The Experiment

I suppose that I should start this whole thing off with a bit of an explanation and description of what I'm doing and why.

So, a brief history about my love and hate of alcohol (specifically beer).  Like 90% of the country, I started drinking in high school, then more so in college, and stayed the course in terms of alcohol consumption well after graduation.  I'm a relatively healthy, smart guy.  I stay in shape, eat pretty decent, and have little medical concerns.  Shit, I'm normal as hell!  I like beer.  I like the taste, the variety, the packaging even.  And of course I like the buzz.  What I don't like --- the hangover!

Yet, the thing is, I believe that as I've aged, my hangovers have gotten worse and worse from less and less beer. I never gave it much thought until a couple years ago when my girlfriend (now my wife) pointed out that not only did I look like shit the morning after a night out with the boys, I smelled like shit.  Ok, that came out wrong.  More specifically, I smelled like beer.  Like, I was sweating out the alcohol.  She could literally tell what KIND of beer I was drinking just from the odor emanating from my body.  Gross, yes.  Odd, yes.  Normal, I don't think so.  On top of looking and smelling bad.  I felt like I had been poisoned.  The hangovers were so intense that it was like every night out I was channeling Nic Cage in Leaving Las Vegas.  And they lasted ALL DAY LONG.  What the fuck was going on?  Why did my once robust physiology turn on me?  In high school, I could go to swim practice the next morning and rock out a 2hr workout without a problem.  In college, all I needed was a greasy breakfast and some episodes of Law & Order to get me back on my feet.  After graduation, it was half a day of sleeping and then maybe some pizza and pills.  Now approaching 30 years old though?  I can barely stomach 3 Coors Light without being on my ass all day Sunday.

So all this got me thinking, am I just becoming a bigger pussy with each year?  Or is there something else happening?  Why am I sweating out the beer and unable to function when all my friends just suffer the typical "drank too much" hangovers that I was familiar with?  Something was afoot.

Then one day a friend mentioned that I may have developed an allergy to beer.  That the hops or yeast or barley used by certain breweries could be poisoning my system.  They could be the case for the truly horrendous symptoms I suffered.  The more I thought about this, the more it made sense.  I could have 4 or 5 large Guinness Stouts and be ok the next morning.  But if I had 4 or 5 Bud Lights, KO!  I'm out!

And that brings me to my experiment.  I will try to weekly (maybe more, maybe less) submit myself to personal experimentation in an attempt to weed out the beers I am possibly allergic to.  There will be rules however:
1) All servings of beer will not exceed 48oz, yet will always be atleast 36oz.
2) The beer will be consumed on a moderately full stomach (post meal).
3) Beer may NOT be mixed with any other type of alcohol.
4) Beer may NOT be mixed with any other type of beer.
5) One (1) 12-16oz glass of water may be consumed at the end of the drinking session.
Following these rules, I hope to narrow down the type of beer and possibly even the ingredients that cause my unfortunate affliction.  I plan to chronicle the hangover and it's potentially lingering effects.  Additionally, I will provide a brief review of the beer itself as well as the buzz it provides.  In final summation, I'll classify whether or not I am indeed ALLERGIC TO BOOZE!