Posts Tagged ‘alcohol’

An Introduction to Mead

Thursday, April 8th, 2010

Although beer is our main focus here at Beeriety, we sometimes like to profile related fields that are also popular among craft beer enthusiasts. Humans have been drinking mead for a long, long time. In fact, its thought to be the first type of alcohol ever produced, dating back all the way to 7000 BCE. The Romans drank mead, the Vikings drank mead and people today still drink mead, although in much smaller numbers. Since the mid-1990’s there has been a growing interest in the beverage and more great mead makers are cropping up with each passing year. Although it can be tough to find in some parts of the US, the unique variety of flavors possible with mead makes it worth seeking out.

The mead brewing process is very similar to the beer brewing process. Both start with a sugar-rich substance, (with beer it’s grains, with mead it’s honey) which is steeped and boiled and then brought back down to room temperature. Yeast is added to ferment the mixture, converting the sugars to CO2 and alcohol. After a few weeks to a few months of aging, a delicious beverage is the end result.

Also just like with beer, from this simple process a whole range of flavors and styles are possible. Meads range from sweet to dry, from still to sparkling, and everything in between. Sometimes the labels on bottles of mead can be difficult to decipher so here’s a quick rundown of some mead styles and terms:

Show mead – A basic mead but with just honey, water and yeast. Frequently multiple types of honey will be used and blended together

Traditional mead – Basic mead that makes uses of some additives, but still tastes very similar to show mead

Varietal Mead – Mead made from honey from a single type of honey from a single region

Metheglin – Mead made with spices and herbs.

Pyment – Mead made with grapes or blended with wine.

Cyser – Mead made with apples or blended with cider.

Braggot – Mead made with grain or blended with beer.

Melomel – Mead brewed with fruit, usually something different than grapes or apples.

Hydromel – Low alcohol mead, between 1-6% alcohol by volume.

Standard strength – Moderately alcoholic mead, usually 7.5-14% ABV

Sack strength – Mead of more than 14% ABV

Still - Uncarbonated mead.

Petillant – Lightly carbonated mead.

Sparkling – Fully carbonated mead, similar to beer or sparkling wine in effervescence

These terms are frequently combined on a label, so you’ll see a bottle marked “petillant hydromel braggot” or “sparkling sack melomel.” Occasionally you’ll even see mead marked as “honeywine,” but that’s really a bit of a misnomer, since it doesn’t have much to do with actual wine. By far the biggest mead brewery, or meadery is Red Stone out of Colorado.  They are available in almost 30 different states and all of their styles are worth a try. Head over to their website for further info on availability.

Have you ever tried mead? What do you think of it? let us known on Twitter or in the comments.

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How Hangovers Happen (And How To Avoid Them)

Tuesday, April 6th, 2010

We’ve explained before how alcohol affects the brain during a long night of  drinking. As most people know though, the affects of heavy alcohol consumption doesn’t end when you finally make it to bed. If you’re not careful the next morning can often be a miserable experience thanks to the unpleasant symptoms of a hangover.

Much of a hangover’s negative symptoms are caused by the dehydrating effects of alcohol. When absorbed through the digestive system alcohol inhibits the secretion of vasopressin, a hormone which regulates the retention of water in the body. In response the body begins releasing water through the urinary system, which eventually leads to dehydration. This lack of moisture causes headaches, dry mouth and of course, thirst.

Dehydration is only one of the many reasons you can feel crummy the morning after. When the body digests alcohol the various byproducts produced can have some pretty nasty effects as well. The liver breaks down ethanol into acetic acid, a substance which can be up to 30 times more toxic than alcohol itself, contributing greatly to the general sick feeling associated with a hangover. Usually this substance is handled by glutathione, a detoxifying agent produced by the liver, but in the presence of large amounts of alcohol the liver is unable to produce enough of the stuff, causing a build up of acetic acid. The elevated levels of this acid also impair the body’s ability to process glucose and maintain proper blood-sugar levels, especially in the brain, resulting in a lack of energy and ability to focus. On top of all that, alcohol can also affect the lining of the stomach, causing nausea.

As many of you may know, when it comes to hangovers, not all alcohol is created equally. Some drinks tend to cause worse hangovers than others. This is due to certain chemicals found in some types of alcohol, such as congeners and sulfites. Generally speaking, the darker and sweeter a beverage the more of these chemicals are found. A recent study at Brown University found dark liquors such as bourbon and rum contained much more congeners than lighter colored drinks like vodka. Sulfites are also notorious for causing hangovers, although they tend to be found only in red wines.

There are countless folk remedies for relieving the more unpleasant aspects of a hangover, but most scientific studies have found them to be mildly effective at best. Water and food with plenty of healthy vitamins are always good ideas for when you’re feeling sick, regardless of whether it’s alcohol related or not. In particular, a study released last year suggests that bacon may be especially helpful the morning after.

Despite all of this the only guaranteed way to relieve or prevent a hangover remains drinking responsibly. We all have the occasional heavy night out, but if you’re drinking to the point of a hangover on a regular basis chances are you’re drinking too much. You may be endangering not only your health but the health of those around you when you’re intoxicated. If you’re concerned about the alcohol consumption of you or someone you know, please seek professional help.

