It's ain't what you do, it's the way that you do it

There are two distinct threads to this post, but both lead towards the same end, as both are concerned with the aim of being able to drink and enjoy more beer, without feeling the consequences the following day. By consequences, I mean headaches, nausea, tiredness and all the other unpleasant symptoms which are a follow on from “over-indulgence”.

This is because, as we all know, that whilst beer is a pleasant, tasty, refreshing and sociable drink, if we consume too much, over a short period of time, we suffer the consequences. These normally present themselves the following morning, but again this spends on the timescales involved.

It would therefore be great if those of us who really enjoy our beer, could on occasion, indulge ourselves just that little bit extra, without feeling like death warmed up the following day.

We have to be a little careful here, as hangovers are our body’s way of telling us we’ve overdone it. After all, alcohol is a toxin, even though in moderate amounts it does provide some rather pleasant effects on our moods. So whilst the advice I’m about to share with you is useful on occasion, it should not be treated as something to adopt on a daily basis. After all, I want to assist readers in the enjoyment and appreciation of beer, rather than landing them with a drink problem - or worse.

So with that caveat in place, let’s get down to it and start looking at ways to get the most out of a day, or particular session’s drinking, without suffering the consequences the following day.

The first approach is to pace yourself. This is common sense really, and whilst it should go without saying, it’s surprising just how many of us throw caution to the wind by ignoring this basic rule; especially when we're presented with an abundance of choice and a multitude of interesting beers to tempt us. It's perhaps not much of a surprise then when we approach a session’s drinking with all the finesse of a bull in a china shop.

Fortunately, over the course of a lifetime of beer drinking, I have learned to pace myself, as a combination of too many bad heads, or feeling sufficiently rough the next morning so as to end up wasting the rest of the day, has led me to be more circumspect. So how did I fare on the recent CAMRA  bus trip to Romney Marsh, which took place a couple of Saturday's ago?

The trip involved our group visiting four different pubs, with a stop-over of between one and a half and two hours at each one. The temptation on such pub visits is to try a few of the beers on offer at each pub, and I'm fairly certain that quite a few of my companions did exactly that. There was a time  when I would have done the same, but having learned the hard way over the years, I was definitely more restrained in the amount of beer I drank that day.

So  how much beer did I consume at each of the four pubs? Well looking back at the notes I made, I imbibed one and a half pints in each pub, which may seem pretty moderate until you realise that is still equates to six pints.

However the six pints were spread over the course of a seven hour time period, and during that time I ate a substantial meal. I also made sure that I drank plenty of water, particularly whilst on the coach and journeying between the various pubs. So by following these simple rules I was able to pace myself and enjoy my beer, rather than just knocking it back. In short, had a good day without feeling like death warmed up the following morning.

Sometimes though it isn't quite that simple, and there have been occasions when I've been drinking at a much faster rate but still felt fine the next day. These occasions have primarily occurred whilst on holiday, particularly on trips to Europe where bottom-fermented beers are the order of the day.

Renowned bloggers Boak & Bailey wrote about this phenomenon a couple of months ago, following their return from a short holiday in Munich. They'd noticed how they were able to drink fairly large quantities of beer without feeling rough the following day.

As the couple wrote, "We found the beer in Munich… well, non-intoxicating". They went on to describe how one of them,  Jessica (Boak), whose normal daily limit at home is a "measly" two pints, managed a four-pint session in Munich, which included a litre of the powerful (their words),  Augustiner Edelstoff, with no ill effects.  

They asked is it because they ate more in Munich? Or did they drink more slowly? The answer to both those questions was "no"; so why were they able to tuck away significantly more beer in southern Germany than they are normally able to do, here in the UK?

The duo weren't able to answer this question, but they did wonder if there was any truth in the old chestnut about the cleanness and purity of German beer, which is brewed using bottom-fermenting yeasts at low temperatures, and traditional English ale which is produced using top-fermenting yeasts, at relatively higher temperatures.

I have noticed this effect myself on various continental trips, where I've consumed the equivalent of three pints at lunchtime (well 3 x 0.5 litres) and then four of the same during the evening. Drinking this amount at home in the UK would leave me feeling distinctly ropey the following morning, but on holiday in places like Germany or the Czech Republic, I've felt fine the next day.

Whilst writing my recent article about my first trip to Salzburg, I looked back at notes I made at the time and found that as well as three half litres at lunchtime and another four in the evening, I tucked away another beer when I returned to my hotel at the end of the evening. I didn't record feeling rough the next day either.

I was eleven years younger then, so that may go some way to explain my capacity and lack of a hangover, but whilst youth obviously plays a part, I feel that the theory put forward by Boak & Bailey, also helps explain the lack of side effects after a day spent consuming bottom-fermenting beer.

It’s all down to the so-called “higher alcohols”, which are far more prevalent when fermentation is conducted at warmer temperatures, than is the case with “cold fermentation”. These higher alcohols, which are sometimes called “fusel oils” or “congeners”, are only normally present in small amounts, but they are said to contribute to the taste and aroma of fermented products. There is also some evidence that they can increase the degree and severity of a hangover; although not all scientists agree on this.

Whatever the case, the advice should always be to drink within one’s limits, as whilst bottom fermented beers might not give you the same hangover that you’d get with the equivalent amount of English ale, the ethyl alcohol is still present and too much is definitely not good for you.

Also, by remembering to keep yourself hydrated, by drinking plenty of water in between beers, you are mitigating the dehydrating effect that alcohol has on your body, thereby helping it to cope with the abuse you are inflicting on it.

Cheers!