■Beerisoneofthe
oldest beverages
humans have
created. It’s been
around since
around 4000 BC
and was common
across all
the ancient
civilisations
— think the
Babylonians, the
Egyptians and the
Romans. Those
people really knew
howtoparty.
Basically, when
we first started
cultivating grains,
beer followed soon
after. Different
cultures used
different grains, but
theideabehindit
wasallthesame—
adeliciousdrink
that made you feel
good.Itwastruly■The occasional
brewsky isn’t going to
hurtyou—infact,it
might even be doing
you a favour. See, it’s
not just wine that can
deliver antioxidants
that are beneficial to
you health. Beer can
provideyouwiththe
same health benefits
as wine (when
consumed in the
recommended
amounts,ofcourse).
Some studies even
suggest that the
antioxidantsinbeer
maybemoreeasily
absorbedbythebody
thanthoseinredwine.
Researchhas
alsofoundthat
a moderate intake of
alcohol (onetotwo
standarddrinksaday)
canreduceyourriskof
developing a whole
bunchofdiseases.
A study from Emory
University in the US
found that elderly
people who consumed
atleast1.5drinksdaily
haduptoa50%lesser
riskofsufferingfrom
heartfailure.Partyon,
Grandma.
So enjoy a beer or two
safe in the knowledge
thatyou’redoing
something positive for
yourhealth.Justdon’t
get carried away and
slam the whole carton.
Unless we’re invited
along to join you.Beer BasicsAle vs lager
Ales are fermented using “top-fermenting yeast” (it
floats to the beer’s surface for the first couple of days
and then settles at the bottom), at 15° to 25°. Lagers are
fermented using “bottom-fermenting yeast” (settles
at the bottom), at lower temps of 5° to 14°. Ales are
generally sweeter and tastier, while lagers are crisper
and smoother. Ale has been around for thousands of
years, while lager is the new kid on the beer block.Types of ales
The best known types of ales include dark ales such as
Porter and Stout (probably the best known stout would be
Guinness), as well as pale ales such as Bitter and India
Pale Ale. Other ales include Wheat Beer (pale and highly
carbonated), Belgian Ale (sweeter,slightly darker and
often in excess of 8% alcohol content) and Irish Ale (red in
colour, sweet and malty in flavour). Serve your ale at
around 10 ° to 14 °.A(very)briefhistoryofbeer
Beer and
your healtharevelation.
For example,
apparently
the ancient
Sumarians (who
livedinanarea
that’s now Iraq)
called beer a
“DivineDrink”and
offered it to their
gods.Wecan’t
really blame them.
Evenmonksinthe
Middle Ages were
fans of the stuff
— monasteries
were some of the
biggest brewers
at this time.
Over the
centuries methods
were refined,
quality improved
and new
technologies
allowed for mass
brewing that could
be safely stored,transported and
distributed to a
thirsty public.
To this day, beer
remains one of
the world’s most
popular drinks.
The biggest beer
drinkers in the
world? The Czech
Republic (142.6
litres per capita
per year), followed
by the Seychelles
(114.6 litres) and
Austria (104.8
litres).
Here in Australia,
beer first arrived
with European
settlement, and
today the average
Aussie drinks
around 74 litres a
year of the golden
nectar, putting us
well into the top 20.
Cheers!QUITE A BITE
The world’s strongest
beer is Brewmeister’s
Snake Venom from
Scotland. It’s 67.5%
alcohol (the average
lager or pale ale is
around 4% to 6%).YOUR NEXT CHALLENGE
The winner of the
Wife Carrying World
Championship wins their
wife’s weight in beer.
Time to start training for
the next comp, to be held
in Finland in July.NOT BAA-AAD
The Ancient Vikings
believed that in their
heaven — called
“Valhalla” — there was a
giant goat whose udders
produced an endless
supply of beer.Did you know...Types of lagers
Lagers can range from sweet to bitter and pale to black.
But most are pale to medium in colour, are highly
carbonated and have a medium to strong “hoppy”
flavour. Some of the best known lager styles are Pilsner,
Bock, American Pale and Vienna. Australian Bitter (think
Victoria Bitter, for instance) is a lager, while English
Bitter is an ale. Serve your lager cold, at around 4 ° to 7 °.98 MEN’S FITNESS APRIL 2017