tag:theconversation.com,2011:/ca/topics/beer-1269/articles
Beer – The Conversation
2024-03-18T18:24:24Z
tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/222267
2024-03-18T18:24:24Z
2024-03-18T18:24:24Z
Cheers to health? Uncovering myths around the health benefits of moderate drinking
<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/582572/original/file-20240318-22-wdfo1c.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=15%2C31%2C3270%2C2206&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Many studies exaggerated the benefits of moderate drinking due to methodological flaws known as selection biases.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Shutterstock)</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>The notion that enjoying a casual beer or sipping on your favourite wine could not only be harmless but actually beneficial to one’s health is a tantalizing proposition for many. This belief, often backed by claims of research findings, has seeped into social conversations and <a href="https://www.cbc.ca/news/science/moderate-drinking-may-be-heart-healthy-says-new-research-1.293437">media headlines</a>, painting moderate alcohol consumption in a positive light. </p>
<p>As researchers at the Canadian Institute for Substance Use Research, we find ourselves frequently revisiting this topic, delving deep into the evidence to separate fact from wishful thinking. Can we confidently say, “Cheers to health?”</p>
<h2>Unpacking beliefs about moderate drinking</h2>
<p>The <a href="https://doi.org/10.1046/j.1360-0443.2001.96464113.x">commonplace belief</a> that moderate drinking can be beneficial to health can be traced back to the 1980s when researchers found an association suggesting that French people were less likely to suffer from heart disease, despite eating a diet high in saturated fat. </p>
<p>This contradiction was thought to be explained by the assumption that the <a href="https://doi.org/10.5344/ajev.2011.11013">antioxidants and alcohol found in wine</a> might offer health benefits, leading to the term “<a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(94)92883-5">French paradox</a>.”</p>
<p>This concept reached a broader audience in the 1990s, following a segment on the American news show <em>60 Minutes</em> which had a <a href="https://doi.org/10.1108/07363769410058894">profound impact on wine sales</a>. Later <a href="https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1360-0443.2012.03780.x">research expanded on this idea</a>, suggesting that frequently drinking small amounts of any type of alcoholic beverage might be good for health.</p>
<p>This idea was formalized into what is now known as the <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jacc.2017.07.710">J-shaped curve hypothesis</a>. Put simply, the J-shaped curve is a graphical representation of the apparent relationship between alcohol consumption and death or disease. According to this model, abstainers and heavy drinkers are at higher risk of certain conditions, <a href="https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1360-0443.2012.03780.x">such as heart disease</a>, compared to moderate drinkers, whose risk is lower.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="An illustration of the J-shaped Curve." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/580343/original/file-20240307-20-h2zkss.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/580343/original/file-20240307-20-h2zkss.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/580343/original/file-20240307-20-h2zkss.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/580343/original/file-20240307-20-h2zkss.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/580343/original/file-20240307-20-h2zkss.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/580343/original/file-20240307-20-h2zkss.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/580343/original/file-20240307-20-h2zkss.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">The J-shape curve is a graphical representation of the apparent relationship between alcohol consumption and death or disease. According to this model, abstainers and heavy drinkers are at higher risk compared to moderate drinkers, whose risk is lower.</span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>Current perspectives on moderate drinking</h2>
<p>People used to think that tobacco use was good for health, <a href="https://doi.org/10.1017/S0025727300012333">historically describing it as a remedy for all disease</a>. As scientific understanding has advanced, however, tobacco use has been increasingly recognized as a <a href="https://iris.who.int/bitstream/handle/10665/372043/9789240077164-eng.pdf?sequence=1">leading cause of preventable disease and death</a>.</p>
<p>Like tobacco, alcohol was once used in medicine and has since become recognized as a <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(22)02123-7">major cause of preventable mortality and illness</a>. For instance, recent global estimates suggest <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/S2468-2667(19)30231-2">alcohol is responsible for 5.3 per cent of all deaths</a>. </p>
<p>Furthermore, in Canada, the revenue generated from selling alcohol does not come close to covering the damage it causes, leaving the government <a href="https://www.uvic.ca/research/centres/cisur/assets/docs/cape/cape3/fed-results-en.pdf">$6.20 billion short every year</a>. However, much of these costs can be attributed to heavy drinking. </p>
<p>So where does this leave moderate drinkers? We recently set out to answer this question by analyzing data from over 4.8 million people from more than 100 studies, covering more than 40 years. </p>
<p>We found that many studies exaggerate the benefits of moderate drinking due to methodological flaws known as <a href="https://doi.org/10.1111/add.13451">selection biases</a>. No matter if we <a href="https://doi.org/10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2023.6185">analyzed the studies as one big group</a>, using statistical methods to try and lessen these mistakes, or if we <a href="https://doi.org/10.15288/jsad.23-00283">separated the good studies from the not-so-good ones</a>, one thing was clear: moderate alcohol consumption does not appear to offer the health benefits once believed.</p>
<h2>Explaining the contradiction</h2>
<p>Selection biases represent data distortions caused by how research participants are selected. Such biases lead to unfair comparisons between groups, which skews analyses towards finding a J-shape curve. Essentially, it is like comparing two runners in a race, where one wears heavy boots and the other wears lightweight running shoes. Concluding that the second runner is more talented misses the point; it is not a fair comparison.</p>
<p>Here are five examples of selection bias in the context of the alcohol J-shaped curve which can accumulate as people age:</p>
<ol>
<li><p><a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(88)92890-5">Poor health, less alcohol</a>. As health declines, especially in older age, people often reduce their alcohol consumption. Not distinguishing between those who cut back or quit for health reasons can falsely indicate that moderate drinking is healthier.</p></li>
<li><p><a href="https://doi.org/10.1136/jech-2013-202576">Unhealthy lifetime abstainers</a>. Comparing moderate drinkers with individuals who have never consumed alcohol due to chronic health issues may falsely attribute health advantages to alcohol consumption.</p></li>
<li><p><a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.amepre.2005.01.011">Moderate in other ways.</a> Moderate drinkers often lead balanced lifestyles in other areas, too, which may contribute to their perceived better health. It is not just moderate drinking, but also their healthier overall opportunities and choices, such as better health-care access and self-care, that make them seem healthier.</p></li>
<li><p><a href="https://doi.org/10.1177/009145090403100304">Measurement error.</a> Assessing alcohol consumption over a short period of time, like a week or less, can lead to a misclassification of drinkers. Heavy drinkers who happened to not consume alcohol during the week of assessment would be incorrectly classified as abstainers, for example.</p></li>
<li><p><a href="https://doi.org/10.1111/add.13709">Early alcohol-attributable deaths.</a> The inevitable exclusion of individuals who may have died from alcohol-related causes before a study of older people starts can result in a “healthy survivor” bias, overlooking the earlier detrimental effects of alcohol.</p></li>
</ol>
<h2>Continuing the conversation</h2>
<p>We should be skeptical of results suggesting that moderate drinking is healthy because selection biases can muddy the waters. For instance, multiple implausible J-shape curve relationships have been published, <a href="https://doi.org/10.1002/hep.510230513">including between moderate drinking and liver disease</a>.</p>
<p>We are well aware that this news might not be what you were hoping to hear. <a href="https://doi.org/10.1080/08870446.2024.2316681">It might even stir up feelings of unease or skepticism</a>. For many people, limited alcohol consumption <a href="https://doi.org/10.1007/s40750-016-0058-4">is enjoyable</a>. However, it is not without risk and it is important for people to understand these risks to make informed decisions about their health.</p>
<p>The risks are reflected in the 2023 <a href="https://www.ccsa.ca/sites/default/files/2023-05/CGAH-Drinking-Less-is-Better-en.pdf">Canadian Drinking Guidance</a>. The guidance attempts to “meet people where they are at,” suggesting that one to two drinks per week represent a low risk of harm, three to six drinks a week represent a moderate risk, and seven or more drinks a week represent an increasingly high risk. Ultimately, they enable people to make informed decisions that best suit their health and well-being.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/222267/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>The authors do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>
It’s time to revisit the evidence for the health benefits of moderate drinking, and separate fact from wishful thinking. Can we confidently say, ‘Cheers to good health?’
James M. Clay, Postdoctoral Research Fellow, Canadian Institute for Substance Use Research, University of Victoria
Tim Stockwell, Scientist, Canadian Institute for Substance Use Research and Professor of Psychology, University of Victoria
Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.
tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/218687
2023-12-13T13:33:06Z
2023-12-13T13:33:06Z
Nonalcoholic beer: New techniques craft flavorful brews without the buzz
<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/565024/original/file-20231211-25-f1xwdr.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=333%2C369%2C6999%2C4928&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Brewers today are delivering nonalcoholic beers that are a far cry from the sweet, watery options of the past.</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/photo/asian-brewer-filling-beer-in-glass-from-tank-at-royalty-free-image/1402489303">Pramote Polyamate/Moment via Getty Images</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>The holiday season for me includes socializing over drinks with friends and family. But all the celebrating tends to catch up with my waistline, and by New Year’s Day, it’s time to get back in shape. Besides vowing to hit the gym more, my approach involves a “<a href="https://doi.org/10.3399/bjgp16X683173">Dry January</a>.” But as someone who teaches brewing science, spends a lot of time around breweries and bars, and thoroughly loves beer, abstaining is no easy task.</p>
<p>Thankfully, I can still enjoy beer while cutting back on my alcohol intake and calories by switching to nonalcoholic beers.</p>
<p>To some people, nonalcoholic beer sounds like an oxymoron, but newer techniques are producing tasty, high-quality options in this growing beverage category.</p>
<p>A nonalcoholic beer is usually a malt beverage that is <a href="https://beerandbrewing.com/dictionary/5VGRSbEfTv/">more than 0.0% and less than 0.5%</a> alcohol by volume (ABV). Producing a beer this low in alcohol requires the brewer to use practices and equipment uncommon to the general brewing process and to consider additional food safety precautions.</p>
<h2>Brewing regular beer</h2>
<p>Regular beer has four main ingredients: malted barley, hops, yeast and water.</p>
<p>When brewing beer, brewers extract sugars from malted barley – barley grains that have been partially germinated and then dried to make available the starches in the grain and enzymes that break them down. The malted barley then goes into the mash. That’s where the enzymes in the grain wake up and get to work breaking down the starches into smaller sugars. This step results in a sweet wort.</p>
<p>The brewer then boils the sweet wort and adds hops to provide bitterness, aroma and flavors. The hopped wort is then cooled and transferred to fermentation vessels where the brewer adds yeast. The yeast breaks down the sugars in the wort, releasing carbon dioxide and ethanol. Ethanol is the alcohol that makes beer “alcoholic.”</p>
<p>At this point we have beer. Beer’s alcohol by volume ranges from 3% to 13%, with <a href="https://www.thespruceeats.com/alcohol-by-volume-353204#:%7E:text=Alcohol%20by%20volume%2C%20or%20ABV,4.0%20to%207.0%20percent%20ABV.">most styles falling between 4% and 7%</a>.</p>
<h2>The challenge of removing alcohol</h2>
<p>Some of the more traditional approaches to making nonalcoholic beer are skipping the fermentation step or diluting a regular beer. These techniques can produce beers that are too sweet or one-note, lacking in flavor characters that come from fermentation. Advances in two alternative techniques – controlled fermentation and de-alcholization – have led to improved nonalcoholic beer quality.</p>
<p>Controlling fermentation involves using either low temperatures to limit yeast activity, strains of yeast that are unable to break down certain sugars, or wort that is less fermentable. Remember, it’s the living yeast cells that add alcohol to the mix as they digest sugars in the wort. By keeping yeast from doing its thing, brewers prevent the typical amount of alcohol from getting into the beer in the first place.</p>
<p>Alternatively, there are a few <a href="https://nabeerclub.com/how-non-alcoholic-beer-is-made/">common techniques to de-alcoholize regular-strength beer</a>.</p>
<p>Both steam distillation and vacuum distillation <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-12-816938-4.00006-9">separate out the ethanol by heating the beer</a>. Alcohol has a lower boiling point than water, so it gets removed as steam while the water portion of the beer is left behind. One problem with steam distillation is that it also takes out volatile aroma molecules and give the beer a cooked flavor. Vacuum distillation, however, significantly lowers the temperature needed to evaporate ethanol. The gentler temperatures help the nonalcoholic beer retain aroma and minimize the impacts on flavor. </p>
<p>Membrane filtration usually relies on <a href="https://www.britannica.com/science/reverse-osmosis">reverse osmosis</a>. This process uses filters with small pores that allow alcohol and water molecules to pass through, but not the larger molecules – like sugars, hops acids and oils, and proteins – that provide flavor, aroma and body in the beer. Rather than the liquid flowing through the membrane head-on, reverse osmosis uses cross-flow filtration. The liquids flow parallel to the filter surface.</p>
<p>The brewer establishes a pressure differential so the side where the beer starts is at higher pressure than the other side of the filter. This pressure pushes the alcohol and water molecules through the membrane pores. The filtration process results in two liquid streams being collected: a concentrated syrupy beer liquid and an alcohol-water mix. The final step is adding water back to the beer concentrate. </p>
<p>Of the de-alcoholization options, most beer lovers agree that vacuum distillation and reverse osmosis produce the best results.</p>
<h2>Challenges for brewing nonalcoholic beer</h2>
<p>These techniques often require additional brewing equipment that can be cost prohibitive to many smaller craft breweries. </p>
<p>One significant downside associated with the production of nonalcoholic beer is that removal of alcohol creates a product that is not as shelf-stable. <a href="https://news.cornell.edu/stories/2023/12/nonalcoholic-beer-higher-risk-foodborne-pathogens">Alcohol normally acts as a preservative</a> – without it, the beer can be vulnerable to contamination by microbes that are dangerous or spoil the beer. Because some of the common methods to produce nonalcoholic beers can use less hops, produce beer with more sugars and increase pH, the resulting product can be even more susceptible to bacterial growth.</p>
<p>Brewers need to take additional steps such as pasteurization, sterile filtration or the addition of preservatives <a href="https://www.brewersassociation.org/educational-publications/non-alcohol-beer-a-review-and-key-considerations/">to make nonalcoholic beer safe</a>.</p>
<h2>Nonalcoholic beer is a growth market</h2>
<p>Regardless of the challenges and costs to produce safe nonalcoholic beer, the market is growing steadily. While nonalcoholic sales in the U.S. are comparatively small, currently representing around <a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2022/12/30/non-alcoholic-beer-set-to-continue-to-grow-in-2023.html">2% of total sales</a>, they experienced <a href="https://www.wsj.com/business/retail/non-alcoholic-beer-sales-alcohol-consumption-habits-aaa2e19c">31% average growth over the past four years</a> even as other alcoholic beverage market segments languished. In other global markets, nonalcoholic sales have performed even better.</p>
<p>A few factors explain greater interest in nonalcoholic beers.</p>
<p>First, there’s been a steady <a href="https://news.gallup.com/poll/509690/young-adults-drinking-less-prior-decades.aspx#:%7E:text=The%20decline%20in%20young%20adults,among%20both%20older%20age%20groups.">decline in alcohol consumption among younger generations</a>, along with a trend toward adopting more healthy lifestyles.</p>
<p>Second, nonalcoholic products have been <a href="https://punchdrink.com/articles/nonalcoholic-beer-golden-age/">successfully marketed</a> not only to nondrinkers but to regular beer consumers. Regular beer drinkers who enjoy the taste of beer and not the intoxicating aspect, like me, can guiltlessly enjoy a nonalcoholic beer, even during the workday. Marketing campaigns have also focused on nonalcoholic beer being a lower calorie alternative since it doesn’t contain <a href="https://www.nhs.uk/live-well/alcohol-advice/calories-in-alcohol/">calorie-dense alcohol</a>.</p>
<p>It also doesn’t hurt that the quality of nonalcoholic beer has significantly improved since its early days. Nonalcoholic today is not the watery, overly sweet or one-note product that it was in the past. Many recent technological advances in production help nonalcoholic beer maintain fermentation characteristics derived from the malts, hops and yeast, thus providing a more balanced and pleasant product that tastes like “real” beer.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/218687/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Clark Danderson is a member of the Brewers Association. </span></em></p>
Nonalcoholic beer may sound like an oxymoron, but newer techniques are producing tasty, high-quality options in this growing beverage category.
