Beer, it does a body good

Each year more and more studies are being done on the health benefits of beer. While red wine drinkers have been bragging for some time about the benefits of their choice of alcohol, it now seems that beer drinkers will finally get their turn in the spotlight. It is now proven that moderate alcohol consumption is good for heart health, no matter whether you drink beer or wine.

The good news is that moderately consuming alcohol is beneficial for your heart. Moderate drinkers lessen their risk of heart attacks and heart disease, compared to people who don’t drink at all or those who are heavy drinkers. For equal amounts of alcohol, beer has double the antioxidants of white wine, and the antioxidants may be able to be absorbed by the body quicker than those of red wine. Beer contains neither fat nor cholesterol.

Moderate consumption of alcohol is defined as two drinks a day for men and one drink each day for women. Moderate drinkers lowered their risk of heart disease by from between thirty and sixty percent even those who were considered high risk because of a previous heart attack, heart disease, or diabetes. In other studies, beer helped people build bone mass. This is thought to be because of beer’s silicon content.

Beer contains large amounts of antioxidants which prevent cell damage that leads to certain cancers and heart disease. The antioxidants come from the hops and malt used in beer brewing. Other antioxidants, known as polyphenols, which are also found in vegetables, fruits, black and green teas, and wine, are present in beer as well.

In another study that lasted for twelve years, both light and moderate use of beer lowered the risk of diabetes by thirty-six percent. Consuming beer at moderate levels is connected to a reduction in insulin resistance.

In addition, moderate beer consumption is connected to an improvement in memory and thinking abilities. It is hoped that this improvement can help protect people from ischemic stroke, which is responsible for eighty-percent of all stoke cases. It is also possible that the same levels of moderate drinking can help protect us from Alzheimer’s disease and other causes of dementia.

One study conducted at the University of Wisconsin found that these benefits associated with moderate beer consumption, were more present in dark beers than light beers. Guinness stout, for example, has very high levels of flavonoids. These flavonoids were also present in a number of fruits and vegetables but not as much in lighter beers. Guinness stout lowered bad cholesterol levels, and was twice as effective as Heineken, a lighter beer in lowering substances connected to clogged arteries.

While many people have believed for years that beer was as effective as wine in its many health benefits, now these theories are being proven by scientific fact. But while these benefits are tied to moderate consumption of alcohol, they are not tied to over consumption. That means that drinking twice as much is not twice as good for you.

Related articles

• New report labels the beer belly ‘a myth’ (thedrinksbusiness.com)

 

Red Robin serves up an Oktoberfest beer milkshake

When thoughts turn to a cold frosty one, most think of a beer, but to Donna Ruch, master mixologist at the Red Robin Gourmet Burgers restaurant chain it could mean a beer spiked milkshake. The new concoction was launched this week to commemorate Oktoberfest along with several other items themed for the yearly German festival that celebrates everything beer.

In a story on the Fox News website, Ruch says, “Nothing says Oktoberfest better than a beer, so I incorporated the fun spirit of Red Robin into this innovative milkshake.” The milkshake is a mixture of Samuel Adams Octoberfest beer, vanilla ice cream, vanilla syrup, and caramel sauce.

Other Oktoberfest-themed dishes from the chain include pretzel bites with beer cheese and beer mustard and an Oktoberfest Burger served on a pretzel bun with beer mustard, Swiss cheese, onions, ham, and lettuce.

But, Red Robin’s shake is not the only foray beer has made into ice cream. In 2006 ice cream wizards Ben and Jerry’s introduced a flavor named Black & Tan and based on the beer drink of the same name. The flavor combined non-alcoholic cream stout, swirled with chocolate ice cream, and topped with a foamy stout ice cream head. The flavor was pulled after it was discovered Irish-Americans found the name offensive because it was shared by a group of British ex-servicemen renowned for their brutality during the Irish War of Independence.

Another Ben & Jerry’s flavor, Duff & D’oh!Nuts was produced only for the premier of The Simpsons Movie in 2007. The flavor combined chocolate and cream stout ice cream with chunks of glazed chocolate donuts. It was only available at the premiere on the movie in Springfield, Vt., and in Scoop Shops the night before the DVD release.

