Congeners in alcohol - a headache and a hangover

What is a congener and why does it result in a hangover inducing headache after drinking alcohol? You know the type of sharp, painful head pains that we can sometimes get the morning after. We can define a congener as an chemical impurity that occurs as a result of the fermentation process of beer, wine and spirits.

So why do the breweries, distilleries and wineries add these impurities if they make your head hurt so much? In fact, they don't actually intend to add these toxic byproducts of the fermentation process. They are aware that it happens but preventing the production of congeners during fermentation is a more costly process.



In fact, less of these impurities are produced within a more controlled fermentation environment which is more costly to the producer. We can therefore assume that a better quality, more expensive alcoholic beverage would contain less congeners than a less expensive one.

Having said this, certain types of alcoholic drink are more likely to give you that next day congener bad head, regardless of how much they cost.

Vodka, Gin, light coloured beer, good white wine, good Scotch

Drinks containing more congeners are:

Brandy, Rum, Bourbon, red wine, low quality Scotch

To learn to make award winning beer at home that won't leave you hungover, click here.



To read more about how to avoid getting hungover, read our hot alcohol hangover tips and tricks, and never get a congeners headache

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