# Skeeter Pee Headache?



## NorCal

I'm two for two drinking a few glasses of SP and having a headache. Perhaps a coincidence, but maybe I'm sensitive to the sugar? I can easily drink the same amount of red/white wine with no problem. Love the refreshing taste, but not the resulting headache. Anyone else found the same?


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## calvin

I had the same problem when it was young. I would get really hot too. After a month or so in the bottle I didn't have anymore bad effects


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## NorCal

Hmmm interesting. I'm now 3 for 3 on headaches, so I know there is something to it. I like the taste and have been giving it away at a fast clip. I'll hold on to some bottles until the end of the summer and see if there is any improvement. 



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## NorCal

Another shot with my other labels and flavorings.




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## BernardSmith

Is it possible that SP produces more congeners than other wines you make or more fusel oils, perhaps because of the temperatures at which it is made?


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## calvin

I actually had this same problem with my first kit wine. WE strawberry white merlot. When it was young I would get hot flashes and a headache after having a glass or two. It is about 6 months old now and delicious. I am amazed at how much time has improved this wine. Especially considering it is a mist style wine, And the directions state it is ready to drink right away.


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## NorCal

Convinced. The remainder will be stored until next summer. Thank you for the the responses.


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## calvin

Next summer. That's seems extreme to me. But my oldest wine is 6 months. So I can't say too much. If I wasn't new at this hobby I would have wines aged longer. My first two kits are both down to 1 bottle each. My wine rack that is supposed to hold 126 bottles is finally overfilled. I have 5 bottles double stacked on the top and another case in a box. Uh oh. More in carboys too. Looks like a new rack is in my future.


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## vacuumpumpman

calvin said:


> Next summer. That's seems extreme to me. But my oldest wine is 6 months. So I can't say too much. If I wasn't new at this hobby I would have wines aged longer. My first two kits are both down to 1 bottle each. My wine rack that is supposed to hold 126 bottles is finally overfilled. I have 5 bottles double stacked on the top and another case in a box. Uh oh. More in carboys too. Looks like a new rack is in my future.



I know the feeling - thats why I went to synthetic corks so i can start stacking cases upon themselves.


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## Geronimo

Headaches and hot flashes are often attributed to sulfites. Usually kit wines are much lower than commercial wines... but DB could wind up sky high I suppose.


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## cooldood

Hot flashes and headaches you say?

Are you sure you are not going through manopause?


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## Arne

Any chance you got the alcohol hgher than you are used to?? Mite try just a couple of glasses instead of a few. Slow down a little when drinking it, the stuff goes down so smooth it is a little hard to keep track of how much has been chugged down. As a beer drinker, I have been here too. Arne.


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## beggarsu

NorCal said:


> Convinced. The remainder will be stored until next summer. Thank you for the the responses.




Skeeter Pee is not a Mist based on Red wine etc. It's almost a flavored Kilju. I think you waste your time to age it. I wouldn't blame the Skeeter. A year for Skeeter? Yikes! It's a waste.

You could be reacting to the sulphide so maybe aerate it plenty before drinking or folow the other advise offered to just take it easy.

Or take an aspirin with every glass lol.
Maybe you have an allergy to lemon or something - very probably you will adjust , maybe just go slower like they said. 

_lovely labels..._


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## NorCal

The headaches are not from too much alcohol or any changes of life. I had not thought of it being related to sulfides. I'm getting a vinemetric 300, so I'll measure the SO2 when I get it. I'm not sure why letting the SP sit in the bottle for a year is a waste? Maybe I'll just start another batch and really cut back on the SO2.

I just checked my notes and I added 1/2 tsp of SO2 for the 5 gallon batch, per the instructions. Normal wine processes I've seen are to add 1/4 tsp. maybe there is something to it?


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## cmason1957

For what it is worth, I never add extra k-Meta to skeeter pee or Dragon's blood before bottling and I always add it to wines I intend to age. Why? I figure it will be consumed before oxidation wil be a problem with the skeeter pee, dragons blood, there is no sense in aging that stuff. I bottle it, have people drinking it days later. It is what it is and really doesn't benefit from increased aging.


