Health and Homebrew
Q: Recently I have been on a health kick. I’ve been working out, taking multivitamins, and drinking protein shakes. This brings me around to an idea I have. For muscle building you need carbohydrates and protein. I know all health experts say alcohol is bad for you, but beer has carbohydrates. What would be a good way to add protein to beer to make it a muscle beer with protein and carbs? Just an idea; so after a hard workout I can grab a homebrew and say it’s for my health.
— Adam Best • Cincinnati, Ohio
A: I am sure there are many opinions about how to answer your question. You could add all sorts of additives to a beer to make some sort of beer/protein booster drink, but the outcome would probably taste like a Frankenbrew. Personally, I suggest consuming your health kick food-stuffs as they are and not trying to blend them with beer.
The reason I chose to answer this question, however, was not to suggest ideas of how to add protein powders and carbohydrate sources to your next batch of pale ale, but to comment on what “all health experts” say. I assure you that not all experts believe alcohol is bad for you. Quite the contrary, most health experts these days believe that moderate consumption of alcohol is good for you. The television show 60 Minutes first reported on the “French Paradox” in 1991 and anecdotal evidence suggested that the consumption of wine by the French counteracted a diet known for rich dishes. Following this report the wine industry used such studies to market their products. Unfortunately many of the assertions about population data proved to be incorrect with these studies, but better research followed.
More recent data shows that alcoholic beverages, not just wine as some would like consumers to believe, do indeed have positive effects on the cardiovascular system. Some of the positive effects are credited to antioxidants, such as polyphenols found in beer and wine, and some of the effects are credited to alcohol itself.
Most informed dietary professionals now believe that consuming alcohol in moderation, not exceeding two drinks per day for most people, is part of a healthy diet. The bottom line is that your interest in diet and exercise does not mean that you cannot and should not drink beer. Epidemiological data shows that people who drink no alcohol at all have a higher incidence of cardiovascular disease compared to moderate drinkers. I encourage you to research this topic yourself. After all, I am a brewer and not a health expert. I have heard very interesting presentations at several brewing meetings given by health researchers. There is a large body of data on this subject and the data is convincing. I would say that drinking a homebrew or two at the end of the day is a good thing, and clever excuses are not required to make you feel better.
