Different intoxications from different beers

I started a thread similar to this a couple of years ago and it was deleted quickly. Something about discussing beer giving you a buzz on a website called beeradvocate was inappropriate. I feel like I get a buzz really fast when I get a growler filled. I am not sure if there is something to that or just my imagination.

 

I forgot about that show! I used to watch it all the time and at first I felt weird if I happened to drinking a beer when watching. After I while I decided it was actually nice knowing that I could drink a beer while watching and have it not turn into, I dunno, waking up in a dumpster with butt herpes or something.

 

Had a roommate from college who drank a lot. He was always a stupid happy drunk. Hung out with him for many years. One night at a bachelor party he drank scotch for the 1st time and went downstairs at the party to lay on the couch for a while. Some guy he didn't even know walked in the room and he jumped up and attacked this guy (the brides brother). He then ran down the street where a cop found him and took him to jail. He got out the next morning and had no recollection of any of those events. Never been in a fight in his whole life, been drunk too many times to count. How do you explain that one? He never touched scotch again because of that freakish night (drinks a ton of gin and tequila though).

 

I think it has to do with the amount of Beer you're drinking... if you drink 3 or 4 22's of Enjoy By, then yes, you're going to be hungover...

 

How did this turn into a hangover discussion? The questions is about different types of drunk.

I, for one, find this concept ridiculous and annoying. Sorry to all you "tequila makes me crazy, and scotch makes me sad" people. Ethanol is the intoxicant, the active ingredient. To those who have said ethanol is only generally 5-10% of beer, I remind you that 99% of the remainder is good old dihydrogen monoxide.

The variables are contained in your body and the circumstances of consumption.

 

I don't know about different buzzes from different beers, I think there might be some other factors involved. But on a personal level, I have had a few of my cellared beers, ones with two or more years on them, and they get me really drunk. Does ABV change over time when cellaring beer?

 

Someone in Stone's marketing department is patting them self on the back.

 

One thing that I think plays an underappreciated role is a sort of snowballing psychological effect based on the specific physical experience of drinking whatever it is you're drinking.

Are you drinking something crisp, and light? Heavy, and bitter? Fruity and sweet? Harsh? Smooth? Fresh? Old? Does it make you feel full? Does it make your mouth feel dry or sticky? There's sure to be interpersonal differences in how these sorts of factors translate into mood/emotion/buzz, but there's probably a fair bit of universality as well. And once you add intoxication into the equation it likely becomes very easy for even small differences to get amplified.

I'm guessing tequila's reputation in the U.S. is likely, at least in part, an extreme example of this sort of thing: it's historically been considered lousy tasting, and drinking it was a bit of a physical endurance test. So even without all the added ritual and social chest pounding, the mere act of having to choke it down and make cringe-y faces doesn't exactly set you off on the right foot for a mellow, happy, relaxed, buzz.

And if you run with the idea that even really small initial differences in the drinking experience can spiral into noticeably different perceived intoxication experiences, that could potentially open the door to some of the interesting things people have suggested in terms of hops/yeast/congeners having an effect without negating the truism of ethanol = ethanol.

Anyway, really interesting thread!

 

Haha, thanks for the laugh!

 

Seconding this question. My understanding is that regulations vary by state for margin of error/testing ABV but would be great if someone is knowledgeable.

I have heard professional brewers speculate that there are some "dishonest" ABV's on labels, but it's hard to imagine someone getting away with listing a 7% beer as 8% ABV (e.g.)

 

Interesting topic and one I've recently been wondering about due to my most recent homebrewed IPA. For some reason, the beer has a wonderful buzz unlike other homebrews I've made. Other people I've shared the beer with have also mentioned the nice buzz. I have no explanation, but my uneducated guess is the other components in there, perhaps byproducts of fermentation (or lack of), or maybe the particular blend of hop oils. I don't know...just hope I can reproduce it.

 

In the words of Mitch Headburg, "doesn't drinking wine give you a headache? Yeah, EVENTUALLY, buy the beginning and middle parts are awesome!

 

Now that I think about it Steel Reserve and Mickey's are drunk experiences like to no other! Malt liquors aside, I stand by my original opinion that I don't notice much difference between beer styles.

 

Scotch didn't make him do that. A million other emotional issues could have lead to that.

 

You are not crazy...I've done "drinking studies" on session craft beers and session BMCs like Bud Select that have the same ABV and on many occasions have felt more buzzed with the craft beer.

Roguer has nailed it in his above posts...I think the absorption of the alcohol is different depending on the ingredients in the beers and the bodies reaction to the combination of the two.

There are many foods, medicines, vitamins that are altered by interaction with each other...the absorption rate can vary widely when mixed...it only makes sense that this can also occur with alcohol? IMHO

Cheers!

 

The TTB of the Treasury Dept. is the Federal department that is the primary regulator of beer, taking over for the old BATF. Listing ABV is currently optional on a Federal level (some states do require it) and the tolerance for malt beverages is:

Most beers are not routinely tested, but some samples are randomly tested via the Alcohol Beverage Sampling Program (ABSP) - and, according to the TTB, it sounds as if they would also test a beer based on consumer complaints.

 

I definitely agree that there is no scientific evidence to back up my annoyance. However, the active intoxicant in beer, wine, and liquor is ethanol. That is what causes the drunkenness. Contributors to the hangover could be all the other compounds found in these drinks. Residual sugars, protein sensitivities, phenols, etc could all cause worse hangovers, but that is a function of metabolism...a side effect of consumption.

I just feel we are muddling the original conversation of active ingredient by talking about side effects.
Hypothetical example: I usually buy Target brand ibuprofen because the Walmart brand gives me sweaty palms. They both help my headaches equally, so it must be one of the inactive ingredients in the Walmart brand. Same intended effect, different side effect.