Is There Such a Thing as a
Healthy Beer? BY JASON LIEBLER
N
o question, America has a love affair with beer. For a long time, the relationship has been with the macro-breweries — you know, the ones whose names you immediately recognize — those that produce beers such as Budweiser and Coors Light. Even today, Anheuser-Busch (with more than 100 different brands) is king with 46 percent of the market share. Add in the rest of the fab-five — MillerCoors, Heineken, Constellation Brands (maker of Corona and Modelo) and Pabst Brewing — and these big businesses control more than 75 percent of the beer market. But America has a couple of other love affairs. For one, there are some — from millennials to baby boomers — who enjoy the burgeoning landscape of microbrewers and all the delectable and dynamic potent potables they offer. The other is health. There are CrossFit enthusiasts, goat yogis, micro-nutrient counters, juicers and those of us who are just health conscious and enjoy the social, almost speakeasy style of breweries, but would rather not drink two IPAs at 8 percent alcohol by volume (known as ABVs) and 250 calories each. To burn those off, that’s probably about a five-mile run in addition to a regular workout. So how to reconcile the two? How does the group of healthconscious people enjoy more than one six-ounce pour from a brewery without feeling as if they have to sacrifice their personal goals?
Never fear, dear, sweet reader, for I have shouldered the burden of traveling from brewery to brewery, sampling away and asking experts and beer drinkers:
What is a “healthy” beer? The results were wide spread. Though a majority of patrons suggested the norm of low-calorie, low-alcohol beers — such as American light lagers Bud Light and Michelob Ultra — these beers don’t really exist in the brewery world. Therefore, I have compiled a small list of beers that may fit the mold of “healthy”.
Caveat: When we’re talking about “healthy” beer, we’re not saying
any amount of alcohol is safe. As reported by The New York Times, a study published in the journal Lancet concluded that daily alcohol consumption increased (albeit slightly) the risk of health problems. Whether or not there is a “healthy” amount of alcoholic beverages that can be consumed each day is still up for debate. It would seem that it is not the alcohol that is healthy, but the amount of alcohol per drink as well as ingredients mixed in that can be described as comparatively healthy. Indeed, the consumption of alcohol increases the risk for chronic disorders as well as impaired driving. Please know the limits and drink responsibly.
That said, on to the beers! THEHEALTHJOURNAL.ORG
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