Clark Danderson, Assistant Professor of Hospitality Management and Director of Brewing Science and Operations, Auburn University
Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.
tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/215273
2023-10-10T15:04:42Z
2023-10-10T15:04:42Z
Hotter, drier summers will make European craft beers less ‘hoppy’ – new study
<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/552798/original/file-20231009-15-6ttbca.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=0%2C0%2C998%2C667&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">
</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/assortment-north-american-craft-beers-ottawa-1826336123">Mike Workman/Shutterstock</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>September 2023 was the warmest ever recorded according to <a href="https://climate.copernicus.eu/climate-bulletins">the EU Climate Service</a>, with Earth’s average surface air temperature peaking at 16.38°C. The average global temperature was also at least 1.5°C higher than pre-industrial levels on about a third of days in 2023, according to <a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-66857354">another recent report</a>.</p>
<p>These are both indicators of accelerating climate change, the effects of which will be felt in all aspects of our lives. In <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-023-41474-5">a new study</a>, for example, scientists have discovered that climate change will lower the quantity and quality of beer.</p>
<p>The main ingredients of beer are water, malting barley, yeast and hops. Hops (<em>Humulus lupulus</em>), a climbing, herbaceous perennial, gives the beer its aroma and flavour. Commercially, this crop is usually trained to grow up strings. </p>
<p>Like any crop, the climate (temperature, precipitation and hours of sunshine) <a href="https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-023-41474-5">determines</a> how much hops grow and their condition at harvest time. The cultivation of high-quality aromatic hops is restricted to several relatively small regions in Argentina, Australia, China, Europe, Japan, New Zealand, North America and South Africa where the climate is suitable. Within this scattered distribution, cultivation is <a href="https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-023-41474-5">concentrated</a> in Germany, the Czech Republic and Slovenia. </p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="Rows of hops growing vertically in a field." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/552767/original/file-20231009-26-xf1p8b.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/552767/original/file-20231009-26-xf1p8b.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=399&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/552767/original/file-20231009-26-xf1p8b.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=399&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/552767/original/file-20231009-26-xf1p8b.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=399&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/552767/original/file-20231009-26-xf1p8b.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=502&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/552767/original/file-20231009-26-xf1p8b.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=502&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/552767/original/file-20231009-26-xf1p8b.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=502&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">A hops farm in Austria.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/sunshine-hop-field-66742441">Dieter Hawlan/Shutterstock</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>In this new study, researchers predicted that both the yield and quality of hops will fall as a result of higher summer temperatures and changes in rainfall patterns. The outcome is likely to be less hops and less beer, with a potentially duller taste and aroma.</p>
<h2>Craft beers in crisis</h2>
<p>In recent years, demand for flavourful craft beers has boomed. The flavour comes from the female hop flowers that grow in clusters called cones and contain bitter acids, essential oils, polyphenols and many other compounds which produce, when brewed, the aroma and taste associated with beer.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="Green, cone-shaped structures growing on the ends of branches." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/552768/original/file-20231009-23-jx6zj9.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/552768/original/file-20231009-23-jx6zj9.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=397&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/552768/original/file-20231009-23-jx6zj9.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=397&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/552768/original/file-20231009-23-jx6zj9.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=397&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/552768/original/file-20231009-23-jx6zj9.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=499&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/552768/original/file-20231009-23-jx6zj9.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=499&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/552768/original/file-20231009-23-jx6zj9.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=499&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Heat and drought at the end of the growing season produces hops with less of the acids necessary for a full flavour.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/green-fresh-hop-cones-making-beer-618232175">Viacheslav Rubel/Shutterstock</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Some of these bitter acids, called alpha-acids, are the main source of the <a href="http://pse.agriculturejournals.cz/doi/10.17221/344/2020-PSE.pdf">bitter taste</a> of beer. Alpha-acids also protect the beer from becoming spoilt by inhibiting <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0740002014002470?via%3Dihub">microbes growing in it</a> and improve the stability of the foam that makes up the <a href="https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-023-41474-5">head on beer</a>.</p>
<p>While alpha-acids begin developing as these conelike flowers start to form, 90% are produced in the last two weeks before harvest. Alpha-acid content is influenced by temperature, precipitation and sunlight duration. As average daily temperatures increase, the level of alpha-acids in the flowers decreases. At the same time, up to a point, the more rainfall there is, the higher the alpha-acid production. </p>
<p>What this means is that higher summer temperatures, along with drought and irregular rainfall, sap plant vigour and so result in lower yields and <a href="https://econpapers.repec.org/scripts/redir.pf?u=http://pse.agriculturejournals.cz/doi/10.17221/344/2020-PSE.pdf;h=repec:caa:jnlpse:v:66:y:2020:i:10:id:344-2020-pse">less alpha-acid</a>. Also, to produce high-quality hops, cones must develop as daylight hours are <a href="https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-023-41474-5">decreasing</a>, after the summer solstice. If the plants flower too early due to warmer temperatures, the daylight length may not be ideal for alpha-acid production.</p>
<p>The new paper compared the yield, alpha-acid content and cone development of hops with environmental data from Germany, the Czech Republic and Slovenia from 1971 to 1994 and 1995 to 2018, and predicted future trends to 2050. </p>
<p>From 1971 to 2018, average temperatures rose by 1.4°C and precipitation fell by 24mm. The rising temperatures over this period moved the onset of the hop-growing season forward by 13 days and the average onset of cone development now occurs between 13 and 31 days earlier, depending on the location. As a result, the critical ripening period – when alpha-acids develop – has shifted towards the warmer part of the season, lowering the average alpha-acid content of each cone. </p>
<p>By modelling future changes in cone yield and quality, the researchers <a href="https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-023-41474-5">predict</a> a fall of 4–18% in yield and 20–31% in alpha-acid content by 2050. This would mean that there are less hops available to make the flavoursome craft beers that have recently become so popular and instead, beer may be less “hoppy” in its aroma and flavour. </p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="A bartender pouring a pint." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/552804/original/file-20231009-21-xk4j48.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/552804/original/file-20231009-21-xk4j48.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/552804/original/file-20231009-21-xk4j48.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/552804/original/file-20231009-21-xk4j48.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/552804/original/file-20231009-21-xk4j48.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/552804/original/file-20231009-21-xk4j48.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/552804/original/file-20231009-21-xk4j48.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Pints could taste more bland in future.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/barman-pours-light-unfiltered-beer-tap-1112166467">Alexey Andr Tkachenko/Shutterstock</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>Best served chilled</h2>
<p>These predicted declines in the yield and quality of beer hops may seem enough to drive one to drink, but there is some hope.</p>
<p>In existing hop fields, changing the orientation of the crop rows so that they are not in full sun and using techniques to help the soil retain more moisture, like tilling it less, changing how fertiliser is applied, applying bark chippings or other mulches to cover the rows, could help crops weather droughts and heatwaves in future. </p>
<p>More expensive solutions include installing irrigation systems. Applying growth-inhibiting chemicals or building protective shades could also slow plant growth so that cones form when conditions are optimal. Solar panels have been installed in some vineyards to shade grapes during hot weather and, of course, generate renewable energy.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="Vegetable crops sheltered under a row of solar panels." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/552797/original/file-20231009-21-b6bc4f.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/552797/original/file-20231009-21-b6bc4f.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/552797/original/file-20231009-21-b6bc4f.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/552797/original/file-20231009-21-b6bc4f.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/552797/original/file-20231009-21-b6bc4f.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/552797/original/file-20231009-21-b6bc4f.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/552797/original/file-20231009-21-b6bc4f.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Agrovoltaics – growing crops beneath solar panels – has proved successful elsewhere.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/agrovoltaic-farm-solar-panels-above-crops-2362768189">Epesarius/Shutterstock</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Another approach involves breeding new hop varieties that retain a high alpha-acid content and other flavour-enhancing compounds in warmer and drier climates. Hop cultivation could also move to new locations. In the future, climate change may mean hops are grown at higher altitudes and latitudes and in valleys where the water table remains <a href="https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-023-41474-5">sufficiently high</a> at critical times. </p>
<p>And so, it’s not quite last orders for the world’s third most popular beverage.</p>
<hr>
<figure class="align-right ">
<img alt="Imagine weekly climate newsletter" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/434988/original/file-20211201-21-13avx6y.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/434988/original/file-20211201-21-13avx6y.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=600&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/434988/original/file-20211201-21-13avx6y.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=600&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/434988/original/file-20211201-21-13avx6y.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=600&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/434988/original/file-20211201-21-13avx6y.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=754&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/434988/original/file-20211201-21-13avx6y.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=754&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/434988/original/file-20211201-21-13avx6y.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=754&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption"></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p><strong><em>Don’t have time to read about climate change as much as you’d like?</em></strong>
<br><em><a href="https://theconversation.com/uk/newsletters/imagine-57?utm_source=TCUK&utm_medium=linkback&utm_campaign=Imagine&utm_content=DontHaveTimeTop">Get a weekly roundup in your inbox instead.</a> Every Wednesday, The Conversation’s environment editor writes Imagine, a short email that goes a little deeper into just one climate issue. <a href="https://theconversation.com/uk/newsletters/imagine-57?utm_source=TCUK&utm_medium=linkback&utm_campaign=Imagine&utm_content=DontHaveTimeBottom">Join the 20,000+ readers who’ve subscribed so far.</a></em></p>
<hr><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/215273/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Philip James does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>
By 2050, the chemicals which make craft beers ‘hoppy’ could decrease by a third.
Philip James, Emeritus Professor of Ecology, University of Salford
Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.
tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/213606
2023-09-15T14:53:14Z
2023-09-15T14:53:14Z
How pubs could get drinkers to swallow a peak-time price rise
<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/548515/original/file-20230915-9077-wuqr4z.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=119%2C29%2C4872%2C2964&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Beer o'clock.</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/time-beer-concept-clock-watch-symbol-1408419845">Sergey Peterman/Shutterstock</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>You may be used to paying more for a plane ticket or a train journey during peak times. But now a major British hospitality company has announced a similar approach to how much it costs to drink beer. </p>
<p>Stonegate Group, which owns chains including the Slug & Lettuce, <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/business/2023/sep/12/busy-pubs-charge-drinkers-more-slug-lettuce-yatess">has announced</a> plans to increase drinks prices by 20p when their pubs are at their busiest. </p>
<p>At a difficult time <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/business/2023/jul/21/an-all-time-low-uk-hospitality-bosses-say-industry-is-fighting-for-survival">for the hospitality industry</a>, some might consider this a bit of a gamble. Certainly there has been something of a backlash on social media with, one person <a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-66785823?at_ptr_name=facebook_page&at_link_id=59878B7E-515B-11EE-BBCB-DFC7D89D5CC3&at_link_origin=BBC_North_West&at_format=link&at_campaign=Social_Flow&at_bbc_team=editorial&at_campaign_type=owned&at_medium=social&at_link_type=web_link">commenting</a>: “If they push on with this there will be no such thing as a busy Stonegate pub.” </p>
<p>A spokesman for Stonegate told the Daily Telegraph that they are introducing the measure – known as “<a href="https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/dynamic-pricing">dynamic pricing</a>” – to deal with rising staffing costs, and that customers would be kept informed of any fluctuations in price. </p>
<p>The success of dynamic pricing – especially common (but <a href="https://www.independent.co.uk/voices/supreme-court-ruling-term-time-holidays-jon-platt-parents-travel-industry-cost-options-a7670501.html">not popular</a>) in travel – relies on whether or not a company or event can guarantee demand from potential customers. If they have other options, or feel that a price is simply too high, they may simply look elsewhere. </p>
<p>That said, research has shown (perhaps surprisingly) that consumers are generally fairly <a href="https://academic.oup.com/jcr/article-abstract/33/2/258/1849572">forgiving of price increases</a> if they consider the increase to be fair – perhaps if they know it’s down to increased supply costs for example.</p>
<p>But if a price hike is specifically related to a certain day or time of the day, it is quite possible that customers will perceive the increase as unfair. This could then lead to a negative perception of an establishment, and a loss of business. </p>
<p>Before that change even happens, consumers <a href="http://www.albacharia.ma/xmlui/bitstream/handle/123456789/31987/kahnmtversky.pdf">tend to use</a> their own reference points when making a judgement about what a product ought to cost. These may derive from a menu or advertisement (external reference points) or recalled from memory or personal knowledge about what other people have paid (internal reference points). </p>
<p>For example, customers may know that they generally pay £5 for a pint of beer at a particular pub, and they will use that price as their starting reference for what an acceptable price might be. They are using their reference points to <a href="https://www.jstor.org/stable/2352761">assess price fairness</a>. For a price increase to be perceived as fair, the reference point needs to shift in accordance with the new cost. </p>
<p>This is no simple task for any business. In the case of dynamic pricing in a pub, a potential problem is that the low price used during the less busy periods may become the customers’ reference point. The peak rate price then stands out as unjust. </p>
<h2>Beer today, gone tomorrow?</h2>
<p>So how can the problem of reference points be overcome so that the price is not perceived negatively? Research suggests that the way in which alternative pricing is presented is key to how customer respond. </p>
<p>For example, one study showed that golfers tended to <a href="https://link.springer.com/article/10.1057/palgrave.rpm.5170037">think it was fair</a> for a golf club to charge a regular price for “prime time” slots and offer a 20% discount for other times. But they thought it was unfair if the course charged 20% more for a prime slot compared to a regular price at other times. </p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="Golf ball and club." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/548550/original/file-20230915-21-5v4z7k.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/548550/original/file-20230915-21-5v4z7k.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=379&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/548550/original/file-20230915-21-5v4z7k.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=379&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/548550/original/file-20230915-21-5v4z7k.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=379&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/548550/original/file-20230915-21-5v4z7k.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=476&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/548550/original/file-20230915-21-5v4z7k.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=476&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/548550/original/file-20230915-21-5v4z7k.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=476&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Tee times and costs may vary.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/golf-club-ball-grass-158881226">Mikael Damkier/Shutterstock</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>The response to the two scenarios was different, even though the economic impact was the same. By changing the point of reference, it is possible to change consumers preferences. </p>
<p>Pub landlords seeking to introduce dynamic pricing may get a better response if they try and alter the drinkers’s perception in a similar way. Presenting price changes as being cheaper during off-peak times are likely to be viewed as a gain from the drinkers’ perspective. </p>
<p>When information is presented in a way that make it seem like a gain for the customer, the evaluation is more positive than in a scenario where there is predominantly a sense of loss or increased cost. </p>
<p>Of course, it’s also important not to lie to your customers. But research suggests that adjusting the presentation and framing of new price structure may lead to a change that drinkers are more willing to swallow.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/213606/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Cathrine Jansson-Boyd does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>
Will you be happy to pay different prices at different times?
Cathrine Jansson-Boyd, Reader in Consumer Psychology, Anglia Ruskin University
Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.
tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/210111
2023-08-14T12:23:52Z
2023-08-14T12:23:52Z
The bubbly chemistry behind carbonated beverages
<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/541552/original/file-20230807-27-wejs3w.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=6%2C58%2C4323%2C2823&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Manufacturers inject carbon dioxide into beverages to make them fizzy. </span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/photo/little-bubbles-royalty-free-image/1304532799?phrase=carbonated+beverages&adppopup=true">Jenny Dettrick/Moment via Getty Images</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>Many people love the refreshing effervescence of a soda, champagne, beer or sparkling water. When you take a sip, the gas bubbles in the beverage burst, and the <a href="https://www.livescience.com/32492-why-does-soda-fizz.html">released gas</a> tickles your nose. But have you ever wondered how carbonation actually works? </p>
<p>I’m a <a href="https://scholar.google.ca/citations?user=sZBqM3AAAAAJ&hl=en">professor who teaches classes in chemistry and fermentation</a> and a carbonated beverage enthusiast and home brewer myself. While the basic process of carbonation is relatively simple, a variety of factors – from temperature to surface tension – can affect the taste and quality of beverages.</p>
<h2>Dissolving carbon dioxide</h2>
<p>Carbonation involves dissolving the colorless and odorless carbon dioxide – CO₂ – gas into a liquid. When carbon dioxide is added to a sealed bottle or can containing water, the pressure in the bottle or can increases, and the <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-12-816938-4.00001-X">carbon dioxide dissolves</a> into the liquid. </p>
<p>The CO₂ above the liquid and the CO₂ dissolved in the liquid <a href="http://butane.chem.uiuc.edu/pshapley/GenChem1/L23/3.html">reach chemical equilibrium</a>. Chemical equilibrium essentially means the rate that CO₂ dissolves into the liquid is equal to the rate that CO₂ is released from the liquid. It’s based on the amounts of CO₂ both in the air and in the liquid. </p>
<p>Some of the dissolved CO₂ reacts with the water to form carbonic acid, which has a chemical formula of H₂CO₃. So once some of the dissolved CO₂ converts to H₂CO₃, more CO₂ from the air above can dissolve into the liquid and reestablish chemical equilibrium.</p>
<figure>
<iframe width="440" height="260" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/xVLF-69j3Z8?wmode=transparent&start=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe>
<figcaption><span class="caption">Carbonation happens when CO₂ is forced into a can or bottle, where it dissolves into the liquid.</span></figcaption>
</figure>
<p>When you open a bottle or can, the pressure above the carbonated liquid drops to match the pressure outside of the bottle or can. The pressure release results in a hissing sound, and you see bubbles rising in the liquid as the H₂CO₃ converts back to CO₂ and that gas <a href="https://www.acs.org/education/whatischemistry/adventures-in-chemistry/secret-science-stuff/soda-pop.html">escapes to the surface</a>. The carbonic acid in the beverage is what makes it <a href="https://letstalkscience.ca/educational-resources/stem-explained/chemistry-pop">taste a little sour</a>.</p>
<h2>A colder drink is a bubblier one</h2>
<figure class="align-right zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/541550/original/file-20230807-25-or804m.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="A close-up of a soda, showing many tiny bubbles" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/541550/original/file-20230807-25-or804m.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/541550/original/file-20230807-25-or804m.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=483&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/541550/original/file-20230807-25-or804m.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=483&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/541550/original/file-20230807-25-or804m.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=483&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/541550/original/file-20230807-25-or804m.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=606&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/541550/original/file-20230807-25-or804m.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=606&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/541550/original/file-20230807-25-or804m.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=606&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">The bubbles in carbonated beverages are filled with CO₂ gas moving from an area of high CO₂ concentration to an area of low CO₂ concentration.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/photo/close-up-soda-condensation-bubbles-royalty-free-image/1301221148?phrase=Fizz+sparkling+Cola+water&adppopup=true">Jonathan Knowles/DigitalVision via Getty Images</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Another important factor influencing carbonation is temperature. Most gases, including carbon dioxide, do not dissolve well in liquids as the <a href="https://www.britannica.com/science/Henrys-law">temperature of the liquid rises</a>. That’s why <a href="https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/bring-science-home-carbonation-time/">carbonated drinks go flat</a> if you leave them out at room temperature. </p>
<p>Conversely, if you place your favorite carbonated beverage in the refrigerator and allow it to get cold, more dissolved carbon dioxide will stay in the beverage while it’s still sealed. When you open the chilled bottle or can, the <a href="https://www.acs.org/education/whatischemistry/adventures-in-chemistry/secret-science-stuff/soda-pop.html">liquid is more bubbly</a> because there was more dissolved carbon dioxide in the cold beverage. </p>
<figure>
<iframe width="440" height="260" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/VU_44XFRCnE?wmode=transparent&start=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe>
<figcaption><span class="caption">The temperature of the liquid affects how the CO₂ molecules dissolved in the beverage behave once the beverage is opened.</span></figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>Surface tension and fizziness</h2>
<p>One final important factor for carbonation is the surface tension of the liquid. A liquid’s surface tension is determined by how strongly the liquid’s <a href="https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/why-does-a-shaken-soda-fi/">molecules interact with each other</a>. For most beverages, those molecules are water molecules, but diet soft drinks have artificial sweeteners dissolved in them. These sweeteners can weaken the interactions between the water molecules, creating a lower surface tension. A lower surface tension means the carbon dioxide bubbles <a href="https://www.mcgill.ca/oss/article/did-you-know/why-diet-coke-so-fizzy">form faster and last longer</a>. </p>
<p>This is why it takes slightly longer to be served a Diet Coke on ice, a problem you might notice on a plane. The lower surface tension from the artificial sweetener means there’s more fizz, and for longer, compared with other soft drinks. The flight attendants then have to <a href="https://www.bravotv.com/top-chef/blogs/diet-coke-takes-longer-for-flight-attendants-to-serve-on-airplanes-bubbles">wait for the bubbles in the cup to break</a> before they can fill the cup with more Diet Coke. </p>
<figure>
<iframe width="440" height="260" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/HFCeV5BVBh0?wmode=transparent&start=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe>
<figcaption><span class="caption">CO₂ bubbles form on the surface of the candy, which falls to the bottom of the bottle and pushes the fizzing liquid out the top. The lower surface tension of diet soda means more bubbles that last longer.</span></figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Surface tension is also why Diet Coke works so well in the <a href="https://www.acs.org/education/whatischemistry/adventures-in-chemistry/experiments/mentos-diet-coke.html#">famous Mentos experiment</a>, during which you drop Mentos candies into 2-liter Diet Coke bottles. The candy helps to weaken the interactions between the water molecules and the CO₂ molecules, lowering the surface tension and allowing for an easier release of CO₂ molecules. A bubbling “geyser” of Diet Coke rises fast above the 2-liter bottle as the CO₂ molecules quickly form on the candy’s surfaces and force the Diet Coke out of the bottle. </p>
<h2>Getting the bubbles into a beverage</h2>
<p>In an effort to make water similar to that from mineral springs, the carbonation process was invented by Joseph Priestley in England in the 1760s and commercialized by Jacob Schweppe – recognize the name? – <a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2014/10/the-great-soda-water-shake-up/380932/">in Switzerland in the 1780s</a>. Priestley reacted chalk with sulfuric acid, producing CO₂, and he hung a water-filled container over the reaction to <a href="https://www.mcgill.ca/oss/article/history/origins-soda-water">infuse the water with CO₂</a>. </p>
<p>Today, most commercial beers, soft drinks, seltzers and sparkling waters are created by “forced” carbonation. This is when manufacturers directly inject carbon dioxide into the beverage <a href="https://beersmith.com/blog/2015/02/11/carbonation-options-for-your-home-brewed-beer/">under high carbon dioxide pressures</a>. </p>
<p>A second common way to introduce carbon dioxide into a liquid is by <a href="https://www.britannica.com/science/fermentation">fermentation</a>. Champagne manufacturers and some small <a href="https://homebrewacademy.com/bottle-conditioning/">home beer brewers</a> follow this method by sealing a sugar source and live yeast into their bottles. The yeast produce alcohol and carbon dioxide, and this carbon dioxide increases the pressure in the bottle, resulting in <a href="https://beersmith.com/blog/2015/02/11/carbonation-options-for-your-home-brewed-beer/">carbonated champagne and beer</a>. But this process is not as controlled and can result in <a href="https://beercreation.com/how-do-i-stop-exploding-bottles-the-home-brewers-nightmare/">exploding bottles</a>.</p>
<p>Larger brewers often capture CO₂ produced during a fermentation process and pump that gas into the tanks that contain beer to carbonate the beer. This is normally a controlled process that allows for <a href="https://www.mammothbeer.com/blogs/news/how-brewers-carbonate-beer">known amounts of carbon dioxide</a> to be introduced into the beverages for outstanding consistency. </p>
<p>Carbonation is a marriage between physics and chemistry – one that transforms ordinary liquids into effervescent treats. The next time you drink a carbonated beverage, take a moment to appreciate the science behind those dancing bubbles.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/210111/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Michael W. Crowder receives funding from the National Institutes of Health to conduct research on antibiotic resistance and from Sazerac Corp and MineXAI to conduct research on the characterization of bourbon. </span></em></p>
Ever wonder how soda manufacturers get the bubbles and fizz inside the can? A chemist explains some of the science behind the carbonation process. Hint − it involves carbon.