Another restaurant chain that serves beer spiked milkshakes is TGI Friday’s. The sweet beer shake uses vanilla ice cream, Guinness Stout, chocolate syrup, and chocolate shavings in its recipe. And movie theater chain Alamo Drafthouse offers a Pecan Porter milkshake that sends some movie patrons to heaven.

Related articles

• Now Blending in L.A.: Wine Milkshakes! (laist.com)
• Spike Your Sweets: Beer Ice Cream Floats (brit.co)
• Red Robin (Yum) now offering milkshakes made with Sam Adams Octoberfest (Yum?) [Interesting] (fark.com)

 

Atlanta’s The Fred speakeasy a hidden gem

During Prohibition, speakeasies were relatively common; hidden from the sight of the authorities, they provided the average Joe and the upper crust with a place to get a stiff drink during a time when stiff drinks were, well, prohibited. Over the past few years, the idea of exclusive clubs has had a bit of a renaissance. In cities all around the world, there are clubs were only those who know how to get in are allowed to enter.

In Atlanta, that is the idea around the enigmatically named, The Fred. technically part of the Taco Mac chain, The Fred is far from a sports beer and wing bar. Instead it is a lavishly appointed man cave reminiscent of the most opulent New York steakhouses. One can almost imagine that many high-powered deals were brokered in one of the hideout’s plush booths.

To gain access to The Fred, one must first know where it is. While it is not exactly a secret – a search of the Internet will provide its location – it is in a rather non-descript and obscure location. Upon finding the door emblazoned with a stylized logo and complete with a peephole, a potential guest must press a red button to request entry. The door remains locked from the inside otherwise. The bartender will come to the door and request your admission credentials (a valid Brewniversity card from Taco Mac with at least 13 entries) and show you inside.

If you come during daylight hours, plan to stand for a second to let your eyes adjust. The light levels in The Fred are low and intimate and the colors are dark and rich. On either side of the space are comfortable booths complete with plush cushions and pillows and a curtain that can be pulled for privacy. Further back the bar is surrounded by a curved, dark wood ceiling. The feeling is cozy, comfy, relaxed, and sexy.

Behind the bar is an assortment of taps. By Taco Mac standards, there are only a few taps, but what they have is generally good. Some of the selections on during our visit included 21st Ammendment Hop Crisis, Abita Satsuma Wit, and the ever-present Guinness. If you prefer bottles, The Fred has an interesting list to peruse via iPads that also contain the food menu.

Other articles on The Fred wax rhapsodic about their burger – a Kobe beef cheeseburger topped with fried mac ‘n cheese. We did not go that route, though. Instead we ordered the Guinness Cheese Dip, served with soft pretzel pieces. When the dip arrived it was attractively plated on a long wooden board, the pretzels were cut into bite-sized pieces and toasted for a wonderful texture and crunch. The dip was rich with Guinness beer and packed a bit of a spicy kick that we really enjoyed.

Though we only stayed for a one beer and the dip. Our visit was extremely enjoyable. If you have the means and would like to try an upscale and exclusive-feeling spot, definitely give The Fred a try. But, keep in mind their slogan, “If you know, you know.”

 

Surprisingly refreshing beer cocktails

This is a black and tan made with Guinness (draught nitro can) and Bass Ale (bottled). (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Though beer cocktails have been around for a long time, new combinations and flavors are becoming all the rage in the cocktail-drinking world. Sure, you can still find your typical Black & Tan made with a combination of a stout and a lighter ale (Guinness and Bass Ale work spectacularly), the Snake Bite made with stout and hard cider (Guinness and Strongbow), or the Black Velvet made of stout and Champaign (Guinness and Perrier-Jouët is expensive, but oh so worth it). But, in the new age of craft beer, there are many more tasty combinations to try, some of them twists on old favorites.

One particularly refreshing beer cocktail is the shandy. A shandy is a British concoction of equal parts beer and lemonade. At the Heavy Seas Alehouse in Baltimore bartenders mix together Heavy Seas Classic Lager, homemade pomegranate lemonade, a sprig of fresh rosemary to create the Sea Shandy. Other variations of this summer refresher include the blueberry infused Blue Brew Shandy and the watermelon flavored Lemon Melon Lager.

