Epic Headache.

[Dave70]

So a mate of mine returns from Queensland a couple of weeks ago. He called me up to say he had visited a pub / microbrewery ( I cant remember what it was called ) and was gushing about the beer's he'd tasted. Anyway, he'd brought back a few samples of Porter and called me over to help him free up the bottles.
We kicked back by the pool and proceeded to pull the heads off.
'Geez, looks kinda flat' I noted.
'Um....yeah' said my mate. He was visibly dissapointed - those suckers werent cheap..Oh well..

This was the same story for the next four we opened also, the taste was alright, but the head and C02 was virtially non existent. At first I suggested the pressure fluxuation in the cargo hold in the plane may have had an effect on the bubbles, but they rode with him inside the plane so that wasn't it.

Now we had a few more 'generic' beers afterwoods, but it was a pretty early night, gotta love working weekends..

However, the next morning I recived a text from my mate. 'My f*****g heads killing me!!' It seems we were both suffering exquisite headaches, which is odd for me, no matter how much I drink, - nausea ect, yes, but not headaches, and this one was a cracker that took Panadene Forte to smother.

Anyway, to cut a boring story short, Is there some step in the brewing process that can produce extreme headache nastyness if it's not quite right? We kind of suspected all was not kosher with these brews, but they tasted fine, just a little under carbed and nothing to suggest they were 'off'.

thoughts?

cheers.

 

[razz]

High fermentation temperatures and of course lots of alcohol.

 

[brettprevans]

High fermentation temperatures and of course lots of alcohol.

fusil alc is bad alc. gives headaches

you mention sitting in a pool. I assume your in a hot climate to be in a pool in the middle of winter? my bet is on dehydration. drinking heaps of booze in the sun.

I suppose there could have been an infection but that would be unlikely to cause a headache.

 

[benno1973]

Airplane cabin pressure is only about 2/3rds of pressure on the ground. You'll notice that an unopened water bottle can often leak when put in overhead baggage as the cabin pressure decreases and the relative pressure inside the bottle increases. Not saying this caused the headache but might have accounted for the flat bottles if there was any kind of leak in the cap?

 

[Dave70]

you mention sitting in a pool.

No, by the pool, but I put my phone and wallet on the table just to be on the safe side..

 

[brettprevans]

*note to self..read OP properly*

nfi why the headache then.

 

[Dave70]

Airplane cabin pressure is only about 2/3rds of pressure on the ground. You'll notice that an unopened water bottle can often leak when put in overhead baggage as the cabin pressure decreases and the relative pressure inside the bottle increases. Not saying this caused the headache but might have accounted for the flat bottles if there was any kind of leak in the cap?

There was still a tiny 'pssst' when you cracked the lid so they were still holding some pressure. My wife is flying south shortly so I may pop a couple of stubbies in her luggage and see how they end up.
Im all bout the science me...

 

[Duff]

Maybe your flat porter was Russian imperial stout but you did not notice.

 

[Scruffy]

So it was the beer was it...?

Headache - some causes explained

A headache is experienced when various structures of the head and neck are irritated. The sensation of pain can be referred, which means the irritation in one area can transmit the feeling of pain via associated nerves to another area. A good example is neck pain leading to headache. It is likely that nearly all of us will experience headache during our lifetimes. This is because headache is one of the most common illnesses in Australia, with around 15 per cent of us taking painkillers for a headache at any given time. There are different types of headache and many different causes, which explains why the condition is so common. Recurring headache can be caused by different factors working together.

Stress and muscular tension
Stress is thought to trigger the bodys fight or flight response, which is characterised by shallow breathing, elevated heart rate and blood pressure, and increased amounts of stress chemicals like adrenaline. Stress can cause or worsen a headache in a number of ways, including:

* Tightening the muscles, particularly of the upper back, shoulders, neck and head.
* Lowering a persons tolerance to pain.
* Nullifying the effects of medications like painkillers.
* Reducing the levels of endorphins, which are the bodys natural painkilling chemicals.