Michael W. Crowder, Professor of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Miami University
Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.
tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/209167
2023-07-06T14:50:22Z
2023-07-06T14:50:22Z
How ‘drinkflation’ affects the price of your pint
<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/535837/original/file-20230705-17-xm2j7m.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=41%2C16%2C5461%2C3646&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Is 'drinkflation' a thing?</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/clueless-red-haired-young-man-curly-618370700">Cast Of Thousands/Shutterstock</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>The cost of living crisis has seen the prices of many goods and services rise sharply in the past 18 months, but food and drink prices have been particularly hard hit. </p>
<p>Some food producers have responded by reducing the size of their products, while keeping prices the same – a phenomenon known as “<a href="https://theconversation.com/three-ways-companies-change-their-products-to-hide-inflation-189924">shrinkflation</a>”. </p>
<p>When several major brewers were reported to have reduced the strength of beers recently, including Fosters lager (cut from 4% alcohol by volume (ABV) to to 3.7%) and ales such as Old Speckled Hen and Spitfire, it led to <a href="https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-12206607/After-shrinkflation-drinkflation-Brewers-pocket-millions-cutting-alcohol-beers.html">accusations of “drinkflation”</a> and short-changing of customers. </p>
<p>Duty on beer is levied on the basis of alcohol content, so a 0.3% reduction in ABV equates to a saving of around 4p on a pint. Brewers can pocket this if they keep the sales price the same. If this seems like small beer, consider the fact that we drink around <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/alcohol-bulletin">7.8 billion pints</a> each year in the UK, meaning that a 0.3% cut across all beers would see industry revenue rise by £290 million a year. </p>
<p>Brewers and the British Beer and Pub Association have pointed to <a href="https://www.thedrinksbusiness.com/2023/06/from-shrinkflation-to-drinkflation-alcohol-reduced-to-ensure-prices-remain-static/">rising production costs</a> and squeezed profit margins as the justification for these reductions in strength. But concerns remain that the great British pint is becoming another casualty of the cost of living crisis.</p>
<p>But this is not a new phenomenon. Brewers have been cutting the strength of major beer brands for <a href="https://www.bmj.com/content/350/bmj.h1301">well over a decade</a>. In many cases this is done with minimal publicity and without many consumers even noticing. </p>
<p>HMRC <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/rates-and-allowance-excise-duty-alcohol-duty/alcohol-duty-rates-from-24-march-2014">collects alcohol taxes</a> on behalf of the UK Treasury and requires all alcoholic products above 1.2% to advertise their alcoholic strength on the label. But beer producers are allowed a little <a href="https://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/1996/1499/schedule/5/made">wiggle room</a> around this, provided the value on the label is within 0.5% of the true strength. </p>
<p>This is a concession to small producers who may find it hard to produce every batch to exactly the same ABV but don’t want to have to produce new labels with each small variation. </p>
<p>Molson Coors took advantage of this leeway in 2012 to <a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-41059610">reduce the strength of Carling</a> from 4% to 3.7%, but continued to label and market it as 4%. This only came to light when <a href="https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/carling-alcohol-volume-lower-than-advertised-tribunal-tax-hmrc-a7914731.html">HMRC took the company to court</a> for paying duty at the lower rate. Ultimately Carling won the court case, but this calls the strength of the contents of your can or pint glass into question. </p>
<h2>Changing tastes</h2>
<p>It is also important to point out that long-term trends in alcohol consumption have not favoured beer producers and so they may be looking for ways to recover lost revenues. In 1970, UK adults drank an average of 181 pints of beer per year. By 2021 that had fallen to 120. Over the same period, average wine consumption increased from 5 to 28 bottles per year. </p>
<p>These changes in drinking patterns have run alongside a gradual shift away from drinking in the pub to drinking at home. A couple of decades ago we drank two-thirds of our beer in pubs and bars, according to data from the British Beer and Pub Association – today it’s less then one-third. </p>
<p>COVID lockdowns and the closure of pubs for much of the pandemic has only served to accelerate these trends, as has an <a href="https://www.publichealthscotland.scot/publications/mesas-monitoring-report-2022/">ever-widening gap</a> in the price of drinks in the pub compared to the supermarket. </p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/535885/original/file-20230705-19-u5hhho.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="Line chart showing line for total pints of beer sold at pubs and line for total drunk at home converging over time." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/535885/original/file-20230705-19-u5hhho.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/535885/original/file-20230705-19-u5hhho.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=413&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/535885/original/file-20230705-19-u5hhho.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=413&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/535885/original/file-20230705-19-u5hhho.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=413&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/535885/original/file-20230705-19-u5hhho.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=518&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/535885/original/file-20230705-19-u5hhho.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=518&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/535885/original/file-20230705-19-u5hhho.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=518&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption"></span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://beerandpub.com/data-statistics/">Data from the British Beer and Pub Association, analysis by Colin Angus</a>, <span class="license">Author provided</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>There has also been a massive shift in the age profile of drinkers. Alongside <a href="https://theconversation.com/why-are-young-people-drinking-less-than-their-parents-generation-did-172225">big falls in alcohol consumption</a> among young people, who historically go to the pub far more, there have been <a href="https://www.ias.org.uk/2019/01/25/a-generation-of-hidden-drinkers-whats-happening-to-the-drinking-of-the-over-50s/">corresponding increases in drinking</a> by older age groups, who tend to favour drinking at home.</p>
<p>So the cost of living crisis has arrived at a tough time for the brewing industry. Yet, in spite of these challenging headwinds, the price of alcohol has risen much more slowly than other goods. </p>
<p>With overall inflation sitting at 20.5% since January 2021 and the price of common goods such as milk, cheese and eggs having risen by over 50%, the prices of beer, wine and spirits have risen by 13.1%, 7.2% and 8% respectively. This is less than <a href="https://www.ons.gov.uk/economy/inflationandpriceindices/datasets/consumerpriceindices">any other food and drink category</a>. And so, although average disposable income has fallen, alcohol is more affordable than at almost any point in the last 30 years.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/535888/original/file-20230705-17-sqixl8.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="Line chart showing affordability of all alcohol, beer, wine and spirits increasing between 1990 and 2020." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/535888/original/file-20230705-17-sqixl8.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/535888/original/file-20230705-17-sqixl8.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/535888/original/file-20230705-17-sqixl8.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/535888/original/file-20230705-17-sqixl8.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/535888/original/file-20230705-17-sqixl8.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/535888/original/file-20230705-17-sqixl8.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/535888/original/file-20230705-17-sqixl8.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption"></span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.ons.gov.uk/economy/inflationandpriceindices">Data from ONS, analysis by Colin Angus</a>, <span class="license">Author provided</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>All of this means that it’s little surprise to see brewers looking for ways to increase their profits. Making small reductions in alcoholic strength is one way they can do this. </p>
<p>But are consumers being cheated? People’s perspective on this will depend on their motivations for drinking beer. With shrinkflation, consumers are paying the same amount for a chocolate bar or a bag of crisps, but getting less. With “drinkflation” consumers are still getting the same amount of beer, it just contains slightly less alcohol. </p>
<p>So, only people who are drinking for the specific purpose of getting drunk are being “short-changed”. For people who are drinking beer because they like the taste, or who see beer as an important part of a social ritual, the lower alcohol content is more likely to be a positive, given that <a href="https://link.springer.com/article/10.1186/s40814-021-00777-4">people consume less alcohol</a> when drinking lower strength beer and the health benefits of reduced alcohol intake.</p>
<p>In line with this, <a href="https://www.ft.com/content/e7ff0844-06f3-4b6a-89d8-ea2f2a329cff">the low alcohol and alcohol-free beer industry</a> is growing. Most shops and many bars now offer at least one alcohol-free beer option. The UK market has also seen the launch of several lower-strength, carb and calorie versions of existing brands, such as <a href="https://www.beveragedaily.com/Article/2023/04/05/A-new-star-is-born-Heineken-Silver-brings-light-lager-shaped-for-a-new-generation-of-US-consumers">Heineken Silver</a>.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="Multiple hands raised with glasses." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/535865/original/file-20230705-27-4ubafv.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/535865/original/file-20230705-27-4ubafv.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=381&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/535865/original/file-20230705-27-4ubafv.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=381&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/535865/original/file-20230705-27-4ubafv.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=381&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/535865/original/file-20230705-27-4ubafv.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=478&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/535865/original/file-20230705-27-4ubafv.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=478&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/535865/original/file-20230705-27-4ubafv.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=478&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption"></span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/group-happy-friends-drinking-toasting-beer-1085215253">View Apart/Shutterstock</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>This puts us in an unusual situation. Reducing the alcoholic strength of beers is in the commercial interests of brewers, but it also aligns with trends in consumer demand and is likely to be a benefit to public health by reducing overall alcohol consumption. </p>
<p>It’s incredibly rare for these, usually competing, interests to be pulling in the same direction, so perhaps the current trend is something worth celebrating for almost everybody. Cheers to that.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/209167/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Colin Angus receives funding from the National Institute for Health and Care Research, World Health Organization, Scottish Government, Institute for Public Health, NHS England & NHS Improvement and Cancer Research UK. </span></em></p>
The cost of living crisis may have affected pricing for beer brands, helping brewers save money but it could also be good for people’s health.
Colin Angus, Senior Research Fellow in the Sheffield Alcohol Research Group, University of Sheffield
Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.
tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/206234
2023-05-26T15:51:13Z
2023-05-26T15:51:13Z
Why more foam makes for the best beer-drinking experience – and always has
<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/528568/original/file-20230526-27-bktphl.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=8%2C32%2C5455%2C3604&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">
</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/glasses-light-dark-beer-on-pub-391005604">Viiviien/Shutterstock</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>What makes for the ultimate beer drinking experience? Some like theirs in a frosty glass, others with a wedge of lime. But when it comes to froth – or the head as it’s commonly known – what’s the best amount and how can it be achieved?</p>
<p>Too much froth and you’re left with a smear of bubbles across your face and hanging from your nose as you desperately try to get at the beer beneath. But too little will cause problems in your stomach.</p>
<p>You see, if there’s no foam the CO<sub>2</sub> stays dissolved in the beer. If you then eat something, the foam erupts in your <a href="https://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/beer-foam-tilt-bloated-explanation-a8142506.html">stomach rather than the glass, causing beer bloat</a>. That’s why tipping a glass to avoid a frothy head is a rookie error. </p>
<p>Hoping to solve this issue, a company in Japan has designed a <a href="https://www.dezeen.com/2023/05/04/nendo-beer-can-two-pull-tabs/">beer can with two pulls</a>, which control the level of foam produced by opening the can, resulting in the perfect amount of froth. </p>
<p>This is just the most recent development in beer technology. Humanity has been chasing the perfect pint since beer’s inception, which evidence suggests was <a href="https://news.stanford.edu/press-releases/2018/09/12/crafting-beer-lereal-cultivation/#:%7E:text=Liu%20and%20her%20research%20team,the%20world%2C%E2%80%9D%20Liu%20said.">roughly 13,000 years</a> ago near Haifa, Israel – the oldest known record of human-made alcohol.</p>
<h2>Under pressure</h2>
<p>Beer consumption has evolved through the ages.</p>
<p>Those first producers and consumers of beer in Israel were the Natufian people, a group of hunter-gatherers in the eastern Mediterranean. Their beer would have been unfiltered, which made it look like thin porridge. </p>
<p>This led to the invention of beer straws around the fifth to the fourth millennium in Iran and Iraq, which featured a filter on the tip that held back the beer solids. These straws were similar in design to a modern <em><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bombilla">bombilla</a></em> (a yerba mate tea straw used for at least four centuries in South America).</p>
<p>The next significant leap in brewing was not the glass bottle, but another airtight closure: the barrel. </p>
<p>Advances in cooperage (the making of wooden casks and barrells) during the Middle Ages meant that the CO<sub>2</sub> produced by yeast during fermentation remained in the solution within the container, rather than dissipating and giving it the porridge-like consistency of previous beers. This meant beer could be held and dispensed under pressure for the first time. This inexorably altered the appearance and flavour of beer, as it became effervescent and foamy when served fresh. </p>
<p>Foam was a vital component of proper beer because it showed its freshness. </p>
<h2>A good head</h2>
<p>The foamy head was at one time called a “collar” – a term that first appeared in print in John Steinbeck’s 1945 novel <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/books/booksblog/2017/apr/25/cannery-row-sentimental-shallow-john-steinbeck">Cannery Row</a>. There seems to be no origin story attached to the monicker. And sadly, there seems less need to apply a name to beer foam since society has strayed from proper beer pouring techniques. </p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="A beer being poured." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/528569/original/file-20230526-17-e2scjz.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/528569/original/file-20230526-17-e2scjz.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/528569/original/file-20230526-17-e2scjz.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/528569/original/file-20230526-17-e2scjz.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/528569/original/file-20230526-17-e2scjz.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/528569/original/file-20230526-17-e2scjz.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/528569/original/file-20230526-17-e2scjz.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Beer should not be poured into a tipped glass.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/pouring-light-beer-into-glass-1730807953">RichelleJuniper32/Shutterstock</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Traditionally, beer was allowed to foam up so much as it was being poured that a “foam scraper” (also known as a “foam flipper” or “head cutter”) was needed to shave the excess off the glass rim. A large head was achieved by pouring the beer in an upright glass and encouraging excessive foaming. This technique dissipates the trapped CO<sub>2</sub> and brings positive flavour elements to the forefront. </p>
<p>These days you’ll notice that glasses are tipped while beer is poured. This is done to minimise foam but leads to a less pleasurable, gaseous experience instead of a creamy, toasty sip.</p>
<p>Next time you order a pint you should ask your bartender to pour the amber stuff into an upright glass. This is all to say, don’t fear the foam, it’s integral to your enjoyment.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/206234/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Anistatia Renard Miller does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>
If your beer has no foam you could end up with terrible bloat.