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Alcohol’s effect on the brain.

Thursday, January 14th, 2010

Anyone serious about craft beer should know that great beer should be enjoyed responsibly. Many of the most interesting and unusual beers out there frequently carry with them high alcohol percentages, some as high as 13 or 14%. Beer this strong can have a powerful effect on anyone. Today, we’re going to take a look at how alcohol affects the brain.

There are basically four stages of intoxication-

1st Stage – The first part of the brain alcohol hits is your cerebral cortex, making you more talkative and less inhibited. Because the cerebral cortex controls conscious thought, language and social interaction, these aspects of our personality begin to run less efficiently under the influence of alcohol.

2nd Stage – After the cerebral cortex, alcohol begins to affect the hippocampus, resulting in memory loss and exaggerated emotions. This is the part of the evening when you begin having trouble with balance and start telling everyone “I love you, man!” Due to the importance of the hippocampus in long-term memory retention, this is also when memory starts to get a little fuzzy.

3rd Stage – Next up on alcohol’s hit list is the  cerebellum, which seriously impairs your coordination and balance. This is not a pretty sight. The typical person usually has so much trouble keeping their balance at this point that they can no longer stand up. Nausea and vomiting frequently occur during this stage. Scientists believe that these symptoms stem from increased levels of acetaldehyde present in the body, a by product of metabolizing alcohol.

4th Stage – Finally alcohol makes it way to your medulla, frequently resulting in disruptions of automatic functions, like heart rate & breathing. This is serious and immediate medical attention should be sought. Usually a person is passed out at this point, and alcohol poisoning is a high risk.

As soon as you consume alcohol, your body begins breaking it down. Your liver metabolizes around 90% of the alcohol you consume. The remaining 10% is actually excreted through urine and breath, albeit at a much slower rate. The average liver can metabolize about 1 drink per hour. If you consume more than that, the liver can’t break the alcohol down fast enough, and you begin to get drunk.

Having some food with your beer can slow down the consumption rate, causing you to get less drunk, but it’s no excuse to drink excessively. Great beer should be enjoyed for its taste and merit, not as a way to get drunk. If you have concerns about your alcohol consumption or that of someone you know, the best idea is to consult a medical professional.

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Drinking To Your Health: Beer And The Body

Wednesday, November 11th, 2009

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Today’s post is part 2 of Beeriety contributor Sarah’s look at beer and health. Thanks Sarah!

The health benefits of beer (when consumed in moderation, of course) are almost in-numerable. A beer can help with everything from settling an upset stomach to improving heart health to increasing blood iron levels. It can strengthen bones, improve skin, and defend against memory loss. And as for those beer bellies, it doesn’t cause them. What beer does do, as more and more evidence is suggesting, is just about everything that red wine does – maybe more!

The specific benefits of beer come from three main areas:

Alcohol: We’ve been hearing for years now that regular consumption of small amounts of alcohol is good for you. A drink a day can help increase blood flow, which is both relaxing and good for the heart, reducing the likelihood of stroke or heart attack. A lesser known benefit to drinking is its ability to fight osteoporosis. Because alcohol helps the body absorb calcium more efficiently it can help maintain healthy, strong bones. Low to moderate alcohol consumption has been loosely linked to fighting diseases and conditions like dementia, type 2 diabetes, hearing loss, rheumatoid arthritis, and ulcers. Those who drink a little live longer (and healthier) than those who drink too much or not at all. And a standard 12oz bottle of beer (typically) has the same amount of alcohol that a standard 5oz pour of red wine would have.

B-Vitamins: The grains and yeasts used to make beer are rich in powerful B-vitamins, which help the body maintain healthy metabolism, immune function, and red blood cell counts. And like alcohol, they’ve also been linked to improved blood pressure and healthy heart function. Most notably, the concentrations of B6, B12, and folic acid found in beer help prevent the build-up of homocysteine, an amino acid linked to both cardiovascular problems and bone-deficiency, making beer valuable to heart, bone and skin health.

Hops: Hops, as we’ve learned before, are a flowering plant used to balance the flavor of beer and help keep unwanted bacteria from affecting the desired reactions of the yeast. However, before it was used in beer, hops were used to treat everything from indigestion to leprosy. Today hops (when not in beer) are most frequently used as an herbal supplement to treat insomnia and mild anxiety. These anti-oxidant-rich plants contain a powerful compound called xanthohumol, a prenylflavonoid which may fight conditions like cancer and Alzheimer’s. While most beers only contain trace amounts of this compound (the hoppy-er varieties will obviously have more), hops have many other health benefits: they can reduce blood triglyceride levels; they can help sooth upset stomachs and aid in digestion; and they can help reduce the calcium build-up that leads to kidney stones. In addition, hops are a powerful phytoestrogen, potentially aiding in the fight against heart disease, certain cancers, and osteoporosis.

So, the next time someone tells you to put down the pint glass and pick up a wine glass, don’t be afraid to proudly defend your drink of choice!

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