| Unintended Consequences The beer industry is already using aluminum beer bottles and the demand is increasing. These bottles are popular since they get colder faster, stay colder longer, are lighter, recyclable and unbreakable. Major brands like Budweiser, Bud Light, Michelob, Iron City and others already come in aluminum bottles. However, these bottles are not twist-off. As such, there has been a sharp increase in the demand for metal bottle openers, the "church key" of old. Indeed, the increase has been so sudden that the bottle opener industry is experiencing a temporary shortage. Anti-Hangover Beer For beer lovers, it sounds too good to be true: vitamin-enhanced beer that not only increases your nutrient intake but also eases hangovers. A Texas beer company says it has created a brew that fits the bill. Fred Matt, one of the brewers, says the beer, Stampede Plus, hinted that vitamin B might be one of the key ingredients. "Essentially when you drink your alcohol, you are depleting vitamin B and what we're doing is putting vitamin B into the beer, and so you wake up the next morning and you feel a lot better," he said. |
Farewell Creator of Light Beer
When he died Feb. 16 of a heart attack at age 86, obituaries recounted Joseph Owades'
creation of light beer, "for better or worse," as The Washington Post put it. Owades was a
biochemist by education and a beer man through and through. In the 1950s, when he went
to work at Rheingold Breweries in Brooklyn, American beermakers were working to expand
their market by making beer less, not more, demanding.
Abstainers told Owades repeatedly they didn't drink beer because they didn't want to get
fat. Owades solved the problem by discovering an enzyme that breaks down starch so the
yeast that creates alcohol in fermentation can eat it. Less starch, fewer calories.
But his creation, called Gablinger's Diet Beer, had zero market appeal and Rheingold stopped
making it. Owades offered his enzyme process to a fellow brewing chemist at Meister Brau
in Chicago. When Miller Brewing Co. bought out Meister Brau, the light beer method came
with it. In one of the marketing coups of the past century, Miller used big-name jocks to
sell the beer to men as well as to diet-conscious women.
In 1975, the year Miller rolled out Lite, Owades became a beer consultant. He helped
Anchor and Sierra Nevada Brewing Company get started. Jim Koch, founder of Boston
Brewing Co., says Owades developed the recipe for Samuel Adams Boston Lager. So
Owades is one of the fathers of the microbrewing revolution.
When he died Feb. 16 of a heart attack at age 86, obituaries recounted Joseph Owades'
creation of light beer, "for better or worse," as The Washington Post put it. Owades was a
biochemist by education and a beer man through and through. In the 1950s, when he went
to work at Rheingold Breweries in Brooklyn, American beermakers were working to expand
their market by making beer less, not more, demanding.
Abstainers told Owades repeatedly they didn't drink beer because they didn't want to get
fat. Owades solved the problem by discovering an enzyme that breaks down starch so the
yeast that creates alcohol in fermentation can eat it. Less starch, fewer calories.
But his creation, called Gablinger's Diet Beer, had zero market appeal and Rheingold stopped
making it. Owades offered his enzyme process to a fellow brewing chemist at Meister Brau
in Chicago. When Miller Brewing Co. bought out Meister Brau, the light beer method came
with it. In one of the marketing coups of the past century, Miller used big-name jocks to
sell the beer to men as well as to diet-conscious women.
In 1975, the year Miller rolled out Lite, Owades became a beer consultant. He helped
Anchor and Sierra Nevada Brewing Company get started. Jim Koch, founder of Boston
Brewing Co., says Owades developed the recipe for Samuel Adams Boston Lager. So
Owades is one of the fathers of the microbrewing revolution.
Feature News from beernexus.com
Beer Really Is Good For You.
Bone protection. According to a medical team at
Tufts University in Boston, beer may help prevent
bone-thinning osteoporosis. Dietary silicon in grain
products such as beer appears to reduce bone loss
and promote bone formation. Beer contains silicate,
a highly absorbable form of silicon that works by
facilitating the deposit of calcium and other minerals
in bone tissue.
Lower risk for cardiovascular disease. Like wine,
beer has well-documented heart-healthy benefits.
Regular moderate drinking has a protective effect in
both men and women against cardiovascular
disease, confirms Meir J. Stampfer, MD, chair of the
department of epidemiology at the Harvard School of
Public Health. "Wine is not better than beer, red wine
is not better than white and spirits in moderation are
also associated with lower risk."
Better heart attack survival. A study at Beth Israel
Deaconess Medical Center in Boston noted that
moderate drinkers (who consumed more than seven
alcoholic beverages a week) had a 32% lower risk of
dying from a heart attack than those who drank no
alcohol. Light drinkers (less than seven drinks
weekly) had a 21% lower risk. Like other alcohol,
beer acts as a blood thinner to help prevent clogged
arteries. Other research links moderate alcohol
consumption with improved blood circulation in the
brain and lower risk for stroke.
Improved cholesterol levels. Studies show that
people who consumed one to three drinks daily had
higher levels of HDL, the "good" cholesterol. Also,
regular intake of alcohol resultes in lower blood
insulin levels. women who drank one alcoholic
beverage daily lowered their LDL ("bad") cholesterol
and levels of harmful blood lipids known as
triglycerides.
Healthier kidneys. Harvard Medical School,
examined data from 11,023 men enrolled in the
long-term Physicians' Health Study. Researchers
found that men who consumed seven or more drinks
a week experienced a 29% lower risk of developing
kidney problems.
Bone protection. According to a medical team at
Tufts University in Boston, beer may help prevent
bone-thinning osteoporosis. Dietary silicon in grain
products such as beer appears to reduce bone loss
and promote bone formation. Beer contains silicate,
a highly absorbable form of silicon that works by
facilitating the deposit of calcium and other minerals
in bone tissue.
Lower risk for cardiovascular disease. Like wine,
beer has well-documented heart-healthy benefits.
Regular moderate drinking has a protective effect in
both men and women against cardiovascular
disease, confirms Meir J. Stampfer, MD, chair of the
department of epidemiology at the Harvard School of
Public Health. "Wine is not better than beer, red wine
is not better than white and spirits in moderation are
also associated with lower risk."
Better heart attack survival. A study at Beth Israel
Deaconess Medical Center in Boston noted that
moderate drinkers (who consumed more than seven
alcoholic beverages a week) had a 32% lower risk of
dying from a heart attack than those who drank no
alcohol. Light drinkers (less than seven drinks
weekly) had a 21% lower risk. Like other alcohol,
beer acts as a blood thinner to help prevent clogged
arteries. Other research links moderate alcohol
consumption with improved blood circulation in the
brain and lower risk for stroke.
Improved cholesterol levels. Studies show that
people who consumed one to three drinks daily had
higher levels of HDL, the "good" cholesterol. Also,
regular intake of alcohol resultes in lower blood
insulin levels. women who drank one alcoholic
beverage daily lowered their LDL ("bad") cholesterol
and levels of harmful blood lipids known as
triglycerides.
Healthier kidneys. Harvard Medical School,
examined data from 11,023 men enrolled in the
long-term Physicians' Health Study. Researchers
found that men who consumed seven or more drinks
a week experienced a 29% lower risk of developing
kidney problems.
 |
| |
 |