Anistatia Renard Miller, PhD in History, University of Bristol
Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.
tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/201928
2023-05-19T12:39:53Z
2023-05-19T12:39:53Z
Craft breweries are fermenting change, addressing local ills while serving local ales
<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/526855/original/file-20230517-21-v0lvn4.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=4%2C0%2C2991%2C1580&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Portland, Maine's Rising Tide Brewery supports 'economic development, LGBTQ+ rights, BIPOC equality ... and stewardship of Maine’s natural environment.'</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/news-photo/booming-microbrewery-industry-has-led-to-a-shortage-of-the-news-photo/502244098?adppopup=true">John Ewing/Portland Portland Press Herald via Getty Images</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>Some scholars say beer and wine – and fermentation in general – <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2013/03/17/opinion/sunday/how-beer-gave-us-civilization.html">helped develop civilization</a> and shaped culture and landscapes over millennia. </p>
<p>Today, craft breweries, <a href="https://www.brewersassociation.org/statistics-and-data/craft-brewer-definition/">which are by definition small and independent</a> and thus focus their production on innovative, small-scale methods rather than industrialized, mass-produced ones, are still playing that role. </p>
<p>They are increasingly prominent players in America’s social and environmental landscape, helping to produce what some people call <a href="https://www.nebraskapress.unl.edu/nebraska/9781496207760/">fermented landscapes</a>. They serve as community partners, and sometimes community leaders, to make change happen. </p>
<p>And you thought you were just going out for a beer.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/526887/original/file-20230517-21-htxbtk.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="A screenshot of a webpage with sections headlined 'Black is beautiful,' 'Our work continues' and 'Details.'" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/526887/original/file-20230517-21-htxbtk.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/526887/original/file-20230517-21-htxbtk.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=453&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/526887/original/file-20230517-21-htxbtk.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=453&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/526887/original/file-20230517-21-htxbtk.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=453&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/526887/original/file-20230517-21-htxbtk.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=569&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/526887/original/file-20230517-21-htxbtk.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=569&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/526887/original/file-20230517-21-htxbtk.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=569&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">On its website, the Madison, Wisc., women-owned craft brewery Giant Jones describes some of the social justice issues it’s involved in.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://giantjones.com/about/">Giant Jones website screenshot</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>Brewing change</h2>
<p><a href="https://doi.org/10.1080/24694452.2022.2149462">In recent research</a> I conducted with colleagues <a href="https://faculty.txst.edu/profile/2207272">Delorean Wiley</a>, <a href="https://scholar.google.fr/citations?user=bZIiX2QAAAAJ&hl=en">Walter Furness</a> and <a href="https://digital.library.txstate.edu/concept/c6c95d2f-f2cc-48a9-986c-10cf0548bee5">Katherine Sturdivant</a>, we found that craft breweries involve themselves in social and political change in three major areas: the environment, community and individual well-being, and the economy, the latter ranging from issues related to employee benefits to profit-sharing. </p>
<p>Consumers can see this advocacy in action in a variety of ways. </p>
<p><div data-react-class="InstagramEmbed" data-react-props="{"url":"https://www.instagram.com/p/CqQ5CXvvKw0","accessToken":"127105130696839|b4b75090c9688d81dfd245afe6052f20"}"></div></p>
<p>For example: Have you ever been to your favorite local brewery while they’ve hosted a local pet shelter adoption day? Or perhaps grabbed a pint amid a pop-up art exhibit? Perhaps you have purchased a funny – punny – or endearing beer named after a local cause? </p>
<p>All of these are ways that craft brewers are engaging with their communities, and how beer drinkers are taking part in change rooted in their backyards.</p>
<p>Although craft breweries still account for a relatively small proportion of the brewing industry overall – <a href="https://www.brewersassociation.org/statistics-and-data/national-beer-stats/">just over 13% by production volume and just under 27% by retail sales</a> – their reach is wide and deep. </p>
<p>By 2018, 85% of people over the age of 21 in the United States had a craft brewery <a href="https://cdn.brewersassociation.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/BA18-Year-in-Review-Infographic.pdf">within 10 miles of their residence</a>. Since 2018, the number of craft breweries has increased more than 28%, growing from just over 7,000 to just over 9,000 craft breweries in the nation, suggesting breweries are only further saturating towns and cities. </p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/526890/original/file-20230517-11056-2703gn.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="An instagram post about a dog adoption event at a brewery." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/526890/original/file-20230517-11056-2703gn.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/526890/original/file-20230517-11056-2703gn.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=329&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/526890/original/file-20230517-11056-2703gn.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=329&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/526890/original/file-20230517-11056-2703gn.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=329&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/526890/original/file-20230517-11056-2703gn.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=413&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/526890/original/file-20230517-11056-2703gn.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=413&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/526890/original/file-20230517-11056-2703gn.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=413&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Humble Sea Brewing in Santa Cruz, Calif., hosted a dog adoption event on May 11, 2023, in partnership with the county animal shelter.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.instagram.com/p/Cr_gT1uvX_q/">Humble Sea Brewing Instagram account screenshot</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>Linking beer to the environment and community</h2>
<p>Craft breweries advocate for a wide range of topics. We found that the most common forms of advocacy involved representing nature positively, in both imagery and text, and promoting local community issues, such as local charities. </p>
<p>Beer labels convey information about the beer but also about the brewer’s priorities and interests. For example, images of mountains or trees or outdoor activities might invoke environmental values in consumers. Or, a beer might be named after a particular local cause as a way to bring attention to an issue of concern.</p>
<p>These themes – positive representations of nature and supporting local community issues or charities – accounted for nearly half, or 44%, of the total instances of advocacy we saw. </p>
<p>Other advocacy priorities we saw included bids for wildlife conservation, supporting sustainability initiatives, promoting public spaces, defending LGBTQIA+ rights and inclusion, fighting hunger, or homelessness and celebrating first responders and other front-line workers. </p>
<p>Nearly half of the breweries focused their advocacy activities on holding events, donating money, or sourcing the ingredients used to produce the beer locally or sustainably. So a brewery might host a water conservation workshop, or donate a portion of profits to a selected cause, or commit to using only grain grown and processed in state. </p>
<p>But advocacy takes many other forms for breweries, too, which is in keeping with craft brewers’ spirit of innovation and independence. </p>
<p>That advocacy includes operating an affiliated nonprofit organization; composting, recycling or generating renewable energy; using GMO-free or ethically sourced ingredients; or having at least one female owner.</p>
<p>Nearly half – 43% – of the breweries sampled were doing some sort of social advocacy, further cementing the role of craft breweries as important players in their communities. This comports with their long-standing reputation for being community-oriented entities, a characteristic <a href="https://www.brewersassociation.org/statistics-and-data/craft-brewer-definition/">acknowledged by the Brewers Association</a> and <a href="https://medium.com/thoughtmatter/beer-for-the-people-206e77ea48d0">beyond</a>.</p>
<p>Nearly a third of the breweries sampled in our study engaged in environmental advocacy through representations of nature in website images, label art or beer names. Whether this level of engagement substantively reflects the values – reflected in the recreational habits, political ideologies, beliefs about quality or sourcing – of the clientele, the owners of the establishments, both or neither, is harder to discern. At the very least, it means that environmental imagery is a popular means for marketing craft beer as a local product.</p>
<h2>Room for improvement</h2>
<p>Very few breweries – just 1% of the sample – made direct donations of profits, despite “cause beer” as <a href="https://www.kvue.com/article/news/local/austin-brewery-teams-up-with-equality-texas-for-special-pride-label/269-32170e02-3bb4-4413-aaeb-2f21e7644407">a highly visible example of brewery advocacy</a>. The dearth of economically focused advocacy may be a reflection of the already tight margins that most of these enterprises operate under. </p>
<p>Also, despite gains in terms of diversity and inclusion following the release of <a href="https://www.brewersassociation.org/programs/diversity/">the Brewers Association’s best practices</a>, which include hiring more women and members of marginalized groups and fostering more inclusive spaces and policies, the pace of change has been slow. </p>
<p>Thus, women and other marginalized groups – including LGBTQIA+ communities – continue to be underrepresented in the world of craft brewing, including among the brewery workforce. But there are some <a href="https://extension.psu.edu/advocacy-in-craft-brewing-best-practices-for-brewing-change-in-communities">efforts underway to change that</a>.</p>
<p>So, while there is <a href="https://craftedforall.com">opportunity for more profound change</a> in the industry, the evidence suggests breweries are stepping up to the plate to try to enact it.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/201928/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Colleen C. Myles does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>
And you thought you were just going out for a beer.
Colleen C. Myles, Associate Professor of Geography, Texas State University
Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.
tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/201460
2023-05-16T02:09:10Z
2023-05-16T02:09:10Z
An expert’s guide to drinking beer for people who don’t do well with gluten
<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/525819/original/file-20230512-36633-a21m89.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=0%2C85%2C5184%2C3360&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">
</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Shutterstock</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>It’s estimated coeliac disease affects <a href="https://www.cghjournal.org/article/s1542-3565(17)30783-8/fulltext">1.4% of the world’s population</a> – a staggering 112,000,000 people or so in total. </p>
<p>People with this condition develop an abnormal immune reaction when they consume gluten – a protein found in grains including barley, wheat and rye. It can damage the lining of their small intestine and lead to a range of (often debilitating) symptoms. </p>
<p>Coeliacs are forced to forgo glutenous food and drinks, including bread, pasta, cakes, biscuits, pastries and, of course, beer – which has malted barley as its main ingredient. Other alcoholic beverages are <a href="https://www.coeliac.org.au/s/article/A-gluten-free-diet-and-alcohol">considered gluten-free</a> (although diligence is still required since drinks can have flavours added after distillation).</p>
<p>Brewers around the world work on producing beers that can be enjoyed by people with coeliac disease, or general gluten sensitivity. They achieve this through two common approaches: </p>
<ol>
<li>making beer with grains that don’t contain gluten</li>
<li>breaking down the gluten into smaller compounds during the manufacturing process.</li>
</ol>
<p>The former approach is widely used in Australia and New Zealand. </p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/everything-you-need-to-know-about-coeliac-disease-and-whether-you-really-have-it-4928">Everything you need to know about coeliac disease (and whether you really have it)</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<h2>How they make gluten-free beer</h2>
<p>Consider your breakfast. Did you eat rice bubbles, corn flakes or puffed wheat? Each one of these cereals will give you energy to start your day, but only the last one contains gluten. </p>
<p>Similarly, brewers can use gluten-free grain such as sorghum, buckwheat or rice to try to replicate the flavour of beer, but without the gluten. Beers produced in this way are truly “gluten-free”. They contain none at all.</p>
<p>But brewing with these alternative grains isn’t as common or straightforward as brewing with barley. </p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/525816/original/file-20230512-36129-59q94e.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="A bowl of sorghum grains, with some plant strands taken from a sorghum crop next to it." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/525816/original/file-20230512-36129-59q94e.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/525816/original/file-20230512-36129-59q94e.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=464&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/525816/original/file-20230512-36129-59q94e.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=464&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/525816/original/file-20230512-36129-59q94e.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=464&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/525816/original/file-20230512-36129-59q94e.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=583&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/525816/original/file-20230512-36129-59q94e.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=583&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/525816/original/file-20230512-36129-59q94e.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=583&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Sorghum is related to sugar cane and is eaten by people in many parts of the world. In Australia it’s mainly used as cattle feed.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Shutterstock</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Think back to your breakfast: all three cereals are suitable enough, but they don’t taste the same. While there is plenty of diversity in beer flavours, all commonly consumed beer has the underlying flavour of malted barley. This is the taste beer drinkers have come to know and love.</p>
<p>Brewing processes for gluten-free beer must be modified to accommodate the unusual characteristics of alternative grains. For example, barley has a husk, which is used for filtration while making beer. Gluten-free grains tend to not have husks, so rice husks might be added in. </p>
<p>Also, if a particular brewery produces both gluten-free and gluten-containing beer, then gluten contamination is possible. That’s why most Australian breweries that produce gluten-free beer do so in a dedicated facility.</p>
<h2>How they make gluten-reduced beer</h2>
<p>The natural role of gluten in the barley plant is to provide nutrients to the seedling for germination. Given gluten’s importance to the life cycle of the plant, it’s inevitable some gluten will end up in beer that’s made using barley. In which case, the gluten must then be removed.</p>
<p>To do this, brewers treat the beer with an enzyme called a prolyl endopeptidase (PEP), which is traditionally used to clarify beer by removing hazes formed by proteins. </p>
<p>The PEP enzyme can “recognise” specific parts of the gluten protein and break them down into smaller compounds that don’t cause an immune response in coeliacs.</p>
<p>These beers can be considered “gluten-reduced”. They aren’t <a href="https://pubs.acs.org/doi/abs/10.1021/acs.jafc.7b03742?src=recsys">completely gluten-free</a>. Whether they are safe to be consumed by coeliacs is a <a href="https://www.webmd.com/diet/what-to-know-about-gluten-free-beer#">matter of debate</a> among health professionals. Some coelics can tolerate one or two gluten-reduced beers, while others can’t tolerate any.</p>
<p>Research has found gluten-reduced beers would induce an immune response that could be detected through a blood test in <a href="https://gfco.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/Beer-Study-JAOAC-Vol.-100-No.-2-Allred-et-al.pdf">two out of 31 coeliac patients</a>. </p>
<p>People who are very sensitive to gluten should exercise caution when considering gluten-reduced beers.</p>
<h2>Different countries, different standards</h2>
<p>The US Food and Drug Administration states that foods, including beer, with less than 20 parts per million (ppm) gluten can be labelled <a href="https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2020/08/13/2020-17088/food-labeling-gluten-free-labeling-of-fermented-or-hydrolyzed-foods">gluten-free</a>. </p>
<p>The rule in Europe is the same; products containing no more than 20 ppm are considered “<a href="https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=CELEX:32014R0828">gluten-free</a>”. An additional category of “very low gluten” can be used to describe products containing up to 100 ppm.</p>
<p>Australia and New Zealand, by contrast, have some of the strictest legislation concerning gluten-free labelling. By Food Standards Australia New Zealand’s (FSANZ) <a href="https://www.foodstandards.gov.au/code/Documents/Sched%204%20Nutrition%20and%20health%20claims%20v159.pdf">criteria</a>, products containing 20 ppm or less can be labelled “low gluten”, but not gluten-free. To be labelled gluten-free, the beer must not contain any detectable gluten whatsoever.</p>
<p>In other words take note of where your beer was brewed, because it makes a difference. Products sold in Australia and New Zealand adhere to stricter labelling regulations than other countries. Low levels of gluten have been detected in <a href="https://www.mja.com.au/system/files/issues/205_07/10.5694mja16.00485.pdf">foods</a> produced overseas and sold as “gluten-free” in Australia. The same could be true for imported beers.</p>
<p>Fortunately, most gluten-free beers available in Australia and New Zealand are produced here, so country-specific labelling might be a bigger issue for the jet-setting beer drinker.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/525817/original/file-20230512-37210-yvsl79.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="Many rows of German beer bottles are lined up on a wooden table, with signs above them." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/525817/original/file-20230512-37210-yvsl79.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/525817/original/file-20230512-37210-yvsl79.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/525817/original/file-20230512-37210-yvsl79.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/525817/original/file-20230512-37210-yvsl79.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/525817/original/file-20230512-37210-yvsl79.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/525817/original/file-20230512-37210-yvsl79.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/525817/original/file-20230512-37210-yvsl79.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Take note when travelling: different countries have different standards for what can be labelled as ‘gluten-free’ or ‘gluten-reduced’ beer.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Shutterstock</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>Not just for coeliacs</h2>
<p>People who aren’t coeliacs can still have allergies and aversions to gluten – and this may be more common than you think. A 2020 <a href="https://www.mja.com.au/journal/2020/212/3/incidence-and-prevalence-self-reported-non-coeliac-wheat-sensitivity-and-gluten">study in Australia</a> found almost one-quarter of people interviewed chose to avoid gluten in their diet, even though only 1% of respondents were coeliacs.</p>
<p>Just like the boom in <a href="https://theconversation.com/were-getting-really-good-at-making-alcohol-free-beer-and-wine-heres-how-its-done-193318">alcohol-free beers</a>, the range of gluten-free beers is expanding. Brewers are producing exciting new beers not just for coeliacs but also for other people who may be conscious about their gluten intake.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/201460/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>The authors do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>
What’s the difference between gluten-free and gluten-reduced? And why does the country of production make a difference?
David Bean, Senior Lecturer in Microbiology and Fermentation Technology, Federation University Australia
Andrew Greenhill, Associate Professor in Microbiology and Fermentation Technology, Federation University Australia
Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.
tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/202573
2023-04-27T05:16:58Z
2023-04-27T05:16:58Z
How we discovered the true origins of a pint of lager – new research
<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/517440/original/file-20230324-22-nprn5a.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=0%2C0%2C5449%2C3622&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Researchers have uncovered the likely genesis of the yeast used to make lager.</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/group-multicultural-friends-drinking-toasting-beer-1957298368">DavidedeAngelini / Shutterstock</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>Despite a surge in interest in craft beers and ales, lager continues to dominate global sales, with <a href="https://www.statista.com/outlook/cmo/alcoholic-drinks/beer/worldwide">more than 150 billion litres</a> consumed around the world every year.</p>
<p>Lager is a beer brewed at low temperatures using yeast that are described as “bottom-fermenting”. Yeast are single-celled fungi used in brewing to <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brewing">convert maltose to alcohol and carbon dioxide</a>, giving beer its booziness and fizz. They are either top- or bottom-fermenting. </p>
<p>In top fermentation, which occurs at warmer temperatures, the yeast cells collect near the surface of the fermenting liquid. In bottom fermentation, which occurs at cooler temperatures, the yeast is carried to the bottom of the fermenting liquid. Ales (which pre-date lager) have traditionally been made using the top-fermenting yeast species <em>Saccharomyces cerevisiae</em>.</p>
<p>The origins of the bottom-fermenting lager yeast <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saccharomyces_pastorianus"><em>Saccharomyces pastorianus</em></a> have long been shrouded in mystery and controversy. However, by combining historical research with modern science, a team of scientists from the <a href="https://www.tum.de/en/">Technical University of Munich</a> and <a href="https://www.ucc.ie/en/">University College Cork</a> (including myself) have uncovered the likely genesis – and path to world dominance – of <em>S. pastorianus</em>.</p>
<p>This discovery started with the study of old central European brewing records by the Munich-based scientists Franz Meussdoerffer and Martin Zarnkow. It’s a tale of power, economics, science and innovation – with some sex thrown in for good measure. </p>
<p>But in short, the mating of the yeast species <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saccharomyces_cerevisiae"><em>S. cerevisiae</em></a> from Bohemia with the Bavarian yeast <em>Saccharomyces eubayanus</em> in Munich at the start of the 17th century gave rise to the first lager yeast strain.</p>
<p>Until now, prevailing wisdom had been that the emergence of bottom fermentation in brewing coincided with the genesis of <em>S. pastorianus</em>. However, among many intriguing discoveries in our new report in the journal <a href="https://academic.oup.com/femsyr/article-lookup/doi/10.1093/femsyr/foad023">FEMS Yeast Research</a> is the finding that bottom fermentation in southern Germany pre-dated the birth of <em>S. pastorianus</em> by at least 200 years.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="Dark beer" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/519878/original/file-20230406-18-vejhd2.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/519878/original/file-20230406-18-vejhd2.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/519878/original/file-20230406-18-vejhd2.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/519878/original/file-20230406-18-vejhd2.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/519878/original/file-20230406-18-vejhd2.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/519878/original/file-20230406-18-vejhd2.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/519878/original/file-20230406-18-vejhd2.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">At one time, most Bavarian beers were as dark as this one.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/mug-dark-beer-on-brown-background-2265743231">AlekSa Photo / Shutterstock</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>In fact, bottom fermentation originated in northern Bavaria. Not only was it common practice in this part of Germany, but the Bavarian Reinheitsgebot brewing regulations of 1516 only permitted bottom fermentation. Thus, from at least the 16th century onwards, Bavarian brown beer was produced by mixtures of different bottom-fermenting yeast species known as “stellhefen”. </p>
<h2>Exception to the rule</h2>
<p>These mixtures were dominated by yeast that preferred the lower temperatures that prevailed in Bavaria at this time, a hangover from the <a href="https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2019/04/01/how-the-little-ice-age-changed-history">medieval little ice age</a>. Meanwhile the historic region of Bohemia, to the northeast, was under different political rule. Here, ales – including wheat beer – were produced with a preference for the top-fermenting species <em>S. cerevisiae</em>.</p>
<p>The 1516 Rheinheitsgebot barred Bavarians from brewing wheat beer, which led to a vibrant export market in the wheat-based beverages from Bohemia to Bavaria. This resulted in a loss of income to the Bavarian nobility who controlled brewing. Eventually, in 1548, the nobleman Hans VI von Degenberg was granted the privilege of brewing wheat beer in Bavaria, and his family built a famous wheat brewery in the town of Schwarzach.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="Brewing records." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/522598/original/file-20230424-25-u53w6r.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/522598/original/file-20230424-25-u53w6r.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=800&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/522598/original/file-20230424-25-u53w6r.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=800&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/522598/original/file-20230424-25-u53w6r.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=800&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/522598/original/file-20230424-25-u53w6r.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=1005&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/522598/original/file-20230424-25-u53w6r.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=1005&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/522598/original/file-20230424-25-u53w6r.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=1005&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Researchers found key information in old brewing records from Germany and central Europe.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Mathias Hutzler</span>, <span class="license">Author provided</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>But privileges needed to be protected. When Hans VIII Sigmund von Degenberg, grandson of Hans VI, died without an heir in 1602, his property, including the brewery, was seized by <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maximilian_I,_Holy_Roman_Emperor">Maximilian I</a>, then duke of Bavaria and later prince-elector of the Holy Roman Empire. Historical records show that on October 24 1602, top-fermenting yeast was brought to the duke’s <a href="https://www.hofbraeu-muenchen.de/en">Hofbräuhaus brewery in Munich</a> where, at the time, the brewing of wheat beer alternated with the making of traditional barley-based Bavarian brown beer.</p>
<h2>Top to bottom</h2>
<p>My colleagues and I propose that, by the time a dedicated wheat beer brewery had opened in 1607, yeasts from within the top-fermenting Schwarzach wheat beer yeast mixture and the bottom-fermenting Munich Hofbräühaus stellhefen had mated, creating the new species we now know as <em>S. pastorianus</em>. Thus, sex in a beer cellar created the direct ancestor of all modern lager yeast strains. </p>
<p>This theory is consistent with published genetic evidence showing that the <em>S. cerevisiae</em> parent of <em>S. pastorianus</em> was closer to ones used to brew wheat beer than strains used for barley-based ale.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="Rock cellar in Franconia." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/522599/original/file-20230424-14-lv4tj0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/522599/original/file-20230424-14-lv4tj0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=800&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/522599/original/file-20230424-14-lv4tj0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=800&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/522599/original/file-20230424-14-lv4tj0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=800&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/522599/original/file-20230424-14-lv4tj0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=1005&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/522599/original/file-20230424-14-lv4tj0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=1005&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/522599/original/file-20230424-14-lv4tj0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=1005&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">One of the rock cellars in Franconia where bottom fermentation was established in the 14th and 15th centuries.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Mathias Hutzler</span>, <span class="license">Author provided</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>That is not the end of the story, however. Two hundred years later, in 1806, the recruitment by the Munich Hofbräuhaus of a new master brewer, Gabriel Sedlmayr the Elder, transformed the world of beer forever. </p>
<p>Although Sedlmayr resigned and purchased the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spatenbr%C3%A4u">Oberspatenbräu</a> brewery after only a year, he took yeast mixtures with him and established a very successful brewing system based on technological innovation and links to local academics.</p>
<p>Later known as the Späten breweries, the enterprise begun by Sedlmayr became a centre of excellence that attracted brewers from all over Europe, who returned home with the Munich technology – and its yeasts. Among them was <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/J._C._Jacobsen">J.C. Jacobsen</a>, founder of the Carlsberg brewery, who took the Munich stellhefen back to Denmark’s capital Copenhagen in 1845. </p>
<p>It was there, in 1883, that Emil Christian Hansen isolated the first pure strains of <em>S. pastorianus</em>. Jacobsen and Hansen of the Carlsberg brewery, Gabriel Sedlmayr the Younger, and Luis Aubry, a brewing scientist and microbiologist at the Munich Research Station, shared a friendship based on a passion for beer and progress. This contributed to some fertile scientific and technological exchanges between them.</p>
<p>Not long afterwards, the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paul_Lindner">German scientist Paul Lindner</a>, working at the Berlin Institute, <a href="https://books.google.co.uk/books/about/Mikroskopische_Betriebskontrolle_in_den.html?id=1VFIAAAAYAAJ&redir_esc=y">also isolated</a> <em>S. pastorianus</em> from mixtures derived originally from the Späten breweries, which were now in wide circulation among Munich breweries. </p>
<p>All modern lineages of <em>S. pastorianus</em> can be traced to the work of Hansen and Lindner, and so are ultimately descended from the Hofbräuhaus stellhefen. </p>
<p>Further intrigue followed, including bitter inter-brewery rivalries and heated academic debates about the evolutionary relationships between different strains. But for now, we can rest happy in the knowledge that a crucial missing piece has been found in the account of how the pint of lager was born.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/202573/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>John Morrissey receives research funding from the European Union, Science Foundation Ireland and Enterprise Ireland.</span></em></p>
Little-known documents and scientific detective work helped pinpoint the origin of lager.
John Morrissey, Lecturer in Microbiology, University College Cork
Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.
tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/195907
2023-04-10T20:01:47Z
2023-04-10T20:01:47Z
Australia’s system of taxing alcohol is ‘incoherent’, but our research suggests a single tax rate isn’t the answer
<p>The best word to describe the way Australia taxes alcoholic drinks is “<a href="https://cdn.theconversation.com/static_files/files/2531/2009_Henry_Tax_Review_Alcohol.pdf">incoherent</a>”.</p>
<p>It was the word used by the 2010 <a href="https://cdn.theconversation.com/static_files/files/2532/Henry_Tax_Review_alcohol_chapter-compressed.pdf">Henry Tax Review</a> to describe a <a href="https://www.aph.gov.au/About_Parliament/Parliamentary_Departments/Parliamentary_Budget_Office/Publications/Research_reports/Alcohol_taxation_Australia">system</a> in which some wine effectively faces <a href="https://www.ato.gov.au/business/wine-equalisation-tax/producer-rebate/">no alcohol tax</a>, expensive wine is taxed heavily and cask wine lightly, beer (but not wine) is taxed by alcohol content, <a href="https://www.thespiritsbusiness.com/2023/01/call-to-fix-spirits-tax-system-in-australia/">brandy</a> is taxed less than other spirits, and <a href="https://www.cideraustralia.org.au/resources/regulation/">cider</a> is taxed differently to beer.</p>
<p>Industry calculations suggest cask wine is taxed at as little as <a href="https://australiandistillers.org.au/news/13077677">six cents</a> per standard drink, mid-price wine at 26 cents, bottled beer at 56 cents, and spirits at $1.24.</p>
<hr>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/519724/original/file-20230406-22-e6emfc.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/519724/original/file-20230406-22-e6emfc.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/519724/original/file-20230406-22-e6emfc.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=214&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/519724/original/file-20230406-22-e6emfc.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=214&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/519724/original/file-20230406-22-e6emfc.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=214&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/519724/original/file-20230406-22-e6emfc.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=269&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/519724/original/file-20230406-22-e6emfc.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=269&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/519724/original/file-20230406-22-e6emfc.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=269&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption"></span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://australiandistillers.org.au/news/13077677">Australian Distillers Association</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<hr>
<p>And yet it is cask wine that is often said to <a href="https://www.news.com.au/lifestyle/food/drink/cask-wine-partially-banned-in-geraldton-wa-after-spike-in-alcoholrelated-violence/news-story/012d107db4f3963c06b38535f0ab7c39">do the most damage</a>.</p>
<p>The Henry Review recommended taxing all drinks containing more than a small amount of alcohol at the <a href="https://cdn.theconversation.com/static_files/files/2532/Henry_Tax_Review_alcohol_chapter-compressed.pdf">same rate</a> per unit of alcohol, regardless of type. It was a recommendation backed by specialists in <a href="https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1759-3441.2010.00063.x">Australia’s tax system</a>.</p>
<p>Implicit, and largely unexamined, in these recommendations is the assumption that alcohol does the same damage in whatever form it is taken.</p>
<p>Our <a href="https://doi.org/10.1111/1475-4932.12704">new study</a>, linking drinkers’ risky behaviours to the types of alcoholic beverages they mostly consume, finds this isn’t so.</p>
<h2>Damage depends on the type of drink</h2>
<p>Using data from six waves of an <a href="https://www.aihw.gov.au/getmedia/3564474e-f7ad-461c-b918-7f8de03d1294/aihw-phe-270-NDSHS-2019.pdf.aspx">Australian recreational drug survey</a>, we find that regular-strength beer and pre-mixed spirits in a can rank among the highest in their links to both drink-driving and hazardous, disturbing or abusive behaviours. </p>
<p>Mid-range are mid-strength beer, cask wine, and bottled spirits and liqueurs.</p>
<p>At the bottom are low-strength beer and pre-mixed spirits in a bottle, which have the weakest links to risky and abusive behaviours when intoxicated.</p>
<hr>
<p><strong>Probability of drink driving, by age and beverage type</strong></p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/519738/original/file-20230406-16-t6mkm9.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/519738/original/file-20230406-16-t6mkm9.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/519738/original/file-20230406-16-t6mkm9.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=377&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/519738/original/file-20230406-16-t6mkm9.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=377&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/519738/original/file-20230406-16-t6mkm9.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=377&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/519738/original/file-20230406-16-t6mkm9.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=474&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/519738/original/file-20230406-16-t6mkm9.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=474&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/519738/original/file-20230406-16-t6mkm9.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=474&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">RSB = Regular-Strength Beer; LSB = Low-Strength Beer; MSB = Mid-Strength Beer; BW = Bottled Wine; FW = Fortified Wine; CW = Cask Wine; PMSC = Pre-Mixed Spirits in a Can; PMSB = Pre-Mixed Spirits in a Bottle; BS = Bottled Spirits and Liqueurs.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/1475-4932.12704">Source: Economic Record</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<hr>
<p>Some of the relationships vary with the type of damage. While bottled wine is linked to a moderate to high probability of drink-driving, it is also linked to a low probability of hazardous, disturbing or abusive behaviours. </p>
<p>Pre-mixed spirits in a bottle are related to a low probability of both drink driving and hazardous, disturbing and abusive behaviours. But when account is taken of the gender of the drinkers (so-called alcopops are typically drunk by females), we find them no longer as safe.</p>
<hr>
<p><strong>Probability of hazardous, disturbing or abusive behaviour</strong></p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/519743/original/file-20230406-18-i30zeg.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/519743/original/file-20230406-18-i30zeg.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/519743/original/file-20230406-18-i30zeg.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=380&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/519743/original/file-20230406-18-i30zeg.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=380&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/519743/original/file-20230406-18-i30zeg.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=380&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/519743/original/file-20230406-18-i30zeg.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=477&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/519743/original/file-20230406-18-i30zeg.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=477&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/519743/original/file-20230406-18-i30zeg.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=477&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">RSB = Regular-Strength Beer; LSB = Low-Strength Beer; MSB = Mid-Strength Beer; BW = Bottled Wine; FW = Fortified Wine; CW = Cask Wine; PMSC = Pre-Mixed Spirits in a Can; PMSB = Pre-Mixed Spirits in a Bottle; BS = Bottled Spirits and Liqueurs.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/1475-4932.12704">Source: Economic Record</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<hr>
<p>Our study suggests that Australia’s haphazard system of taxing alcohol might have got some things right. Beer, which is typically taxed more highly than wine, seems to do more damage.</p>
<p>But it has got some things wrong. Cask wine appears to be significantly undertaxed relative to the damage it does.</p>
<p>More broadly, our findings suggest that if alcohol is to be taxed according to the damage it does, the tax system we adopt will need to be more complicated than a single rate for every unit of alcohol regardless of the form in which it comes.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/195907/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>The authors do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>
Beer does more social damage than wine, suggesting it’s right to tax it more highly. But cask wine seems to be significantly undertaxed.
Ou Yang, Research Fellow, The University of Melbourne
Preety Pratima Srivastava, Senior Lecturer, RMIT University
Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.
tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/198923
2023-02-14T17:39:47Z
2023-02-14T17:39:47Z
Why craft beer fosters better communities than its corporate competitors
<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/507371/original/file-20230131-14-dcs65l.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=209%2C0%2C6974%2C3790&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Craft beer now represents 13.1% of overall sales of beer in the US. </span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/craft-beer-booze-brew-alcohol-celebrate-564404707">Rawpixel.com / Shutterstock</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>Craft beer is big business. In 2021, craft beer sales in the US (the biggest beer market by sales) <a href="https://www.brewersassociation.org/statistics-and-data/national-beer-stats/">totaled US$26.8 billion</a> (£22 billion) and represented 13.1% of overall sales of beer. And it’s a growing market.</p>
<p>In 2015 there were 4,803 craft breweries in the US, <a href="https://www.brewersassociation.org/statistics-and-data/national-beer-stats/">by 2021 there were 9,118</a>. The number of UK craft breweries, in that same period grew from 1,527 to 1,755. While the sales and growth are impressive, what matters more is what these figures represent – a growing interest in a superior quality beer from both producers and consumers.</p>
<p>Equally important is the ideological shift in the beer market they signify. Big beer (large corporate breweries such as AB Inbev) singularly seeks and values profit. Craft beer, while also motivated by profit, equally values community, quality and independence.</p>
<h2>A brief history of craft beer</h2>
<p>The craft beer movement <a href="https://ray.yorksj.ac.uk/id/eprint/7197/">began as an act of resistance</a>. In the years after the second world war, the beer market had become controlled by big, corporate beer producers who offered little in the way of variety or quality.</p>
<p>Mediocre lagers produced by the likes Budweiser or Heineken <a href="https://www.researchgate.net/publication/237260016_Energy_Efficiency_Improvement_and_Cost_Saving_Opportunities_for_Breweries_An_ENERGY_STARR_Guide_for_Energy_and_Plant_Managers/figures?lo=1">dominated the market</a> to such a degree that they were basically the only choice. Early craft brewers refused to accept this and began researching forgotten beer styles, honing their brewing skills and putting business plans together.</p>
<p>Their efforts produced better and more interesting beers, but through their rejection of corporate beer’s profit-over-all ideology, they also produced a new community of enthusiasts with a value system that distinguished them from the corporate beer scene.</p>
<h2>What makes a craft beer ‘authentic’?</h2>
<p>The values of the craft beer community (what it considers important about itself) <a href="https://ray.yorksj.ac.uk/id/eprint/7197/">revolve around authenticity and community membership</a>.</p>
<p>Being seen as more or less in line with these values is how individuals or breweries rise and fall in status. According to anthropologist <a href="https://eprints.lse.ac.uk/53220/1/Graeber_Value_brings_universes_2016.pdf">David Graeber</a>, these values are also how the craft beer scene works to increase the status of craft beer within the rest of society.</p>
<p>For craft producers, authenticity is judged on production size (the smaller the better) and if, as <a href="https://www.google.co.uk/books/edition/Producing_and_Consuming_the_Craft_Beer_M/UdCsEAAAQBAJ">Graeber explains</a>, they “use the best ingredients, work slowly and purposefully, make the best beer possible, and care about every step in the process”.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="Two friends cheers their craft beers together." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/507646/original/file-20230201-10491-72sxwv.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/507646/original/file-20230201-10491-72sxwv.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/507646/original/file-20230201-10491-72sxwv.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/507646/original/file-20230201-10491-72sxwv.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/507646/original/file-20230201-10491-72sxwv.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/507646/original/file-20230201-10491-72sxwv.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/507646/original/file-20230201-10491-72sxwv.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Craft beer consumers become members in good standing by discussing craft products with other beer drinkers.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/group-black-friends-sitting-dining-table-2038183505">bbernard / Shutterstock</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>The idea of authenticity for craft consumers is more nuanced – they may not always drink craft beer, but still consider themselves members of the community. For enthusiasts, community membership is built around a shared interest in craft beer and a shared understanding of the group ideology.</p>
<p>Good reputation in the community for craft beer producers is achieved by making great beer, being present at beer festivals, partnering with pubs for tap takeovers and educating people so they can better appreciate craft beer. It’s also achieved by working and sharing resources with other craft breweries.</p>
<p>Craft beer consumers become members in good standing by exhibiting their knowledge of craft beer, drinking it and discussing and promoting it to others. <a href="https://eprints.lse.ac.uk/53220/1/Graeber_Value_brings_universes_2016.pdf">All of this</a> reinforces the community’s values but also works to recruit new members.</p>
<h2>Craft values in practice</h2>
<p>These values are not merely ideological – they manifest in practice. Craft beer festivals that showcase and promote craft beer as a better and more community-engaged option are examples of this, as are craft beer bars and pubs. But there are a few exemplary stories in the craft scene that really highlight its values and ideology.</p>
<p>During the great hops shortage of 2008, the industry was left scrambling. Jim Koch, of Boston Beer Company, opened <a href="https://www.supermarketnews.com/center-store/sam-adams-shares-its-hops">his hops reserve</a> exclusively to craft brewers so that they could continue to participate in the market.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="Friends try different beers at a craft beer festival." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/507662/original/file-20230201-11291-jyhvu6.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/507662/original/file-20230201-11291-jyhvu6.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/507662/original/file-20230201-11291-jyhvu6.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/507662/original/file-20230201-11291-jyhvu6.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/507662/original/file-20230201-11291-jyhvu6.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/507662/original/file-20230201-11291-jyhvu6.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/507662/original/file-20230201-11291-jyhvu6.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
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<span class="caption">Friends try different beers at a craft beer festival.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Shutterstock</span></span>
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</figure>
<p>At a time when he could have squeezed needy breweries for profit, Koch asked that they pay only what the hops had cost. This cemented Boston Beer Company as a member in good standing and despite the brand’s massive size it is still considered part of the craft scene.</p>
<p>Another is the <a href="https://beerstreetjournal.com/avery-collaboration-not-litigation-ale/">Collaboration, Not Litigation</a> incident. Two craft breweries, Avery Brewing and Russian River Brewing, found that they both had a beer named Salvation. Instead of engaging in a legal battle, the breweries collaborated on a beer that was a blend of both their versions of Salvation – “Collaboration, Not Litigation Ale”.</p>
<p>These stories are often rolled out when the socially focused community values of craft beer come into question. They serve as a kind of evidence that there is a tangible community around craft beer and that it is more than a collection of people who like superior beer.</p>
<p>There is also a <a href="https://eu.freep.com/story/entertainment/2018/06/01/craft-beer-book-selling-out-review-goose-island-josh-noel/637642002/">well known example</a> of craft beer policing its own boundaries. In 2011, Greg Hall, owner of the craft brewery Goose Island retired. AB Inbev stepped in and bought the brewery. They kept the name but cut corners, reducing the beer quality in every measurable way.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="A hand holds a pint of beer in a Goose Island branded glass featuring a goose head." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/507661/original/file-20230201-25-40n0lz.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/507661/original/file-20230201-25-40n0lz.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/507661/original/file-20230201-25-40n0lz.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/507661/original/file-20230201-25-40n0lz.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/507661/original/file-20230201-25-40n0lz.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/507661/original/file-20230201-25-40n0lz.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/507661/original/file-20230201-25-40n0lz.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">A Goose Island pint – a once craft beer turned mainstream.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/chicago-illinois-united-states-october-7-1216080121">Saejun Ahn</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Despite this inferior product being released under the Goose Island label, the craft community was not fooled. They saw this faux craft beer as a cynical money grab and an intrusion on the culture. Goose Island had eschewed the values and broken the community’s trust. <a href="https://eu.freep.com/story/entertainment/2018/06/01/craft-beer-book-selling-out-review-goose-island-josh-noel/637642002/">They were no longer considered craft</a> and were lumped in with the other profit-over-quality corporate breweries.</p>
<p>Sure, craft beer is a product, but it is also a practice and a community. Craft breweries seek profit, but unlike big beer, they are not willing sell an inferior product to increase revenue. Rather, they seek to make innovative and inspired products.</p>
<p>Craft drinkers know this and reward these breweries with their attention and purchases. This community is unified around their shared values – break the values and you violate the community standards. Adherence to them keeps the community growing.</p>
<p>So, crack open a craft beer, enjoy the effort that went into making it, support the community and do your part in resisting the corporate mediocrity that big beer tries to foist on us all.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/198923/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Tyson Mitman does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>
As the craft beer industry grows, so too do the dedicated communities that form around it – an expert explains.
