Beer & Whiskey Bros. had a great article entitled “Beyond TODAY: Why Craft Beer is Better for You Than Milk,” which features some interesting information about craft beer. The brothers interviewed Clyde Soles– an author, freelance writer, consultant and photographer. He shared some of his wisdom about craft beer with the Beer & Whiskey Bros.
The article features an excerpt from Soles’ book, Climbing: Training for Peak Performance (2nd edition), that takes a look at the health benefits of craft beer as opposed to mass distributed beers.
“Mass-produced ‘beer’ that nutritionists and aficionados revile is made with rice, corn, coloring, flavorings, and enzymes. This insipid drink is the equivalent of white bread—bland and lacking most of the good nutrition. A 12-ounce can contains about 1 gram protein, 25 mg sodium, and only a trace of potassium or B vitamins.
But a finely crafted beer is only made with barley, wheat, hops, and water. This is akin to good whole-grain bread, better tasting and better for you. A good microbrew contains about 2.2 grams protein, 75 mg sodium, 195 mg potassium, and 5 to 15 percent of the DRI for riboflavin, niacin, folic acid, and vitamin B-6. Plus the high hops content contains nine flavonoids that you won’t find in sport drinks. Even better, if you can find them, are cask-conditioned ales, which are unfiltered and naturally carbonated; rather like fine artisan bread pulled fresh from the oven.
Beer contains zero fat and zero cholesterol; moderate consumption may even raise your level of HDL (the good cholesterol). The typical 12-ounce serving of light beer has about 100 calories; a normal beer is around 150 calories; stouts run around 225 calories; and a triple bock or barley wine is upwards of 330 calories. Although two-thirds of the carbohydrates in a beer come from alcohol, which does not convert to glycogen, you still get about 12 grams of restorative carbs per bottle.”
If you’re contemplating drinking that craft beer tonight, here is another reason to do so. Cheers!
Head Over Beers 