Sounds to me much like real ale. Real ale is only water, malt, yeast and hops+ finings for clarity. But that's it! Anything else and it ceases to be 'real' ale.
Surely it's the ABV? the higher, the more likely you'll get a hangover. I love heavily hopped beers like Oakham Inferno, DS Hophead, or Whim Cascade, but these beers have NEVER given me a hangover.