Tyson Mitman, Senior Lecturer in Sociology and Criminology, York St John University
Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.
tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/193318
2022-12-25T20:41:45Z
2022-12-25T20:41:45Z
We’re getting really good at making alcohol-free beer and wine. Here’s how it’s done
<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/502320/original/file-20221221-14-lbkxu9.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=69%2C69%2C5738%2C3805&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">
</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Shutterstock</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>Drinking alcohol has been part of Australian culture for at least <a href="https://theconversation.com/a-brief-history-of-alcohol-consumption-in-australia-10580">240 years</a>, and perhaps <a href="https://theconversation.com/alcohol-brewed-from-trees-and-other-fermented-drinks-in-australias-indigenous-history-96127">millennia prior</a>. </p>
<p>In recent years, however, there’s been a growing trend towards opting for low- and no-alcohol versions of traditional drinks. Just check out the soft drink aisle of your supermarket if you need proof.</p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/australians-are-embracing-mindful-drinking-and-the-alcohol-industry-is-also-getting-sober-curious-160931">Australians are embracing 'mindful drinking' — and the alcohol industry is also getting sober curious</a>
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<p>Non-alcoholic drinks have been on the market for decades, but for a long time their range was limited and, in most cases, the flavours were inferior to their alcoholic counterparts. </p>
<p>Now online retailers (some of which specialise in non-alcoholic drinks) are stocking up to 100 different low- or no-alcohol beers and a similar number of non-alcoholic wines – with the majority produced in Australia. </p>
<p>What’s behind the big boom in this side of the industry? And where might it go from here?</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/498933/original/file-20221205-14-ulwlb.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="A Heineken 0% beer bottle and glass of beer with the Heineken label on a blue table" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/498933/original/file-20221205-14-ulwlb.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/498933/original/file-20221205-14-ulwlb.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/498933/original/file-20221205-14-ulwlb.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/498933/original/file-20221205-14-ulwlb.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/498933/original/file-20221205-14-ulwlb.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/498933/original/file-20221205-14-ulwlb.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/498933/original/file-20221205-14-ulwlb.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">With a rise in demand, most global beer brands now offer zero-alcohol substitutes.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Shutterstock</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>It all starts with fermentation</h2>
<p>Alcoholic beverages are produced via microbes, most commonly yeasts, which convert sugars to ethanol (alcohol) in the process of fermentation. </p>
<p>In addition to producing ethanol, fermentation also leads to other desirable flavour changes. This means the fermentation process is integral to the flavour of beer and wine, and we can’t just forgo it to make low- and no-alcohol drinks. </p>
<p>Consider the difference between unfermented grape juice and wine: it’s not merely the presence of alcohol that creates the flavour profile of wine! </p>
<p>As such, the production of most non-alcoholic wine and some non-alcoholic beer starts with the typical fermentation process, after which the alcohol is removed using a few different advanced systems.</p>
<h2>High-tech systems changed the game</h2>
<p>The two most common ways to produce no-alcohol beer and wine involve filtration and distillation. Both systems are technologically advanced and expensive, so they’re usually only used by larger producers.</p>
<p>In membrane filtration – and specifically one technique called “reverse osmosis” – beer and wine are pumped under pressure through filters with holes so small they separate compounds based on their molecular size. Relatively small molecules such as water and ethanol pass through, but others can’t. </p>
<p>The water is continuously added back to the mix of the larger “flavour” compounds to reconstitute the beer or wine. This process is continued until all the ethanol is removed. </p>
<p>Another process is distillation, in which compounds are separated based on the temperature at which they boil. Therefore, distillation requires heat, and heat changes the flavour of beer and wine – leading to a less desirable product.</p>
<p>To minimise the impact on flavour, the distillation used to make no-alcohol products happens under very low pressures and in a vacuum. In these conditions ethanol <a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1002/jib.591">can be removed</a> at around 35°C-40°C, as opposed to 80°C under atmospheric pressure. This is based on the same principle that dictates why water boils at a lower temperature at altitude than it does at sea level. </p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/498932/original/file-20221205-26-30d1zu.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="Four beer glasses lined up on a table" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/498932/original/file-20221205-26-30d1zu.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/498932/original/file-20221205-26-30d1zu.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=398&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/498932/original/file-20221205-26-30d1zu.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=398&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/498932/original/file-20221205-26-30d1zu.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=398&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/498932/original/file-20221205-26-30d1zu.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=501&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/498932/original/file-20221205-26-30d1zu.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=501&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/498932/original/file-20221205-26-30d1zu.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=501&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">A wide variety of beer styles are now available in alcohol-free forms.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Shutterstock</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>Small brewers are becoming master craftspeople</h2>
<p>While the increase in low- and no-alcohol beer production reflects consumer preference, it’s also partially driven by the wide range of craft beers now available. </p>
<p>Many craft breweries in Australia are producing delicious low-alcohol beer without additional expensive equipment. They do this by carefully manipulating the fermentation process using two main methods.</p>
<p>In the first method, brewers intentionally reduce the amount of simple sugars available for the yeast. With less sugar to use, the yeast produces less ethanol. </p>
<p>There are a few ways to achieve this, including using a higher- or lower-than-normal temperature during mashing (the process of extracting simple sugars from the barley grain). The brewer can also stop the fermentation process early, before too much sugar is converted into alcohol.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/499929/original/file-20221209-24874-ktdtu0.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="Fermentation tanks photographed in a brewhouse." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/499929/original/file-20221209-24874-ktdtu0.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/499929/original/file-20221209-24874-ktdtu0.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=338&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/499929/original/file-20221209-24874-ktdtu0.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=338&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/499929/original/file-20221209-24874-ktdtu0.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=338&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/499929/original/file-20221209-24874-ktdtu0.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=424&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/499929/original/file-20221209-24874-ktdtu0.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=424&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/499929/original/file-20221209-24874-ktdtu0.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=424&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">The brew deck at Federation University has all the tools to make a great brew, including conical fermentation vessels.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Federation University</span>, <span class="license">Author provided</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>The second method involves using different yeasts. Traditionally most beers have been produced using the yeast <em><a href="https://www.britannica.com/science/Saccharomyces">Saccharomyces</a></em>. This genus has been domesticated over millennia to make beer, wine and bread. </p>
<p>But there are thousands of species of yeast, and some aren’t adept at producing ethanol as a byproduct. These yeasts are gaining popularity in the production of low-alcohol beers. They still provide the flavour compounds we expect, but with very low levels of alcohol (sometimes even lower than 0.5%). </p>
<p>Although most yeast strains are likely to be commercially available and <a href="https://academic.oup.com/femsyr/article/17/4/fox038/3861261">previously described</a>, some breweries are still secretive about the exact strain they use to produce low-alcohol beers.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/498927/original/file-20221205-26-vtlbba.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="A scanning electron microscope image of baker's yeast cells." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/498927/original/file-20221205-26-vtlbba.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/498927/original/file-20221205-26-vtlbba.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/498927/original/file-20221205-26-vtlbba.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/498927/original/file-20221205-26-vtlbba.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/498927/original/file-20221205-26-vtlbba.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/498927/original/file-20221205-26-vtlbba.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/498927/original/file-20221205-26-vtlbba.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">There are various companies dedicated to developing new yeast strains for the brewing market. Besides using naturally sourced strains, two strains can be cross-bred to create hybrids.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Shutterstock</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>Soon you’ll barley notice a difference</h2>
<p>It’s difficult to make low- and no-alcohol beer or wine that tastes <em>exactly</em> like the full-strength counterparts. That’s because ethanol contributes to the flavour profile of alcoholic drinks, and it’s more evident in wine (typically about 13% alcohol) than beer (about 5%).</p>
<p>The removal of ethanol and water also leads to the removal of compounds with smaller molecules and <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Volatile_organic_compound">volatile compounds</a> (chemicals that vaporise under normal atmospheric conditions) – although manufacturers do their best to add them back to the final product. </p>
<p>Similarly, changing mash conditions or using unconventional yeast strains for low-alcohol beer also leads to different flavour profiles than those achieved through a “normal” process. </p>
<p>Despite these challenges, producers are constantly improving their products. Our <a href="https://federation.syd1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_8BPMhfNhqTAilBs">preliminary investigations</a> have shown even some experienced beer drinkers can’t tell non-alcoholic beers apart from their alcoholic counterparts.</p>
<p>So if the mood or circumstance warrants it, don’t hesitate to try a low- or no- alcohol beer or wine this festive season (or throughout the year). You may be surprised by how the range and quality of these products has improved. And of course, the benefits are obvious.</p>
<iframe src="https://giphy.com/embed/BPJmthQ3YRwD6QqcVD" width="100%" height="270" frameborder="0" class="giphy-embed" allowfullscreen=""></iframe>
<p><a href="https://giphy.com/gifs/HBOMax-hbomax-the-great-gatsby-2013-thegreatgatsbyonhbomax-BPJmthQ3YRwD6QqcVD"></a></p>
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<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/why-are-young-people-drinking-less-than-their-parents-generation-did-172225">Why are young people drinking less than their parents’ generation did?</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/193318/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>The authors do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>
Removing alcohol from wine and beer can be an expensive undertaking. But the craft industry is applying some smart low-tech options – with great results!
David Bean, Senior Lecturer in Microbiology and Fermentation Technology, Federation University Australia
Andrew Greenhill, Associate Professor in Microbiology and Fermentation Technology, Federation University Australia
Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.
tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/185351
2022-08-02T20:07:43Z
2022-08-02T20:07:43Z
Less leadership, more democracy: lessons from a craft brewer’s management crisis
<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/474619/original/file-20220718-51582-dx23r5.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=0%2C6%2C1500%2C990&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Selection of BrewDog products at the Edinburgh October Elite Event.</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://wordpress.org/openverse/image/bd1a59a7-02e0-4236-8fd0-c82bc40868bf">Yelp</a>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/">CC BY-NC-SA</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>Craft beer brewing was born back in the 1980s, and while the start was slow, it’s since become a big business. One of the success stories is Scotland’s BrewDog, which was founded in 2007 by James Watt and Martin Dickie. Fifteen years after they pulled their first pint, BrewDog has become one of the sector’s leaders. In 2020, the firm’s overall revenues grew by 10%, online sales by 900% and the gross profit margin to 48%. All this despite the pandemic and the fact that the majority of its 100 bars were closed for long periods over the year. The company is currently valued at close to £2 billion and employs <a href="https://d1fnkk8n0t8a0e.cloudfront.net/docs/BrewDog-Reports_Accounts-2020.pdf">more than 1,600 people globally</a>.</p>
<p>BrewDog grew thanks to crowdfunding support from thousands of small investors and a reputation for doing business with social and environmental values. Aiming to distinguish themselves from traditional corporations, the company sought to become “the best employer in the world” and refers to their employees as “our people”, “the beating heart of our business” and “the reason we exist”.</p>
<p>Unfortunately, despite such rhetoric, 2021 was a turbulent year for the company, triggered by allegations from former employees that there was a bullying culture. The allegations were made in an <a href="https://www.punkswithpurpose.org/dearbrewdog/">June 2021 open letter</a> signed by more than 300 former and current workers. They accused the company of creating a <a href="https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/brewdogs-ethical-status-at-risk-over-allegations-of-rotten-culture-lg9stcnnb">“rotten culture”</a> in which growth is pursued at all costs and employees are left feeling burnt-out, miserable and afraid to speak out.</p>
<h2>Certification, yet troubling questions</h2>
<p>Ironically, the letter was published just four months after the firm was <a href="https://www.bcorporation.net/en-us/find-a-b-corp/company/brew-dog">certified as a B Corp</a>, with the workers’ dimension receiving the highest score. The certification is aimed at businesses that meet high standards of social and environmental performance, transparency and accountability toward generating positive impact on its stakeholders – workers, communities, customers, suppliers, and the environment.</p>
<p>The accusations and the company’s move to offer attractive financial terms to private equity groups left many of the BrewDog’s 18,000 crowdfunding investors <a href="https://www.ft.com/content/5ad0e222-a35b-4ae8-aa16-27f1feb964a5">deeply worried</a>. The organisation that runs the B Corp certification, B Lab, also raised concerns.</p>
<p>In response, the company apologised and announced plans to conduct an independent review into the allegations. It concluded that mistakes were made and the company would <a href="https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/brewdog-draws-a-line-under-culture-row-whg22lm7d">enact measures to address them</a>. But it was too little, too late. A month after the announcement, a BBC documentary, <a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m0013yfj">“The Truth about BrewDog”</a>, brought the accusations back to the headlines. Many were directed at the company’s leader and co-founder, James Watt, who had <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/business/2022/jan/21/brewdog-boss-accused-of-trying-to-intimidate-ex-staff-over-tv-expose">allegedly attempted</a> to pressure former staff from appearing in the documentary.</p>
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<iframe width="440" height="260" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/XamxzvGm8YQ?wmode=transparent&start=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe>
<figcaption><span class="caption">‘The Truth about Brewdog’, BBC.</span></figcaption>
</figure>
<p>In May 2022, Watt announced that he would donate a fifth of his personal shares to an employee trust providing share options to around 750 of its 2,200 staff. Despite being a limited form of employee ownership, <a href="https://www.ft.com/content/134f78ef-1291-4bb4-af0f-75ef99994a5d">he described it</a> as a “radical” move and “very much about ownership, about building a new type of company and about giving back.”</p>
<h2>Limitations of leadership</h2>
<p>The BrewDog case raises important questions about the limitations of certification systems and the potential of employee ownership. <a href="https://research-information.bris.ac.uk/en/publications/b-corp-certification-and-its-impact-on-organizations-over-time">My PhD research</a> involved an in-depth comparative case study of four leading Brazilian B Corps during 2015, combining 57 interviews of leaders and employees with observation-led research and document analysis, including the companies’ B Impact Assessement reports. The enquiry revealed three key points:</p>
<ul>
<li><p>The role of leaders is decisive in shaping the culture of these companies;</p></li>
<li><p>However, certification is not always followed by plans to address remaining critical gaps, particularly with regards to the companies’ governance processes and relationship with workers;</p></li>
<li><p>Corporate governance is key to achieving a balance of purpose and profit.</p></li>
</ul>
<p>This raises the question as to whether improving leadership is enough or bringing workers to the centre of decision-making is what will make a difference. <a href="https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10551-018-3924-0#:%7E:text=Employees%20as%20Conduits%20for%20a%20Firm's%20Stakeholder%20Engagement%20Practices&text=Stakeholder%20engagement%20therefore%20is%20part,2002">Research</a>) carried out with a group of small and medium-sized B Corps shows that those who had some form of ownership and/or governance model shared with employees presented higher levels of engagement with external stakeholders. Having a stake in the company made employees feel more invested and interested in developing positive relationships with customers, suppliers, communities, and the environment. </p>
<p>The importance of employee ownership to reinforce social mission is perhaps something that the B Corp movement could be more explicit about. As for BrewDog, it’s still a timid step, but appears to be a move in the right direction to prioritise collective democracy over individual leadership in the workplace.</p>
<hr>
<figure class="align-right ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/310261/original/file-20200115-134768-1tax26b.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/310261/original/file-20200115-134768-1tax26b.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=158&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/310261/original/file-20200115-134768-1tax26b.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=158&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/310261/original/file-20200115-134768-1tax26b.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=158&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/310261/original/file-20200115-134768-1tax26b.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=198&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/310261/original/file-20200115-134768-1tax26b.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=198&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/310261/original/file-20200115-134768-1tax26b.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=198&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
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<p><em>Created in 2007 to help accelerate and share scientific knowledge on key societal issues, the AXA Research Fund has supported nearly 700 projects around the world conducted by researchers in 38 countries. To learn more, visit the site of the AXA Research Fund or follow on Twitter @AXAResearchFund.</em></p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/185351/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Malu Villela Garcia's current work is supported by the AXA Research Fund</span></em></p>
Scotland’s BrewDog had long championed its social and environmental values, then came accusations of a “bullying culture”. What can we learn from their case?