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## beggarsu

NorCal said:


> The headaches are not from too much alcohol or any changes of life. I had not thought of it being related to sulfides. I'm getting a vinemetric 300, so I'll measure the SO2 when I get it. I'm not sure why letting the SP sit in the bottle for a year is a waste? Maybe I'll just start another batch and really cut back on the SO2.
> 
> I just checked my notes and I added 1/2 tsp of SO2 for the 5 gallon batch, per the instructions. Normal wine processes I've seen are to add 1/4 tsp. maybe there is something to it?



It's a waste because it is self-denial for not reason. Kilju doesn't age very much very unlikely SP does either. Feeling guilty and wanting to punish yourself? lol.

*AHA *- twice as much sulphides there you go- try really aereating it before drinking - pouring glass to glass - air dissipates sulphides, , some of my wines I think had to much sulphide because after a day or two opened (and stoppered) in the fridge suddenly they were really mellow.

I think you found the reason. Sulphide is very powerful 1/4 a tsp for 6 gallons is a little for a lot of volume is twice as much is likely to affect.... ?


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## NorCal

beggarsu said:


> It's a waste because it is self-denial for not reason. Kilju doesn't age very much very unlikely SP does either. Feeling guilty and wanting to punish yourself? lol.



Not sure your angle. Two posters have said that after they aged it this effect goes away. I see SP as a summer drink, so not sure your problem with having it sit until next summer. No big self denial or being wasteful, just trying to salvage something I put time into.


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## richmke

Maybe you aged it in the primary too long and got some Autolyzed Yeast Extract (MSG).


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## NorCal

This may give a clue. The bottles were washed with OneStep prior to bottling and dried on the bottle rack. Super foamy when shaken. Note I had friends drink the half of the bottle, they all liked it. I had a half glass and felt the headache coming.

http://youtu.be/saYxcTWPZEk


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## vacuumpumpman

My wife is extremely allergic to sulfites - so I really try and use this formula -
http://www.eckraus.com/8-oz-potassium-metabisulfite.html

I do use a heaping tsp of meta and citric acid to sanitize


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## richmke

NorCal said:


> The bottles were washed with OneStep prior to bottling and dried on the bottle rack.



I don't think it is OneStep. I believe OneStep is Sodium Carbonate (CNa2O3) which, when combined with water, creates carbonic acid (H2CO3), hyrdoxide ion (OH-), and sodium (Na).

If you are salt sensitive, the sodium could raise your blood pressure. But, the amount would be so dilute - equivalent to a few grains of salt at the most in a bottle of wine.


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## NorCal

Another thought is that it is the Potassium Sorbate that is causing my headaches. Found this: Migraine, a common type of headache, is one of the possible adverse health effects of potassium sorbate.


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## homesteader26

I hope you figure this out because a headache from wine stinks!! I get a lot of headaches from alcohol (in various forms) but as long as it doesn't keep me from my life I weigh it against the other effects. I tried my first glass of DB last night followed by 2 more and survived the evening and this morning! I feel your pain - headaches from wine stink!!


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## NorCal

I've started another batch, although it is strugglibg to ferment in the colder temps. This time, no tannin, no sorbate. I will sweeten in the glass. Hopefully I can still get the Skeeter refreshment without the headache. I still have some from the last batch that I'll try to see if age has cured the cause of my reaction to the standard recipe.


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## NorCal

Finally got the batch to ferment, should be dry by the weekend. 

No tannin powder
No sorbate
No Sparkolloid 

I added some french oak chips, to give the skeeter some structure. The 1 gallon container is to backfill the 5 gallon Carboy when racked. I'll bottle the skeeter-lite then make a pitcher at a time and sweeten when poured.


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## wineforfun

NorCal said:


> Finally got the batch to ferment, should be dry by the weekend.
> 
> No tannin powder
> No sorbate
> No Sparkolloid
> 
> I added some french oak chips, to give the skeeter some structure. The 1 gallon container is to backfill the 5 gallon Carboy when racked. I'll bottle the skeeter-lite then make a pitcher at a time and sweeten when poured.



Is that K&K your logo? It is very cool/unique, especially with the wine bottle in between.


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## NorCal

wineforfun said:


> Is that K&K your logo? It is very cool/unique, especially with the wine bottle in between.



Thanks WFF, yea, had the logo made on a web site called Fiver for $5. It contains mine and my wife's initials; K&K


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## Arne

Like D.J. says "Cool" I like the label/logo. Good job. Arne.


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## 2020steve

NorCal what a great label. With the open rectangular space you can add date and type using one label for all your wines.
I was on this thread to get more info on Skeeter Pee and I spotted your label, nice.


