Does Beer and Wine Mix? (Or Will It Make You Sick)

With so many bars and restaurants offering vast menus of high-quality wines and beers these days, it can be tempting to skip around the menu, trying lots of different varieties. You may even be at home sipping a beer while you make spaghetti, but then find yourself craving a glass of red wine during dinner. 

Despite many common warnings that advise against mixing beer and wine, there’s nothing about mixing these liquids that will make you any sicker than drinking one or the other all on its own. As with all things, moderation is key.

Still, you’ve probably had people shake their finger at you when you mix different types of drinks. Surely these sayings must come from somewhere, right? And is there a “best” order to drink beer and wine? Read on to find out more about wine and beer’s complicated relationship, and why you can just relax and have a glass of beer with your wine.

Can you drink beer and wine together?

If you find yourself standing at the bar considering switching from beer to wine or wine to beer, you may have any number of rhyming warnings running through your head. 

Relax! There’s no hard science that says always drinking beer before wine or wine before beer is particularly great or terrible for your well-being. It’s perfectly fine to have a beer and then have a glass of wine, or vice versa.

Most of the reasoning behind these sayings comes from people who have had a bad experience with one or both beverages. Once you reach a certain point, the order in which you drink doesn’t matter. If you have too many, you will almost definitely feel sick – if not that night then when you wake up the next morning. Always drink responsibly.

What is the beer after wine saying

Most people have heard any number of old wives ’ tales about how to drink– or more importantly, how not to drink. When it comes to wine and beer, the most popular saying goes:

“Beer before wine and you’ll feel fine. Wine before beer and you’ll feel weird.”

Curiously, there’s also a popular saying advising about mixing beer with liquor. That saying says: “Liquor before beer, you’re in the clear. Beer before liquor makes you sicker.” Neither of these sayings holds a whole lot of water scientifically. That said, they do come from somewhere.

Read on to find out more about why these sayings have persisted.

Is it better to drink beer before wine or wine before beer?

Let’s break down the two parts of this saying to determine if either of them are true. Though science doesn’t necessarily indicate that these warnings are worth following, read on to find out some theories on why they may be popular sayings.

Beer before wine and you’ll feel fine, is it true?

There must be a reason that this part of the saying exists, right? Starting with beer before moving to wine feels right to many people. 

One potential explanation of this is that beer almost always has a lower ABV than wine. By starting with beer, you’re less likely to misjudge the amount you drink over time. By the time you’re drinking the harder stuff (i.e. wine), you’ll already have a small buzz going, and may decide to quit after just a glass or two. 

Wine before beer and you’ll feel weird, is it true?

The second part of the saying seems to imply some sort of magic reversal on the above. Though having a glass of wine after a glass of beer is not a guaranteed way to make you feel bad, it potentially has its roots in science.

Since wine has a higher ABV than beer, drinking the same volume will include more alcohol than beer would. Because your judgment is impaired, you’re more likely to enjoy the beer faster. This can mean going past your limit faster, but can also mean simply feeling bloated from chugging all of that carbonation.

Will mixing beer and wine make you sick?

Despite the many sayings and warnings you may have heard from older, wiser relatives, the act of drinking beer and wine in the same night won’t in and of itself make feel bad.

These warnings most likely come from folks who have a bad experience when mixing drinks.

Because some say carbonated beverages make you absorb alcohol faster, drinking beer along with wine can make you feel buzzed faster. For some, this may mean going home earlier. Others may find themselves underestimating how buzzed they are since the bubbles in beer or Champagne cause a different feeling.

Will mixing beer and wine give you an upset stomach?

If you have a glass of wine and a glass of beer, you aren’t any more likely to have an upset stomach than if you’d just stuck to one or the other. There’s nothing about mixing the two liquids that will combine magically in your stomach.

Drinking any alcoholic beverage can lead to diarrhea. This is because alcohol speeds up the rate your colon squeezes, causing it to absorb less water which results in more water in your stool.

According to Healthline, wine is particularly likely to irritate your digestive system by temporarily suppressing helpful digestive bacteria. This imbalance will usually right itself after you’ve stopped drinking.

Will mixing beer and wine give you a hangover?

Mixing beer and wine won’t in and of itself give you a hangover. Having one glass of beer and one glass of wine probably won’t leave you with a splitting headache in the morning.

Studies do show, however, that wine is liable to result in the worst hangovers. This is especially true of red wine and is the result of a byproduct of fermentation called congeners.

That said, if you drink enough beer, or any other alcoholic beverage, you’ll be at risk for a painful hangover the next day, so always drink responsibly. 

What is a wine and beer mix called?

Most of us are familiar with the differences between wine and beer. Beer is made with malts, grains, and hops, whereas wine is made with grapes. 

Brewers, winemakers, and other adventurous drinkers have been mixing wine and beer ingredients together for thousands of years. 

Archaeologists in the late 1990’s uncovered bronze vats that contained residue from a substance made of barley, grapes, and honey. This prompted Dogfish Head Brewery to create their popular beer-wine hybrid, Midas Touch, in 1999.

Beer-wine hybrids are usually made by combining wine grapes with beer mash and fermenting them together. Sometimes, they are even fermented in wine barrels to add to the wine taste. The resulting beverage may have the body of beer, with the flavor of whatever wine grapes were used.

What about wine and beer cocktails?

Beer is good, wine is good, why does it seem so weird to mix them together? It’s true, cocktails that involve mixing wine and beer are fairly uncommon, though wine and beer cocktails do exist.

One of the simplest of these is the Black Velvet.

According to Spruce Eats, making a Black Velvet is as simple as mixing equal parts Champagne and Stout beer. You can use any sparkling wine for this drink, though Champagne is most traditional. It’s said that the drink was invented in London in 1862 after the death of Prince Albert because, “even the Champagne should be in mourning.”