Malu Villela, Senior Research Associate at the School of Management, University of Bristol
Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.
tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/179176
2022-04-20T12:17:46Z
2022-04-20T12:17:46Z
Beer and spirits have more detrimental effects on the waistline and on cardiovascular disease risk than red or white wine
<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/458683/original/file-20220419-15105-khdsoe.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=20%2C61%2C6869%2C2623&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Researchers are working to tease apart how various alcohol types contribute to weight gain and disease risk.</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/photo/six-drinks-royalty-free-image/157333486?adppopup=true">pixhook/E+ via Getty Images</a></span></figcaption></figure><p><em>The <a href="https://theconversation.com/us/topics/research-brief-83231">Research Brief</a> is a short take about interesting academic work.</em> </p>
<h2>The big idea</h2>
<p>Drinking beer and spirits is linked to elevated levels of <a href="https://doi.org/10.1259/bjr/38447238">visceral fat</a> – the harmful type of fat that is associated with an increased risk of cardiovascular disease, metabolic syndrome, and other health complications – whereas drinking wine shows no such association with levels of this harmful fat and may even be protective against it, depending on the type of wine consumed. In fact, we found that drinking red wine is linked to having lower levels of visceral fat. These are some of the key takeaways of <a href="https://doi.org/10.1002/osp4.598">a new study</a> that my colleagues and I recently published in the Obesity Science & Practice journal. </p>
<p>Although white wine consumption did not influence levels of visceral fat, our study did show that drinking white wine in moderation might offer its own unique health benefit for older adults: denser bones. We found higher bone mineral density among older adults who drank white wine in moderation in our study. And we did not find this same link between beer or red wine consumption and bone mineral density.</p>
<p>Our study relied on a large-scale longitudinal database called <a href="https://www.ukbiobank.ac.uk/">the U.K. Biobank</a>. We assessed 1,869 white adults ranging in age from 40 to 79 years who reported demographic, alcohol, dietary and lifestyle factors via a touchscreen questionnaire. Next, we collected height, weight and blood samples from each participant and obtained body composition information using a direct measure of body composition called <a href="https://radiology.ucsf.edu/blog/dxadexa-beats-bmi-using-x-ray-exam-measure-body-composition-fat-loss">dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry</a>. Then, we used a statistical program to examine the relationships among the types of alcoholic beverages and body composition. </p>
<h2>Why it matters</h2>
<p>Aging is often accompanied by an increase in the problematic fat that can lead to heightened cardiovascular disease risk as well as by a <a href="https://doi.org/10.1177/1759720X11430858">reduction in bone mineral density</a>. This has important health implications given that nearly 75% of adults in the U.S. <a href="https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/hestat/obesity-adult-17-18/overweight-obesity-adults-H.pdf">are considered overweight or obese</a>. Having higher levels of body fat has been consistently linked to an increased risk for acquiring many different diseases, including <a href="https://doi.org/10.1161/CIR.0000000000000973">cardiovascular disease</a>, <a href="https://doi.org/10.1056/NEJMoa021423">certain types of cancer</a>, and <a href="https://doi.org/10.1056/NEJMoa0801891">a higher risk of death</a>. And it’s worth noting that national medical care costs associated with treating obesity-related diseases total more than <a href="https://doi.org/10.18553/jmcp.2021.20410">US$260.6 billion annually</a>.</p>
<p>Considering these trends, it is vital for researchers like us to examine all the potential contributors to weight gain so that we can determine how to combat the problem. Alcohol has long been considered one possible driving factor <a href="https://doi.org/10.1007/s13679-014-0129-4">for the obesity epidemic</a>. Yet the public often hears conflicting information about the potential <a href="https://doi.org/10.1111/psyp.12134">risks</a> and <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.mayocp.2013.11.005">benefits</a> of alcohol. Therefore, we hoped to help untangle some of these factors through our research. </p>
<h2>What still isn’t known</h2>
<p>There are many biological and environmental factors that contribute to being overweight or obese. <a href="https://doi.org/10.1007/s13679-014-0129-4">Alcohol consumption</a> may be one factor, although there are <a href="https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1753-4887.2011.00403.x">other studies</a> that have not found clear links between weight gain and alcohol consumption. </p>
<p>One reason for the inconsistencies in the literature could stem from the fact that much of the previous research has traditionally treated alcohol as a single entity rather than separately measuring the effects of beer, cider, red wine, white wine, Champagne and spirits. Yet, even when broken down in this way, the research yields mixed messages.</p>
<p>For example, <a href="https://doi.org/10.1093/oxfordjournals.aje.a117556">one study has suggested</a> that drinking more beer contributes to a higher waist-to-hip ratio, while <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/17416040/">another study</a> concluded that, after one month of drinking moderate levels of beer, healthy adults did not experience any significant weight gain.</p>
<p>As a result, we’ve aimed to further tease out the unique risks and benefits that are associated with each alcohol type. Our next steps will be to examine how diet – including alcohol consumption – could influence diseases of the brain and cognition in older adults with <a href="https://www.nia.nih.gov/health/what-mild-cognitive-impairment">mild cognitive impairment</a>. </p>
<p>[<em>Over 150,000 readers rely on The Conversation’s newsletters to understand the world.</em> <a href="https://memberservices.theconversation.com/newsletters/?source=inline-150ksignup">Sign up today</a>.]</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/179176/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Brittany Larsen does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>
Research has been inconclusive on the degree to which drinking alcohol leads to the growth of harmful fat. But a new study suggests that beer and spirits are far bigger culprits than wine.
Brittany Larsen, Ph.D. Candidate in Neuroscience & Graduate Assistant, Iowa State University
Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.
tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/170404
2021-10-24T09:11:07Z
2021-10-24T09:11:07Z
Some young Nigerians say heavy drinking is fun: controls must keep pace with culture
<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/427895/original/file-20211021-15766-1rdo0mq.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=0%2C5%2C3595%2C2389&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Newly-bottled beers at the Inbev factory in Nigeria</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Stefan Heunis/AFP/Getty</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>Alcohol consumption has a long history in Nigeria, especially in the southern region, where it was not forbidden by religion. In the past, only adult men were culturally allowed to drink. It was taboo for young people to drink alcohol because it was generally believed that “drinking was a sign of being an <a href="https://www.jstor.org/stable/220883?seq=1#metadata_info_tab_contents">elder</a>”.</p>
<p>Alcohol served multiple societal functions in the past. It flowed during celebrations and significant events. These included chieftaincy enthronements, new yam festivals, child naming ceremonies, and even funerals. Although drinking was central to almost every social gathering, intoxication was forbidden. Intoxicated drinkers were punished by the community elders, as a deterrent to others.</p>
<p>With help from the British colonial government, Nigeria’s drinking culture changed, ditching abstinence and moderation. The British colonial government relied heavily on revenue from alcohol taxes and levies. To increase their cash-flow, the British encouraged the availability and heavy drinking of imported alcoholic beverages. When Heineken-owned Nigerian Breweries and Guinness Nigeria were established in <a href="https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/0091450916637936">1946 and 1962</a>, their marketing targeted women and young people. Their marketing departments drove sales by associating alcohol consumption with modernity and sexual <a href="https://www.ajol.info/index.php/ajdas/article/view/96893">enhancement</a>. </p>
<p>Nigeria is a key market for competing multinational alcohol companies. To gain market share, these companies have developed sophisticated and aggressive marketing methods targeting young people, including adolescents. Alcohol availability has tripled, and so has the number of heavy <a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/dar.13247">drinkers</a>. Consequently, alcohol-related problems are also <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/09687637.2019.1615035">rising</a>. Alcohol is associated with problems such as <a href="https://internal-journal.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fonc.2017.00183/full">cancer</a>, violence, sexually transmitted <a href="https://link.springer.com/article/10.1186/s12889-016-3163-1">infections</a> and truancy.</p>
<p>Nigeria lacks alcohol control <a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/dar.13247">policies</a>. Alcohol production and marketing are largely unregulated. Multinational alcohol producers often employed marketing strategies outlawed in their countries of origin, to sell their brands in Nigeria. The results are <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/09687637.2017.1421144">evident</a>. <a href="https://bmcpublichealth.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12889-015-1499-6">Research</a> has shown that abstinence and moderate drinking are now uncool, and heavy drinking and intoxication make good badges of <a href="https://link.springer.com/article/10.1186/s12889-019-7104-7">honour</a> in Nigeria.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/427896/original/file-20211021-21-1ao1bd9.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="A man wearing a hat and reflector jackets in a large warehouse." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/427896/original/file-20211021-21-1ao1bd9.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/427896/original/file-20211021-21-1ao1bd9.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=401&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/427896/original/file-20211021-21-1ao1bd9.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=401&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/427896/original/file-20211021-21-1ao1bd9.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=401&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/427896/original/file-20211021-21-1ao1bd9.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/427896/original/file-20211021-21-1ao1bd9.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/427896/original/file-20211021-21-1ao1bd9.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">A worker monitors bottles on the production line at a beer factory, in Ogun State, Nigeria.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Stefan Heunis/AFP/Getty</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>In my recent <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0955395921003595">research</a>, I examined why adolescents and young adults in Nigeria drink heavily, and why they consider it a source of fun or pleasure. I also recorded whether they saw heavy drinking as rebellion against traditionalist values. My research is important because it shows treating alcohol use as pathological, and denying pleasure-seeking as a motive for drinking, is no longer tenable in contemporary Nigeria. The study also shows that understanding these changing motives for drinking could inform interventions that target harmful drinking practices.</p>
<h2>Deliberate intoxication for fun and pleasure</h2>
<p>I interviewed 72 young people aged 18-24 years, who live in Benin City, Nigeria, to understand their perspectives. Most of the participants were students. They all agreed that drinking alcohol was fashionable in communities of young people. Sobriety was considered obsolete, and deliberate over-consumption of alcohol was common. The reason they gave was that young people just want to feel drunk.</p>
<p>According to my study, fun and excitement – directly and indirectly – were acceptable reasons for heavy drinking and intoxication. Individuals didn’t consider the associated reduced mental control a big deal. </p>
<blockquote>
<p>I took whisky; I wanted to drink to stupor. I wanted to see how it felt like to be really drunk and misbehaving; that was my aim of drinking that way. So I drank and drank and drank until (I became drunk). </p>
</blockquote>
<p>Another added:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>There was a day I took one full glass of (Johnnie Walker) Red Label (40% alcohol by volume), and in less than 10–15 min, I couldn’t feel myself again. I could barely walk, my friend took me home … To me, it was fun. I felt the way I have never felt before, so that is fun … it was exciting because friends will now remind you that this was what you did and you cannot remember. </p>
</blockquote>
<p>There are also gender aspects to youth drinking culture. Female participants who were filmed while drunk considered the clips hilarious. Male participants said they took turns in providing alcohol for members of their friendship networks. This practice is generally believed to strengthen friendship bonds. Although providing alcohol may in part be a means of reenacting the male-dominated traditional drinking practice in contemporary Nigeria, it also led to heavy drinking and intoxication.</p>
<p>Surprisingly, these youths believed they had not breached any social norms by drinking to intoxication. But they did admit it all came at a cost. Some had experienced negative events like hangovers, injuries, violence, and missing key academic tests while passed out from alcohol consumption.</p>
<h2>Solution to drinking problems</h2>
<p>The current lack of alcohol policies in Nigeria only serves the interests of alcohol producers to the detriment of public health. Even though alcohol is a legal drug, increasing <a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/dar.13247">evidence</a> has shown that no amount is risk-free. </p>
<p>Policymakers should focus on providing information on low-risk drinking measures for legal drinkers. Tailored, evidence-based interventions that discourage heavy drinking and support safe drinking norms or abstinence should be developed in Nigeria. </p>
<p>Interventions should draw from the elements of local drinking cultures that prohibit heavy drinking and intoxication. Given the prominent role of friendship networks, policymakers should develop interventions using such platforms to promote safe consuming cultures and other pleasurable activities with zero or low risk.</p>
<p>The World Health Organisation has also developed effective strategies called <a href="https://www3.paho.org/hq/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=14802:safer-nuevo-paquete-de-la-oms-para-prevenir-y-reducir-muertes-y-discapacidades-por-uso-de-alcohol&Itemid=42050&lang=en">SAFER</a> to reduce alcohol abuse and related harm. Nigeria could also adopt similar measures.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/170404/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Emeka Dumbili received funding from the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFUND) in 2012.
The TETFUND is a Nigerian government organization that awards scholarships to Nigerians working in the tertiary institutions. </span></em></p>
Young Nigerians are culturally encouraged to overdrink. How can they be protected?
Emeka Dumbili, Lecturer, Nnamdi Azikiwe University
Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.
tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/163631
2021-07-20T12:13:50Z
2021-07-20T12:13:50Z
For some craft beer drinkers, less can mean more
<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/411972/original/file-20210719-17-ui278b.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=787%2C147%2C2043%2C1369&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">For years, the market was inundated with heavy IPAs. Now drinkers are starting to push back.</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/news-photo/recession-increase-in-popularity-of-home-brew-jeff-lindsay-news-photo/1080969168?adppopup=true">Bruce Milton Miller/Fairfax Media via Getty Images</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>My prepandemic summers were always packed with travel – trips to Europe for work and play, and, most recently, a road trip across the American West. At the end of a sweltering day of activities, I’d routinely wind down with some social drinking.</p>
<p>In recent years, though, I started to notice a shift. Beer lists had grown to include more and more low-alcohol options.</p>
<p>Whether I was in Braunschweig, Germany, a suburb of Salt Lake City, or at home in Central Texas, I found myself no longer forced to choose between the likes of Stella Artois or Miller Lite if I wanted something that wouldn’t put me under the table. Now I could expect to find a bevy of local or national options with an alcohol by volume, or ABV, in the 4% to 5% range – below the 5.9% average of a craft beer and well below the 7% India pale ales that had been flooding the market.</p>
<p>I even started seeing more nonalcoholic beers like <a href="https://www.heineken.com/us/en/our-products/heineken-0-0">Heineken 0.0</a>, which was first released in Europe in 2017 and then in the U.S. in 2019.</p>
<p>It seemed to me that low- and no-alcohol beers were becoming much more popular, but I wasn’t sure. So like a good scholar, I decided to look to the data to find an answer.</p>
<p><a href="https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-41654-6_7">In a recent study</a> I conducted with my colleagues at <a href="https://www.txstate.edu/">Texas State University</a>, we looked at industry literature and <a href="https://www.fus.edu/intervalla/volume-7-questions-of-taste/virtual-pub-crawl-assessing-the-utility-of-social-media-for-geographic-beer-research-in-the-united-states">social media mentions</a>, popular media articles and changes to alcohol regulations. We found that there is, in fact, a growing interest in consuming – and improved technology for producing – beer with less alcohol.</p>
<h2>The rise of big ‘small’ beer</h2>
<p>Beer has a complicated history in the U.S. Prior to the industry consolation that is the contemporary norm, small, local breweries dotted the country. <a href="https://theconversation.com/how-prohibition-changed-the-way-americans-drink-100-years-ago-129854">Prohibition devastated the industry</a>, but, when it was repealed in 1933, <a href="https://www.chicagoreviewpress.com/audacity-of-hops--the-products-9781613737088.php">there was a period of rebirth</a>.</p>
<p>Although brewing and the consumption of alcohol did <a href="https://uncpress.org/book/9781469652177/alcohol/">not completely stop</a> during Prohibition, overall consumption was drastically reduced. Any drinking that did take place was driven behind closed doors.</p>
<p>However, the repeal of Prohibition returned alcoholic beverages to the public arena. As alcohol restrictions and regulations were loosened or removed altogether, the <a href="https://oxford.universitypressscholarship.com/view/10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199693801.001.0001/acprof-9780199693801-chapter-1">volume of production rose rapidly</a>.</p>
<p>Over the course of the 20th century, <a href="https://www.chicagoreviewpress.com/audacity-of-hops--the-products-9781613737088.php">technological innovations</a> – ranging from improvements to the pasteurization process, to better transportation infrastructure, to advancements in packaging engineering – allowed breweries to scale up their operations.</p>
<p>It was during this period that American brewers like Budweiser <a href="https://doi.org/10.1080/00076791.2015.1027691">uncovered an untapped market for light-colored, low-ABV beer</a>.</p>
<p>To this day, the U.S. is known for its <a href="https://doi.org/10.1080/00076791.2015.1027691">bland macro brews</a>: Budweiser, Miller and Coors. But despite that long history – or perhaps because of it – the country’s <a href="https://doi.org/10.1111/foge.12034">craft beer industry</a> has exploded over the past couple of decades.</p>
<p>In 1983, <a href="https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/journal-of-wine-economics/article/craft-beer-in-the-united-states-history-numbers-and-geography/51285F0DA449C6DE7B00D8D201FD7F6A">there were 14 craft brewers in the U.S.</a> In 2000, the <a href="https://www.brewersassociation.org/statistics-and-data/national-beer-stats/">Brewers Association</a> counted 1,566 craft breweries. By 2020, the number had swelled to 8,884.</p>
<p>What brewers have dubbed the “<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18139968-the-craft-beer-revolution">craft beer revolution</a>” is characterized by its sophistication and specialization; craft brewers have traditionally produced a dizzying array of brands and styles, <a href="https://www.joshuambernstein.com/complete-beer-course">moving the market</a> toward “bigger” – meaning bolder, stronger – brews.</p>
<p>This has led to a paradox. Large-scale producers became known for brewing “small” – low in alcohol and, ostensibly, low in flavor – beer. Meanwhile, smaller breweries became known for making “big” – more flavorful, higher in alcohol – beers.</p>
<h2>Changing times, changing tastes</h2>
<p>While among most beer aficionados, heavy, high-alcohol beer is still popular, demand for lower-alcohol or nonalcoholic options is rising.</p>
<p>The Brewers Association highlights a shift toward “mindful drinking,” indicating that consumers are increasingly keeping an eye on the carbohydrate, gluten or alcohol content of their drink of choice. In fact, <a href="https://www.brewersassociation.org/insights/2020-points-and-2021-predictions/">two-thirds of drinkers</a> say they take into account one or more of these attributes when drinking.</p>
<p>Meanwhile, more Americans are “<a href="https://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2019/06/23/732876026/breaking-the-booze-habit-even-briefly-has-its-benefits">sober curious</a>,” insofar as they are willing to take a short break from drinking or choose to abstain from alcohol altogether. These individual choices are part of an overarching social shift making, as NPR put it, “<a href="https://www.npr.org/sections/thesalt/2017/10/06/555909072/teetotaling-made-trendy">teetotaling trendy</a>.”</p>
<p>There’s long been the cultural belief that only people recovering from alcoholism drink nonalcoholic beer. In our study, though, we found that people were increasingly drawn to nonalcoholic beers for a number of reasons.</p>
<p>Someone may be allergic or intolerant to alcohol, taking a medicine that contraindicates alcohol consumption, or have religious or personal preferences that tend toward abstention. Others want to retain the ability to be responsive or responsible for later activities, like serving as a designated driver, operating heavy machinery or being “on-call” for work.</p>
<h2>Making lower-alcohol beer more palatable</h2>
<p>Low-alcohol beer in the U.S. long has suffered from an image problem – namely, the perception that low- and no-alcohol brews taste bad. (And, let’s be honest, many do.)</p>
<figure class="align-right ">
<img alt="An ad for Budweiser depicts a psychic over a crystal ball with a Budweiser bottle in it." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/411956/original/file-20210719-25-10fjn8n.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/411956/original/file-20210719-25-10fjn8n.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=950&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/411956/original/file-20210719-25-10fjn8n.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=950&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/411956/original/file-20210719-25-10fjn8n.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=950&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/411956/original/file-20210719-25-10fjn8n.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=1193&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/411956/original/file-20210719-25-10fjn8n.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=1193&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/411956/original/file-20210719-25-10fjn8n.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=1193&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Budweiser has pulled off what some might call an act of wizardry: a low-alcohol beer produced in huge volumes with a relatively inoffensive taste.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/news-photo/menu-for-budweiser-reads-drink-budweiser-americas-social-news-photo/179348042?adppopup=true">Jim Heimann Collection via Getty Images</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>That’s because the brewing process <a href="https://doi.org/10.3390/pr8111382">can be especially complicated</a> for low- or no-alcohol ferments, which has made it difficult to brew high-quality, low-alcohol beer that tastes good. <a href="http://mentalfloss.com/article/12940/scientific-reasons-respect-light-beer">Some even say</a> that Budweiser isn’t given nearly enough credit for brewing a consistent, relatively palatable, low-alcohol product at such a big scale.</p>
<p>But in recent years, <a href="https://doi.org/10.3390/pr8111382">several studies</a> <a href="https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-41654-6_7">have been dedicated</a> to improving the production protocols and flavor of low-alcohol beer. Although brewing <a href="https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/the-beer-archaeologist-17016372/">is an ancient art</a>, it has also shown <a href="https://innovationmanagement.se/2018/05/01/the-innovation-that-fuels-the-craft-brew-revolution/">impressive adaptability</a> as times and technology have changed.</p>
<h2>The state of the art</h2>
<p>Combine the better taste with low-alcohol beer’s real or perceived health benefits, and <a href="https://www.reuters.com/article/us-beverages-alcohol/big-brewers-see-strong-potential-for-weak-beer-idUSKCN0ZT0FB">there’s a real niche developing</a> for the style.</p>
<p>That doesn’t mean standard-alcohol – and even high-alcohol – beers are going anywhere anytime soon. Among craft brewers and craft drinkers, IPAs remain the <a href="https://www.brewersassociation.org/insights/beer-style-growth-may-not-matter-brand/">most prominent beer style by far</a>: Over 2,000 brands make and sell them.</p>
<p>Yet the craft brewing industry is increasingly aware of these shifts in drinker preferences and the social benefits of <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cdaP7RAc_I8&amp;amp;amp;list=PLSfGHGA7VwdF7WNAfhPFv2RDI02ISLga5&amp;amp;amp;index=40">moderating alcohol intake</a>. Recent trends toward appreciating beer with no or low alcohol <a href="https://wellbeingbrewing.com/pages/our-values">make space for moderate or nondrinkers to participate</a> in the craft beer movement.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="Six-packs of beer for sale in a refrigerator." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/411968/original/file-20210719-25-g8ckqi.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/411968/original/file-20210719-25-g8ckqi.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/411968/original/file-20210719-25-g8ckqi.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/411968/original/file-20210719-25-g8ckqi.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/411968/original/file-20210719-25-g8ckqi.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/411968/original/file-20210719-25-g8ckqi.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/411968/original/file-20210719-25-g8ckqi.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Lagunitas’ DayTime IPA – which has 4% ABV – is part of a shift among smaller brewers to offer something for everyone.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/news-photo/lagunitas-beer-is-offered-for-sale-on-may-4-2017-in-chicago-news-photo/678733830?adppopup=true">Scott Olson/Getty Images</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Now, thanks to the work of food and fermentation scientists, the creativity of brewers and the willingness of consumers to keep experimenting, the list of options that have lower-than-average alcohol and that are actually tasty is growing. </p>
<p>German beer giant Beck’s nonalcoholic lager and Athletic Brewing’s <a href="https://www.nny360.com/artsandlife/columns/beerguy/beer-nerd-athletic-s-run-wild-ipa-is-a-lot-better-than-na-beer-has/article_e2ccdc9d-ac2c-5a98-9308-cd6bd86078f1.html">Run Wild nonalcoholic IPA</a> are just two examples of how breweries large and small are trying to tap into the nonalcoholic beer market.</p>
<p>[<em>Over 100,000 readers rely on The Conversation’s newsletter to understand the world.</em> <a href="https://theconversation.com/us/newsletters/the-daily-3?utm_source=TCUS&utm_medium=inline-link&utm_campaign=newsletter-text&utm_content=100Ksignup">Sign up today</a>.]</p>
<p>Meanwhile, most craft brewers now offer some kind of “<a href="https://www.craftbeer.com/craft-beer-muses/session-beers">session beer</a>” – so called because, thanks to their lower alcohol content, they’re suitable for longer drinking sessions. Sales of session IPAs, for instance, <a href="https://www.craftbeer.com/craft-beer-muses/makes-ipa-still-popular">increased 199% in 2015</a>.</p>
<p>Even beyond session IPAs, lower-alcohol brews across styles – gose, Helles lager, Kölsch, saison, and pilsner – are <a href="https://vinepair.com/wine-blog/in-defense-of-the-session-ipa-a-trend-that-doesnt-need-to-die/">increasingly visible, available and popular</a> in both pint <a href="https://www.growlermag.com/we-blind-tasted-31-na-beers-and-found-7-we-actually-enjoyed/">and</a> <a href="https://www.esquire.com/food-drink/drinks/g1569/good-alcoholic-beers/">print</a>, which is just another way of saying that, now more than ever, you can readily find a low-alcohol or nonalcoholic brew in your glass or on your screen.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/163631/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Colleen C. Myles does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>
Thanks to shifting tastes and improvements to the brewing process, more craft brewers are offering low-alcohol and nonalcoholic options – and are going toe to toe with America’s beer giants.