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## QuiQuog

wineforfun said:


> Is that K&K your logo? It is very cool/unique, especially with the wine bottle in between.





NorCal said:


> Thanks WFF, yea, had the logo made on a web site called Fiver for $5. It contains mine and my wife's initials; K&K



Ditto on the label, it looks real nice. But that lamp is way cool! I love that thing. That's a man cave item if I ever saw one.


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## NorCal

Thanks Q, 
I repurposed a pump that I pulled out of the scrap bin. Made this one as well, in the steampunk type look. The gauge is actually a working thermometer pulled out of the bin as well.


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## wineforfun

QuiQuog said:


> Ditto on the label, it looks real nice. But that lamp is way cool! I love that thing. That's a man cave item if I ever saw one.



haha
Got so involved in the label, didn't even notice the lamp. That is awesome.


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## heatherd

I noticed that you added oak to the batch - wood can be an allergen as well. I have a friend who is allergic to oak, cedar, etc. She tends to drink pinot noir and others that are light on oak and tannins.

I find that drinking less than two bottles at a sitting helps too. 

Heather


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## NorCal

Just an update on my seconds batch. To review, the goal was to make a batch without the elements that could cause my headaches when drinking Skeeter: no tannin powder, no sorbate, no sparkolloid, minimal SO2. The fermentation struggled due to low garage temps and ended up racking into a clean carboy with 1.5 brix. I had a good size tasting at that point, an amount that would have given me a headache from my first batch and I had no headache and tasted just fine! My focus now is getting it do go dry and clear. 

I plan on just leaving it alone for a few months. Without a clearing agent and waiting only a few months, I expect to have sediment in the bottle and will need to be sweetened. I plan on sweetening and serving in pitchers with ice, so I can leave the sediment in the bottle.


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## NorCal

Inwas looking for something to do, so I thought Inwould play with the Skeeter. I vaccum transferred it 4 times and used a .5 micron filter. It cleared it up perhaps 50% and drove a lot of the CO2 out. I shared some with family members. It never finished and is about 1 brix. It was not sweet enough for some, but others liked it the way it was. The foam is a combination of sanitizer and CO2, but it all settled down.

I thought it was very clean, lemony, perhaps thin. I'm happy the way it turned out. One suggestion was to serve it with sprite, which I thought was a good suggestion.


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## NorCal

A wine making buddy made a good point. That I know I can make Skeeterpee absent of headache, but I still don't know the cause. I split the batch up to see if this will help isolate the cause.


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## NorCal

Bottled today and partook in a good sized glass of the Sorbate only (I did not back sweeten)...no headache. It still is at .5 brix, so it has enough sweetness to counter the tartness of the lemon. Actually pretty darn good.


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## NorCal

It was mid 80's here in Nor Cal and I spent the day doing hard labor. Well, it was hard for a desk worker like me anyway . I easy could have reached for a beer, but rather, I cracked open a Skeeter. Big glass, chipped ice, bar friendly pour and frankly, it was very nice and absolutely no headache.

Based on my unscientific experiment, I am comfortable at concluding that for me, my headaches were caused by the added tannin powder. I really didn't expect that result; I really thought Sorbate or Sparkalloid was the culprit. 

Thank you all for your input. I am happy that I can make a version of the Skeeter that I can drink and really enjoy!

My recipe: no tannin, rack and .5 micron vacuum filter 4X at .5brix, sorbate, sparklloid, no back sweetening. Sweeten to taste in the glass, if desired.


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## IYAOYAS

glad you are now able to partake in this wonderful beverage with us all without have headaches


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## kkentert

Someone mentioned "Mist Style" wine giving a headache when first bottle and it improved over time. I made tangerine pinot grigio years ago. A week after bottling, it was TERRIBLE! Tasted like syrup. forgot about it for at least si months and figured I'd give it another chance. The aged result ended up being very good. Maybe what others are saying could be true. Let it age a couple months and see what happens.

I will say, many wines give me headaches, and when I'm drinking liquor, the sugary things make me terribly hung over. Your body processes sugar the same way it does alcohol (They are almost identical molecularly, and my theory is when your body has to process alcohol AND sugar, you end up with headaches and hangovers. That all said, I've never tried SP (though making it soon)

Hope you can figure it out!


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