One would not expect it, but the Germans enjoy mixing their beers with other ingredients to create unusual and refreshing flavors. One such mixture is the Diesel; half lager and half cola. Served very cold this cocktail is remarkably refreshing and the cola sweetness and fizz adds a welcome kick.  This drink is also very popular in Japan.

In New York City, Dutch restaurant and bar Vandaag creates the CB3 Sour from Rodenbach sour cherry ale, rye whiskey, lemon juice, orange juice and housemade grenadine. This variation on the whisky sour is a hit and has regulars returning again and again.

More and more bartenders are discovering the pleasures and versatility of using beer as a cocktail ingredient. As the trend continues consumers come out the winner with greater variety and new exciting drinks to imbibe.

 

Irish Brew 101

Without a doubt the most famous brew to come out of Ireland is Guinness Draught. In fact, the brew is almost synonymous with St. Patrick’s Day in the United States and at some watering holes it is responsible for 50% of the beer sales on the St. Paddy’s Day. Guinness is also one of the most misunderstood beers on the market with many misconceptions surrounding it. Today I am going to try to dispel some of those myths and present you with a bit of history about this favored brew and a few other Irish delights.

Guinness began life as a porter beer that originated in London in the early 18th century not as a stout. Porters were a precursor beer to stouts and were brewed to try and replicate a blended beer drink known as “Entire.” Porters were relatively low in alcohol and mild in flavor. The designation stout generally meant that the beer was stronger than a regular porter therefore it was a “stout porter.” Eventually, as the beer grew in popularity, stout came to describe brew’s color and body, the word porter was dropped from the name and stouts became a recognized style of their own.

Arthur Guinness began brewing beers in 1759 when he signed a 9,000 year lease at the St. James’s Gate Brewery in Dublin. But, it took Guinness nearly 20 years before it started selling porters in 1778 and another 60 before the brewery produced the first Single and Double Stouts in the 1840s. The Guinness beer that we enjoy today came into being in the 1970s after a decision was made by the company to make the Guinness Extra Stout recipe “more drinkable” by reducing the gravity of the brew. It is estimated that this brew, also known as “the black stuff”, is poured into 1.8 billion pint glasses a year.

Another of Ireland’s famed stouts is Murphy’s. Brewing began on this light, sweet stout in 1856 in County Cork, Ireland. Brewery construction began in 1854 with the building situated next to a famous “Holy Well.” Eventually, the brewery became known as the Lady’s Well Brewery. Murphy’s Irish Stout’s flavor can be described as chocolate milk-like with a double shot of espresso and a thick caramel scented head.

No discussion of Irish beers would be complete without taking a look at Irish red Ales. These brews are generally amber to a deep reddish copper color in appearance with a malty aroma that carries hints of caramel or toffee. The flavors of reds carry the aroma through with sweet caramel malt and, in some, buttery notes. There should be little or no hops flavor present although, more American reds will have pronounced hop character.

A prime example of the Irish red style of beer is Smithwick’s (pronounced smit-iks). Originally brewed in a part of the medieval St. Francis Abbey Brewery in Kilkenny, the brewery is still situated on the site of a Franciscan abbey where monks had brewed ale since the 14th century, and has ruins of the original abbey on its grounds. The Smithwick’s Brewery is Ireland’s oldest operating brewery, founded by John Smithwick and Richard Cole in 1710 on land owned by the Duke of Ormonde. Selling ales, porters and stouts, Smithwick’s was the third largest Irish brewery Smithwick’s is the major ale producer in Ireland. It was purchased from Walter Smithwick in 1965 by Guinness and is now, along with Guinness, part of Diageo. Smithwick’s, as most people know it today, was originally created as a special brew for the first Kilkenny Beer Festival. It was later renamed Smithwicks No. 1 and today is known as Smithwick’s.

Whether you quaff a pint of the hearty, black Irish stouts with their thick creamy heads and rich coffee and chocolate flavors or a sweet, flavorful Irish red that is full of caramel and fruity flavors, be sure to hoist a pint in remembrance of our Irish friends across the pond. The hard-working Irish helped build our great nation. Without them the westward expansion would have been much more difficult than it already was.

I close with a traditional Irish toast, “May your home always be too small to hold all your friends.”