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Cheap beer hangovers

I Are Baboon

I Are Baboon

The Full Dopey
Aug 6, 2001
32,413
9,424
MTB New England
Why does cheap beer give such a worse hangover than a quality microbrew? Is it the difference in ingredients, how the beer is brewed, something else?

MBC and I were at a wedding the other day and the "best" beer choices were Heineken and Corona. Both of us had a few and ended up feeling like we were hit by trucks. That never happens to me when I drink quality beer. It's not like we got hammered, either.

So what gives?

(and apparently the best hangover cure is a 10 mile XC ride)
 
Westy

Westy

the teste
Nov 22, 2002
54,394
20,186
Sleazattle
With any form of alcohol I think if you drink something that you are not used to it will make for a worse hangover. I used to get really bad hangovers from IPA's now I have no problems with them because it is all I really drink.
 
TreeSaw

TreeSaw

Mama Monkey
Oct 30, 2003
17,670
1,855
Dancin' over rocks n' roots!
I used to be able to drink whatever, whenever, but as I get older, I find that I feel more hungover if I drink a lot of beer and haven't in a while vs. bourbon without mixers. Maybe it's just me but my tolerance seems to change with the seasons too. Summer = beers and most of the rest of the year it's bourbon.
 
Heidi

Heidi

Der hund ist laut und braun
Aug 22, 2001
10,184
797
Bend, Oregon
I Are Baboon said:
As I've stated before, given the choice between no beer and cheap beer, I'll take the cheap beer.

Mmmmm.....IPA...
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Not me, I'm such a snob. When I was in Chicago for training they held a social time one night with free beer. I was excited until I found out it was MGD or some crap like that. I drank no beer instead of free beer. Hell, I can drink my own pee for free too.
 
SkaredShtles

SkaredShtles

Michael Bolton
Sep 21, 2003
65,634
12,697
In a van.... down by the river
Heidi said:
Not me, I'm such a snob. When I was in Chicago for training they held a social time one night with free beer. I was excited until I found out it was MGD or some crap like that. I drank no beer instead of free beer. Hell, I can drink my own pee for free too.
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:rofl: I'm with you. I just find that cheap beer is just AWFUL. I'd much rather drink a glass of water.
 
skatetokil

skatetokil

Turbo Monkey
Jan 2, 2005
2,383
-1
DC/Bluemont VA
There are a couple of cheap beers that I can tolerate, but they must be in longnecks. Miller light/highlife/chill are fine for hot days if you get them very cold (almost frozen). PBR in the bottle is also drinkable. I would take those over corona and hiney any day.
 
Westy

Westy

the teste
Nov 22, 2002
54,394
20,186
Sleazattle
Some cheap beer like the aformentioned MGD I find impossible to drink. Maybe a I developed a taste for it during my poor assed drunken college days but I can happily handle a free Budweiser or a Beast Ice, I can drink them warm too.
 
Montana rider

Montana rider

Turbo Monkey
Mar 14, 2005
1,748
2,188
Perhaps cheap beer has more cogeners than micros (as is the case with cheap liquor vs. triple-distilled stuff...)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hangover
Causes

Hangovers are multi-causal. Ethanol has a dehydrating effect by causing increased urine production (such substances are known as diuretics), which causes headaches, dry mouth, and lethargy. Dehydration causes the brain to shrink away from the skull slightly.[3] This can be mitigated by drinking water after consumption of alcohol. Alcohol's effect on the stomach lining can account for nausea. Because of the increased NADH production during metabolism of ethanol by the enzymes alcohol dehydrogenase and aldehyde dehydrogenase, excess NADH can build up and slow down gluconeogenesis in the liver, thus causing hypoglycemia.

Another factor contributing to a hangover are the products from the breakdown of ethanol via liver enzymes. Ethanol is converted to acetaldehyde by the enzyme alcohol dehydrogenase, and then from acetaldehyde to acetic acid by the enzyme acetaldehyde dehydrogenase. Acetaldehyde (ethanal) is mildly toxic, contributing to hangover. These two reactions also require the conversion of NAD+ to NADH. With an excess of NADH, the lactate dehydrogenase reaction is driven to produce lactate from pyruvate (the end product of glycolysis) in order to regenerate NAD+ and sustain life. This diverts pyruvate from other pathways such as gluconeogenesis, thereby impairing the ability of the liver to supply glucose to tissues, especially the brain. Because glucose is the primary energy source of the brain, this lack of glucose contributes to hangover symptoms such as fatigue, weakness, mood disturbances, and decreased attention and concentration.

There are various nervous system effects: the removal of the depressive effects of alcohol in the brain probably account for the light and noise sensitivity.

