Beer is an all-natural product that has been with us since the beginning of civilization. It can’t be called a health drink, but beer is the most nutritional form of alcohol available. It is more nutritious than many alternatives, like soda, coffee and tea. Most people believe that beer is fattening. This has led to the modern American ‘light beer.’ American light beers are basically the same product as a brewer’s regular beer with reduced calories. One brewer’s regular beer may actually be lower in calories than another brewer’s light beer. Calories can be reduced in a number of different ways but the easiest method is to simply begin with less fermentable sugar and/or adding more water. The most popular domestic lagers run between 128 and 155 calories per 12 ounce serving. The most popular light beers run from 95 to 134 calories per 12 ounce serving. Not much difference. The real difference between light beer and regular beer is that light beer is cheaper to brew.

A typical 12-ounce serving of American mass produced lager has been defined by the US Department of Agriculture as containing the following nutritional information.

Water 92 percent
Alcohol 4.5-5 percent
Calories 151 (mostly from alcohol)
Protein 1.1 grams
Fat 0.0 grams
Carbohydrate 13.7 grams
Sodium 25 mg
Calcium 15 mg
Phosphorus 93 mg
Vitamin B1 18.7 mgm
Vitamin B2 40-100 mgm
Vitamin B6 185 mgm
Niacin 2200-3700 mgm
Pantothenate 185-375 mgm

Higher alcohol beers will naturally have more calories. Maltier brews like Scotch ales and bock beer and unfiltered yeast rich beers like hefeweizen will be richer in vitamins and minerals. As most of the calories come from alcohol, we need to look deeper at this component and how alcohol is calculated. There are two methods of describing alcohol content: Alcohol By Weight (ABW) and Alcohol By Volume (ABV). Since alcohol is lighter than water, an alcohol content measurement in ABW will appear smaller than the same beer measured in ABV. For example, a 4 percent ABW beer is the same as a 5 percent ABV beer. This is the reason Americans think foreign beer, typically Canadian beer, is stronger in alcohol than American beer. Brewers can get a reasonable approximation of the number of calories in beer by multiplying the original extract degrees Plato by a factor 13.5.

As any brewer will tell you, there are only four ingredients required to make beer. Those ingredients in order of volume are water, barley malt, hops and yeast. Water contains all sorts of minerals, some of which are important to beer production and flavor and some are not. Either way, the amounts are so small as to not make any significant contribution to the nutritional value of beer. Barley and adjunct cereal grains sometimes added to beers also contribute trace amounts of minerals in addition to providing carbohydrates (sugars) and proteins. Hops provide resins and oils used in beer making to provide flavor, aroma, bitterness and natural preservative. Yeast synthesizes B-complex vitamins for fermentation. It also contributes trace minerals like selenium, chromium, and copper in amounts also found in fresh fruits and vegetables. Yeast is also rich in protein. Beer probably provided a substantial amount of dietary supplements to our ancestors.

Besides nutrition, beer also provides a medicinal source. Yes, beer is good for you, but, only in moderation. Moderate beer consumption would be no more than one or two beers a day. At this rate beer IS good for you. Brewer’s yeast contains the highest glucose tolerance factor (GTF) found in any food and because of its high GTF levels, can reduce the insulin requirements for diabetics. It has also been shown to reduce serum cholesterol and triglyceride levels in elderly patients. Yeast, too, has been used in the effective treatment of Beriberi (caused by vitamin B1 deficiency) and Pellagra (from niacin deficiency).

There are numerous studies that show beer has beneficial qualities. One such study, by Dr. Paul T. Williams of the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory suggests that distance running and alcohol intake contribute independently, and cooperatively, to the production of HDL in runners. The study says that combining a vegetarian or low-fat diet with strenuous exercise and moderate alcohol intake (like beer) appears to raise levels of beneficial cholesterol (HDL).

In another study, conducted by the American Cancer Society, researchers found that beer may reduce the risk of death due to cancer. This was the largest study ever done on drinking, with over a half million Americans participating. Their findings indicated that people who had moderately ingested alcohol (about one drink per day) had a 20 percent lower overall death rate and a 30 to 40 percent lower death rate caused by cardiovascular disease than non-drinkers.

Even hops have been identified by researchers as beneficial to fighting cancer. Certain hop compounds were shown to slow the growth of cancer cells while increasing cancer-fighting enzymes.
Darker beers have been found to lower the risk of cataracts. Research by Dr. John Trevithick and Dr. Maurice Hirst, of the University of Western Ontario found that the antioxidants contained in darker beers have a positive effect on tiny organs found in all cells of the body known as mitochondria. Damaged mitochondria can lead to an increased incidence of cataracts. The antioxidants present in beer help to protect these special organs.

Here are some of the benefits of moderate drinking.
-Moderate alcohol intake raises the level of HDL, the good cholesterol.
-It acts as a natural blood thinner, decreasing the risk of coronary thrombosis.
-Alcohol has been identified as an anti-inflammatory agent; inflamed blood vessels are blamed for plaque build-up that leads to strokes and heart disease.
-Moderate drinkers have been reported to have fewer cases of rheumatoid arthritis.
-Alcohol boosts estrogen, and estrogen has been said to reduce heart disease.
-Researchers think antioxidant compounds in alcoholic drinks offer protection from cell damage in cases of chronic disease.
-Alcohol has been cited for its ability to combat viruses and bacteria, including H. pylori, a bacterial cause of stomach ulcers; common cold viruses; the hepatitis A virus; and microbes that cause food poisoning, such as salmonella, E. coli and viruses in tainted oysters.
-The hops used in beer have been said to slow the growth of cancer cells in test tubes and boost a cancer-fighting enzyme.
-Nine flavonoids identified in beer have slowed the growth of human breast and ovarian cancer cells by 50 percent without side effects on healthy cells.
-Moderate beer drinking could reduce the risk of developing kidney stones by up to 40 percent with each beer consumed daily, according to a Finnish study.

To learn more about the health benefits of alcohol, check out The Benefits of Moderate Drinking by Gene Ford. This book presents a solid background on which to build a firm understanding of the subject. In addition to providing information about national health surveys that find better health among moderate drinkers, the book also points out the numerous instances of misleading and bad information often used prohibitionists to vilify alcohol.

What most people do not know about beer ingredients is that the US government allows more than five dozen different chemicals, dyes and additives to be used in beer which do not have to be disclosed to the consumer. This is why so many microbrewers and craft brewers make such a big deal about the fact that they use only four ingredients to brew most of their beers plus an occasional specialty adjunct like oats, wheat, rye, honey or lactose (milk sugar) for certain beer styles that require them.

Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms (ATF), the entity that governs alcohol production and labeling, prohibits brewers from making any reference to beer being good for you. Therefore, there is no list of Nutrition Facts on beer as found on all other food products including cereals, canned, bottled and frozen foods, and even bottled water. (Conversely, Government warning labels are mandatory and are destined to be even more prominent. Yet sugar substitutes have been tied to a myriad of health problems and still there are no warning labels about their hazardous effects.)