“The only foolproof way to avoid a hangover is to avoid drinking.”
I’m not even going bother to attribute this unrealistic advice to its source. Instead I’m going to share my friend Stevie O’s tasting notes on THREE beers he sampled recently:
Dude, I had TSINGTAO lager from China, SINGHA from Thailand and COBRA from India on the weekend.
- TSINGTAO is full of flavour and a bit nutty. Real easy to drink and cuts through the grim of everyday life.
- COBRA is a smooth affair and great with spicy food (tried with Mexican and worked really well).
- The star of the show was the SINGHA from Thailand. Epic refreshing quality; the head is thick and sticks to the glass. Really mature; crisp taste with a herb-like dance on the tongue to finish. Hats off to SINGHA. GOOD STUFF.
I’m impressed with Stevie’s commitment to trying new beers. Some people, like my dad, gravitate to the same beer over and over. These people are boring. Stevie, on the other hand, is exploring exotic realms. I get the sense he needs a warm vacation. Right now it’s about 9°C in his homeland Wales, with rain in the near future—the very sort of fur-wetting weather we get subjected to here at LB HQ in Vancouver, BC. Perhaps Stevie’s foray into Asian beer hints of a need to get off his wet island. I know the feeling.
If you’ve been following me you know that this week has been devoted to tasting three beers. Unlike the non-stop party Stevie obviously had with his three beers, however, my tasting was a painfully rationed-out affair that stretched over the entire week. I wasn’t able to get properly drunk like Stevie O, who is apparently living my desired lifestyle.
But do I have a hangover? How could I, people? And I doubt Stevie had one either. Here’s why:
- Good alcohol choice. Stevie stuck with one type of drink—beer, so his body didn’t have to shift gears and work harder to process different types of alcohol. Beer has the lowest percentage of alcohol too, although its carbonation can speed up alcohol absorption.
- Food. Stevie paired his beer with Mexican food, which probably soaked up some alcohol, thereby slowing its effects. Hardcore alcoholics like yours truly don’t generally go in for food, but if you haven’t quite disappeared down the rabbit hole yet, you might want to try eating when you drink.
- Pacing. Stevie obviously took the time to fully taste his beer. This is a great idea! I love getting loaded, but it’s important to enjoy the journey to oblivion.
So what if you’re less like Stevie O and more like these people? 
How should you avert a hangover?
- Water—do NOT go to sleep without slamming back a couple of big glasses.
- Aspirin—take two preemptively with that water.
- Vitamins—C and B, since you’re getting into the pills.
- Sleep—duh!
- Breakfast—OMG, now this is really getting silly. I can’t think of anything less appealing than throwing food into the mix after a big bender. But supposedly eggs, juice and bananas can help because they contain cysteine, fructose and potassium respectively.
Spending half the night in jail never helps either.
The worst hangover symptoms are caused by methanol, an alcohol congener and the principal culprit in darker drinks such as red wine and bourbon. Methanol is metabolized by alcohol dehyrogenase—but so is ethanol. In fact, your body favors ethanol as a substrate, so by feeding yourself some nice clear booze, you generate a processing uptick. Arguably you simply delay the inevitable hangover, but in an oh-so-pleasant way.
Liquorstore Bear 