In addition, it is thought that the presence of other alcohols (such as fusel oils), by-products of the alcoholic fermentation also called congeners, exaggerate many of the symptoms (cogeners may also be zinc or other metals added primarily to sweet liqueurs to enhance their flavor); this probably accounts for the mitigation of the effects when distilled alcohol, particularly vodka, is consumed instead.

The amount of congeners in the drink may also have an effect. Red wines have more congeners than white wines, and some people note less of a hangover with white wine. Some individuals have a strong negative reaction to red wine called Red Wine Headache that can affect them within 15 minutes after drinking a single glass of red wine. The headache is usually accompanied by nausea and flushing.

In alcohol metabolism, one molecule of ethanol (the primary active ingredient in alcoholic beverages) produces 2 molecules of NADH, utilizing Vitamin B12 as a coenzyme. Over-consumption of ethanol may cause vitamin B12 deficiency as well.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Congeners
In the alcoholic beverage industry, congener refers to impurities produced during fermentation or to metals such as zinc, added to certain sweet liqueurs in order to enhance flavor. Congeners are responsible for most of the taste, aroma, and color of alcoholic beverages. It has been suggested that these substances also contribute to the symptoms of a hangover, although the more likely cause is a more complicated mix of ethanol, dehydration, and various other factors (see hangover for a more complete list).
 
DaveW

DaveW

Space Monkey
Jul 2, 2001
11,192
2,719
The bunker at parliament
Strange, the worst hangovers I've had in recent years have all been from expensive craft and trappist beers.
The cheap stuff has not been too bad on my head the next day in comparison.
 
ultraNoob

ultraNoob

Yoshinoya Destroyer
Jan 20, 2007
4,504
1
Hills of Paradise
My worst hangovers have been from cheap wine, but cheap beer hangovers come in a close second. When I was in Diego Garcia, all we drank was Red Horse (holla if you know... and it's nothing like Red Hook). We would drink from breakfast to dinner and never have hangovers. Got back stateside, drank 8 Bud Lights and got a massive "please shoot me" hangover the next day.

Cheap Beer Sucks Period. Leave it for the young'ns. My mantra is...If I can't read a newspaper through a beer in a clear pint glass. I probably won't drink it... unless I'm already blasted.
 
J

JRogers

talks too much
Mar 19, 2002
3,785
1
Claremont, CA
ultraNoob said:
My worst hangovers have been from cheap wine, but cheap beer hangovers come in a close second. When I was in Diego Garcia, all we drank was Red Horse (holla if you know... and it's nothing like Red Hook). We would drink from breakfast to dinner and never have hangovers. Got back stateside, drank 8 Bud Lights and got a massive "please shoot me" hangover the next day.
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Word. Nothing is worse than the crappy red wine hangover.
 
F

fiddy_ryder

Turbo Monkey
Jun 17, 2005
1,653
0
Hollywood
ultraNoob said:
My worst hangovers have been from cheap wine, but cheap beer hangovers come in a close second. When I was in Diego Garcia, all we drank was Red Horse (holla if you know... and it's nothing like Red Hook). We would drink from breakfast to dinner and never have hangovers. Got back stateside, drank 8 Bud Lights and got a massive "please shoot me" hangover the next day.

Cheap Beer Sucks Period. Leave it for the young'ns. My mantra is...If I can't read a newspaper through a beer in a clear pint glass. I probably won't drink it... unless I'm already blasted.
Click to expand...


red horse is the shyt... hard to find the real imported stuff from pinas over here.
 
MtnBikerChk

MtnBikerChk

Squeaky Wheel
Aug 3, 2001
5,478
38
Southern New England (where there ain't no TITUS d
Heidi said:
Not me, I'm such a snob. When I was in Chicago for training they held a social time one night with free beer. I was excited until I found out it was MGD or some crap like that. I drank no beer instead of free beer. Hell, I can drink my own pee for free too.
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I'm a snob too. BUT I was already buzzing from the Sam's Oktoberfest we had on the way so I figured a few cheapos wouldn't matter....

never again.....

on the plus side, I'd RATHER drink my own pee than a Budweiser.
 
BikeGeek

BikeGeek

BrewMonkey
Jul 2, 2001
4,573
273
Hershey, PA
Life is too short to drink bad beer. I enjoyed several pints of Young's Oatmeal Stout served on a hand-pump from a freshly tapped cask last night. :drool:
 
Mulestar

Mulestar

Turbo Monkey
Sep 18, 2007
1,061
0
in the dirt
Never bothered me as much as cheap wine or liqour, but busch light certainly tends to have an abrupt morning bowel movement attached to it.
 
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