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Juice versus Kits?

A recent headline above Dr. W. Gifford-Jones’ syndicated column proclaims that "A pint of beer daily can be part of a weight loss plan". This is the latest of many articles that discuss the health benefits of moderate alcohol consumption, but it is the first one that I have seen that says that beer can actually help you lose weight. The article is pinned on the bulletin board here at the store for those interested in reading it.

Beer Is Good For You !!

Two news items extracted from the WWW show that there can be health benefits hidden in your beer bottle.

Several recent studies have shown that red wine--consumed in moderation, of course--can be a health tonic for your heart. Now Dutch scientists say beer may also help keep hearts healthy. How? Vitamin B6, found in beer, helps prevents the build-up of homocysteine, a chemical linked to an increase in the risk of heart disease. Researchers studied 111 healthy men who each drank beer, red wine, spirits, or water with their dinner for three weeks. The researchers discovered that homocysteine levels did not increase after beer consumption but did rise after the men drank wine and spirits. The reason - beer drinkers had a 30 percent increase in beneficial vitamin B6 in their blood plasma.

In another study, researchers have discovered that beer contains a powerful anti-oxidant more potent than those found in red wine, soy, or even green tea. The beneficial compound, called xanthohumol, comes from the hops used in the brewing process. Unfortunately, you would need to drink gallons of beer daily for the maximum health benefit. The pragmatic result of the research is likely to be a capsule that contains the compound rather than six-packs on the vitamin aisle.

What Are Those Green Pellets?

Most beer drinkers know that hops are used in the brewing process, but many ask us – What are hops and why are they in my beer?

Beer brewed without flavouring ingredients is sweet and bland. People have been brewing beer for thousands of years, and over the millennia have tried many flavouring agents. Spices, herbs, and fruits were commonly used, and can still be found in some specialty beers. Hops were one of the ingredients used, and about 500 years ago they became the most common additive because the tannin they contain also helped preserve the beer in the days before refrigeration.

The hop is a vine that produces flowers like small, soft pinecones. It is this flower that is used for brewing. There are many varieties of hop – we stock 11 – grown in brewing countries around the world. In North America, most are grown on the west coast of the USA (Oregon is a major source) because of the favourable climate.

Hops are used in beer for bitterness, flavour, and aroma. Hops put into the brew kettle early in the process are called bittering hops, and the long boil extracts a high percentage of the resin from the flower. Bitterness is measured in units called IBU’s, and the IBU rating is one of the main characteristics of each beer style. The majority of Brew Kettle formulae have IBU ratings between 10 and 25, but we go as high as 72 on our partial mash American Pale Ale. (There is a commercial brew in the US, the very bitter Alimony Ale, that weighs in at 100!)

Hops put into the kettle near the end of the boil are called aromatic or finishing hops, and they provide the aroma and aftertaste. Hops are sometimes even added to beer after fermentation, a process called “dry hopping”, so that none of the volatile aromatic oils are boiled off.