


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## manticle (29/6/09)

Cocko said:


> Yeah, Damn bear and his but this and but that!!



damn bear put his butt in my beer.


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## Barley Belly (29/6/09)

How much can a koala bear?


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## Cocko (29/6/09)

manticle said:


> damn bear put his butt in my beer.



Damn, Bare bear butt in your bear beer! Not good brother!

You will be sick for sure!  

:lol:


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## iScarlet (29/6/09)

How can you get sick of bear?





That said it can leave a fishy taste in yer beer.


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## uniiqueuser (30/6/09)

Apart from the spelling mistake....

One of my earliest experiences with (my dad's) home brew included a little bit of a spew.

Had several glasses of beer, and was tipsy enough to have a crack at some biscuits and cheese. Cheese was something like extra tasty or Old Bitey etc. I instantly felt incredibly ill, where I wandered out to the back yard and had a little spew, and instantly felt much better.

The only thing that came out was a lump of cheese about the same size as I had eaten. 

My theory is somehow the beer reacted to the cheese and my stomach asked the bouncers to eject the bad influence. 

People develop sensitivities to sustances over many years. You may well be eating something quite happily and then bang! the next day it makes you feel ill. This is the point where your body can no longer tolerate the sustance and just gives up.

Also the illness you felt might be like my cheese example- perhaps an interaction between beer and something you ate. Or a sensitivity to the byproduct of that interaction. Rigorous testing by starting off by drinking a beer then adding ONE item of the meal you ate, then another beer and then eating another SINGLE item of that particular meal, etc will determine what it was that set you off. 

Obviously it was to much to beer.... um bear


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## AussieJosh (30/6/09)

give a bottle of it to a mate who is not much of a mate! if he dont get sick try another one!


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## felten (30/6/09)

iScarlet said:


> How can you get sick of bear?
> 
> 
> 
> ...



Bear grylls does it better






[edit] just realised the pic wouldn't load, fixed!


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