Diet and food sensitivities
According to some studies, what we eat and when we eat it plays a significant role in headache and migraine. Different causes of headache include:

* Fluctuations in blood sugar levels, which can lead to spasm of the arteries in the head.
* Caffeine withdrawal, commonly caused by regular and excessive consumption of coffee and tea.
* Food additives, such as MSG (monosodium glutamate).
* Naturally occurring chemicals in foods, such as amines.

Jaw problems
Dental abscesses, post-extraction infection and difficulties with the joint of the jaw can cause pain in the local area, as well as referred pain to the face and head. Misaligned teeth can also increase muscular tension in the jaw and contribute to recurring headache.

Hormonal influences
Migraines affect more women than men, and some researchers believe that sex hormones play a key role. For around half of these women, migraine occurs in the few days prior to or following their menstrual period. Some studies suggest that reduced levels of the sex hormone oestrogen around the time of menstruation may be to blame.

Eye problems
If a person has difficulties with their vision, such as long-sightedness, they tend to squint and strain the eye muscles in order to better focus their vision. Eye diseases like glaucoma can cause headache by referring pain into the structures of the head.

Ear, nose and throat disorders
There are many disorders of the ear, nose and throat that can cause recurring headache. Some of the more common include:

* Sinus problems - caused by infection, cold, flu or allergic reactions such as hayfever.
* Labyrinthitis - the general term for any type of inflammation of the inner ear.
* Infection - of the ear, nose or throat, caused by either bacteria or viruses.
* Trauma - such as blows to the ear, or perforation of the ear drum.
* Hayfever - when the immune system overreacts to such irritants as pollen.
* Tonsillitis - an infection most often caused by the bacterium streptococcus.
* Tumours - brain tumour is a relatively rare cause of recurrent headache.

The nervous system
Irritated, inflamed or damaged nerves can bring on headache. Some causes include:

* Haemorrhages - some health conditions, such as hypertension (high blood pressure) and diabetes, can cause the blood vessels to become damaged.
* Infection - such as meningitis, which is inflammation of the membranes lining the brain and spinal cord.
* Nerve damage - can be caused by, for example, vitamin deficiencies or trauma to the head or neck. A tumors may also be to blame.

Medications and rebound headache
Some medications can aggravate headache in susceptible people, including:

* Birth control pills - such as the combined pill, which includes synthesised versions of the sex hormones oestrogen and progesterone.
* Painkillers - some over-the-counter medications can contribute to recurring headache if misused or overused.
* Drugs for diabetes - some classes of these medications can aggravate headaches.

Other causes
Headache and migraine can be caused or aggravated by a number of other factors, including:

* Poor posture - which puts unnecessary strain on the muscles of the back and neck.
* Hangover - caused by abuse of alcohol or drugs.
* Temperature - extremes of heat and cold.
* Dehydration - which affects blood pressure.
* Noise - especially loud noises.
* Temporal arteritis - inflammation of the artery at the temple, most common in elderly people.

 

[Bribie G]

I haven't had a headache since the 1960s. If I were to get one at my age I'd head immediately for casualty because it would be a brain haemorrhage for sure. Shyte I spelled that correctly first off.

 

[Hutch]

I haven't had a headache since the 1960s.

You mustn't have kids - lucky you

 

[Bribie G]

Dragged up 2 boys but the pain was generally at the other end of the body. Still occurs, Mr. 21yo has just stacked his car so pain will also more likely be in the wallet area as well <_<

 

[lczaban]

If the beers you were tasting were from Eagle Heights Brewery at Mt Tambourine, I would suggest that either the porter of the stout that they are selling are VERY big beers. I cracked a bottle of their stout last night. It wasn't highly carbonated, but it was within style IMHO. My GF's glass didn't form much of a head at all (it was more like a ring a froth against the wall of the glass), but mine did although it wasn't persistent. It seems that their beers are much beer carbonated when you drink them out of the keg at the brewery rather than the bottled examples.

I would suspect that your big hangovers are probably due to the high alcohol content. The porter was around the 9% ABV mark, while the stout is a whopping 11% ABV (5.6 standard drinks in a 650ml bottle h34r: ). It may not have hit you right away, but combine a couple of glasses of this with some of your favourite beer as a follow up would have caused you a bit of grief the following day...