Colleen C. Myles, Associate Professor of Geography, Texas State University
Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.
tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/160931
2021-06-30T19:55:42Z
2021-06-30T19:55:42Z
Australians are embracing ‘mindful drinking’ — and the alcohol industry is also getting sober curious
<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/403979/original/file-20210602-26-8tao1v.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=5%2C910%2C3837%2C2996&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">
</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Justin Aikin/Unsplash</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>In 2020, Australia’s first non-alcoholic bar <a href="https://www.goodfood.com.au/eat-out/news/australias-first-alcoholfree-cocktail-bar-opens-in-brunswick-east-20210504-h1vlsb">opened in Brunswick</a>. Sydney quickly followed suit. Major liquor retailers are dedicating more and more shelf space for the growing range of no-alcohol and low-alcohol drinks. </p>
<p>Alcohol-free wines, beers and spirits are increasingly sophisticated, driven by consumers taking more care in what they drink — and how they choose to drink.</p>
<p>Over the past 15 years, <a href="https://www.abs.gov.au/ausstats/abs@.nsf/Previousproducts/4307.0.55.001Main%20Features62016-17?opendocument&tabname=Summary&prodno=4307.0.55.001&issue=2016-17&num=&view=">alcohol consumption has decreased in Australia</a>, from 10.8 litres per capita per year down to 9.4 litres, the lowest seen in 50 years. Similar trends have been seen globally.</p>
<p>The reduction has been particularly stark for the younger age groups: the number of people in their 20s <a href="https://www.aihw.gov.au/news-media/media-releases/2020/july/national-drug-strategy-household-survey-2019">abstaining from alcohol</a> increased from 8.9% in 2001 to 22% in 2019.</p>
<p>Saying no to excessive drinking is the new act of youth rebellion.</p>
<h2>‘Sober curious’ and ‘mindful drinking’</h2>
<p>Drinking or not drinking was once seen as binary: you were a drinker, or you were sober. But recent years has seen a rise of the “<a href="http://www.rubywarrington.com/i-am-an-author/sober-curious-reset/">sober curious</a>”, or the “mindful drinking” movement.</p>
<p>This might mean pausing to consider your need to drink, or how much you will drink. Maybe replacing your midweek glass of wine or beers with a non-alcoholic alternative. It’s about stopping to ask yourself why you want to have a drink, and if each and every drink needs to be alcoholic.</p>
<p><div data-react-class="InstagramEmbed" data-react-props="{"url":"https://www.instagram.com/p/CH08LrvjBFP","accessToken":"127105130696839|b4b75090c9688d81dfd245afe6052f20"}"></div></p>
<p>This moves away from the extremes of teetotallers vs binge drinkers and opens up the idea of drinking – or not – on any given occasion. </p>
<p>We could also call these people moderate drinkers: they embrace mindful drinking as a lifestyle, using social media hashtags such as <a href="https://www.instagram.com/explore/tags/soberissexy/">#soberissexy</a> <a href="https://www.instagram.com/explore/tags/sobercurious/">#sobercurious</a> and <a href="https://www.instagram.com/explore/tags/hangoverfree/">#hangoverfree</a>. These hashtags show images of health, happiness, empowerment, and success — people living life to the full.</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/winemom-humour-and-empowerment-or-binge-drinking-and-mental-health-challenges-161338">#WineMom: Humour and empowerment or binge drinking and mental health challenges?</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p>This idea of conscious or controlled drinking has generated a new culture of consumers who celebrate, share and hashtag their non- or low-alcohol drinking.</p>
<h2>It’s not grape juice</h2>
<p>This shift in consumer attitudes has driven product innovation. Global alcohol brands are exploring alternatives, and several new brands have emerged with a focus on producing high-quality alcohol-free drinks that feel at home on <a href="https://www.winemag.com/2020/01/14/12-best-non-alcoholic-spirits/">any fashionable cocktail list</a>. </p>
<p>Alcohol-free wine isn’t grape juice. To be <a href="https://www.legislation.gov.au/Details/F2017C01001">classified as wine in Australia</a>, a product must be made from fermentation of fresh grapes. During fermentation, yeast converts <a href="https://winefolly.com/deep-dive/sugar-in-wine-chart/">fruit sugars to alcohol</a>.</p>
<p>Fermentable sugars can be reduced by harvesting fruits early, creating wines naturally lower in alcohol, or alcohol can be removed from a finished wine product after fermentation. </p>
<p><div data-react-class="InstagramEmbed" data-react-props="{"url":"https://www.instagram.com/p/CQtt70VMHY_","accessToken":"127105130696839|b4b75090c9688d81dfd245afe6052f20"}"></div></p>
<p>Alcohol-free wines have been around for a while — the first non-alcoholic wines were produced <a href="https://carljungwines.com/history-of-carl-jung-non-alcoholic-wines">more than 100 years ago</a>, but the technological methods for “dealcoholisation” have seen drastic improvements. </p>
<p>Dealcholisation once resulted in drinks lacking aroma, flavour quality and the characteristics we associate with drinking a glass of wine. But alcohol can now be removed without destroying the flavour compounds of the wine — and in a cost-effective way at large scale.</p>
<p>Even with the rise of the sober curious, consumers think these drinks are of <a href="https://doi.org/10.1017/S1368980019005238">lower value</a>. There is a belief because these drinks do not contain alcohol they should cost less. In practice, the production of high-quality alcohol-free wine and beer is more expensive and the potential savings on alcohol taxes are not making up for the increased costs. </p>
<p>Non-alcoholic wines are reported to be one of Australia’s <a href="https://www.smh.com.au/lifestyle/health-and-wellness/why-our-fastest-growing-drinks-category-is-now-non-alcoholic-wine-20210429-p57nc8.html">fastest growing drink categories</a>, valued at more than A$4.5 million last year, predicted to be worth $15 million by the end of this year. Despite the growth, they still account for <a href="https://www.wineaustralia.com/news/market-bulletin/issue-194">less than 1%</a> of Australia’s total wine consumption.</p>
<h2>But … what is the point?</h2>
<p>So, why not just drink water, or a soft drink? Drinking is not just about quenching your thirst, or just about intoxication. Drinking is a social event, a ritual, a reward and an experience. Drinks are paired with food and are to be enjoyed. </p>
<p>Wine drinkers know it is more than just a drink or source of alcohol. A particular pour may be chosen for reasons such as health (think <a href="https://theconversation.com/the-compound-behind-all-those-stories-about-red-wine-being-good-for-you-35291">resveratrol</a> in red wine), food pairings (a dry Chardonnay with crispy-skinned Barramundi), style (sipping an award-winning wine), intellectual challenge (sampling different grape varieties and regions) or tradition and fun (popping the cork of a sparkling white). </p>
<p><div data-react-class="Tweet" data-react-props="{"tweetId":"1352025378790010892"}"></div></p>
<p>Many of these needs can be fulfilled by non-alcoholic wine.</p>
<p>Alcohol does contribute to the flavour profile of alcoholic drinks, and removing alcohol does change the taste. But today’s makers are creative.</p>
<p>Wine does contain antioxidants, and moderate consumption has been <a href="https://doi.org/10.1039/C6FO00218H">linked with good health</a>. But alcohol removal can give consumers the benefits of the antioxidants without risking adverse effects.</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/non-alcoholic-drinks-how-healthy-are-they-127943">Non-alcoholic drinks: how healthy are they?</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p>And while you’re unlikely to think of beer as a sports drink, savvy marketers are thinking differently: Australians can now buy non-alcoholic “sports beers”. ZERO+ Sports Beer claims these beers contain similar <a href="https://www.sportsbeer.com.au/about">minerals and isotonic properties as sports drinks</a>.</p>
<h2>The future is mindful</h2>
<p>Drinking alcohol is seen as a way to relax, socialise and gain a sense of pleasure. </p>
<p>But the mindful drinker gains their sense of pleasure and enjoyment through abstaining or moderating their drinking. </p>
<p><div data-react-class="InstagramEmbed" data-react-props="{"url":"https://www.instagram.com/p/COwV650sz4O","accessToken":"127105130696839|b4b75090c9688d81dfd245afe6052f20"}"></div></p>
<p>Embracing <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.drugpo.2020.102709">mindful drinking has been shown to generate positive feelings</a> such as a sense of self-determination, building self-esteem, and feeling comfortable with one’s social identity.</p>
<p>Consumers want alternatives and are excited by new products and innovation. </p>
<p>Some dealcoholised <a href="https://au.bigdropbrew.com/?campaign=11417195683&content=474632080057&keyword=german%20non%20alcoholic%20beer&gclid=CjwKCAjwt8uGBhBAEiwAayu_9SpaSepkDzlZ2P8CuewAtd65_YkAnKLZs9fuTg5aBd3IyCn2p4HjARoCysQQAvD_BwE">beers</a> and <a href="https://www.arielvineyards.com/our_history.html">wines</a> have even won awards against standard strength wines — so the mindful drinker may be getting the pick of the shelf.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/160931/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Tamara Bucher is affiliated with the Priority Research Centre (PRC) for Physical Activity and Nutrition and PRC for Health Behaviour, the University of Newcastle, NSW. She has received research grants from the Australian Research Council, the Swiss National Science Foundation, the Swiss Foundation for Nutrition Research, The European Union, Universities Australia and food industry including Rijk Zwaan, Nestec Ltd and Goodman fielder, Mars Australia, Tamburlaine Organic Wines, Fist Creek Wines, MCC label. She is a member of the International Society for Behavioural Nutrition and Physical Activity (ISBNPA), the Nutrition Society Australia (NSA) and the Australian Institute of Food Science and Technology (AIFST).</span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Melanie Pirinen is affiliated with the Doctoral Training Centre for Food & Agribusiness, University of Newcastle. She is a PhD Candidate and is supported by a University of Newcastle Women in STEM Post-Graduate Research Scholarship. She is a member of the Nutrition Society Australia (NSA) and the Australian Institute of Food Science and Technology (AIFST). </span></em></p>
Today’s non-alcoholic drinks are perfectly at home in the wine bar or on the cocktail shelf.
Tamara Bucher, Senior Researcher, University of Newcastle
Melanie Pirinen, PhD Candidate (Food Science & Nutrition), University of Newcastle
Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.
tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/162222
2021-06-10T12:36:52Z
2021-06-10T12:36:52Z
Alcohol companies make $17.5 billion a year off of underage drinking, while prevention efforts are starved for cash
<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/404928/original/file-20210607-10178-1b5bfg2.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=0%2C14%2C4679%2C2354&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">New research estimates that underage drinkers consume $2.2 billion of Anheuser-Busch InBev drinks – like Budweiser – per year.</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://newsroom.ap.org/detail/EarnsABInBev/177404906dfa4944b17cc3bf5a42442f/photo?Query=ab%20AND%20inbev&mediaType=photo&sortBy=&dateRange=Anytime&totalCount=63&currentItemNo=0">AP Photo/Reed Saxon</a></span></figcaption></figure><figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/405233/original/file-20210609-19-1gvoc6d.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/405233/original/file-20210609-19-1gvoc6d.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=255&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/405233/original/file-20210609-19-1gvoc6d.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=255&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/405233/original/file-20210609-19-1gvoc6d.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=255&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/405233/original/file-20210609-19-1gvoc6d.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=321&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/405233/original/file-20210609-19-1gvoc6d.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=321&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/405233/original/file-20210609-19-1gvoc6d.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=321&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">CC–BY–ND.</span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Alcohol is still the <a href="https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/volumes/69/su/su6901a5.htm">most commonly used</a> drug among high school students. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, every year approximately <a href="https://nccd.cdc.gov/DPH_ARDI/Default/Report.aspx?T=AAM&P=1A04A664-0244-42C1-91DE-316F3AF6B447&R=B885BD06-13DF-45CD-8DD8-AA6B178C4ECE&M=32B5FFE7-81D2-43C5-A892-9B9B3C4246C7&F=&D=">3,500 people under 21 die because of alcohol use</a>. </p>
<p>I have studied the relationship between alcohol marketing and youth drinking behavior for the past 20 years. In 2011, my colleagues and I performed what to our knowledge was the first and only survey of <a href="https://doi.org/10.1111/acer.12084">what specific brands of alcohol underage people drink</a>. We asked 1,032 young drinkers about 898 brands of alcohol to learn what the underage alcohol market looks like.</p>
<p>In a new paper published on June 9, 2021, my colleagues and I combined our survey data with the latest information available about alcohol consumption among adults to estimate the percent of all alcohol sold in the U.S. <a href="https://doi.org/10.15288/jsad.2021.82.368">that was consumed by young people</a>. Then, we were able to calculate how much money underage drinkers are spending and, importantly, <a href="https://doi.org/10.15288/jsad.2021.82.368">which companies are making this money</a>. </p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/404930/original/file-20210607-27-1lo02iv.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="Two empty red plastic cups next to tipped over beer bottles." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/404930/original/file-20210607-27-1lo02iv.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/404930/original/file-20210607-27-1lo02iv.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=401&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/404930/original/file-20210607-27-1lo02iv.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=401&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/404930/original/file-20210607-27-1lo02iv.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=401&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/404930/original/file-20210607-27-1lo02iv.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=504&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/404930/original/file-20210607-27-1lo02iv.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=504&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/404930/original/file-20210607-27-1lo02iv.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=504&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Just three companies account for nearly half of all alcohol consumed by minors.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/news-photo/photo-illustration-for-underage-drinking-with-empty-beer-news-photo/1315945612?adppopup=true">MediaNews Group/Reading Eagle via Getty Images</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>Who makes money from underage drinking?</h2>
<p>In 2016, the most recent year for which market research and government data were available, the total value of alcoholic beverage sales in the U.S. <a href="https://doi.org/10.15288/jsad.2021.82.368">was around US$237.1 billion</a>. Using our model of the youth market from 2011 and our database of alcohol prices, we were able to estimate the retail sales of youth consumption for 2011 and project it to 2016. In total, we estimate that youth under 21 accounted for <a href="https://doi.org/10.15288/jsad.2021.82.368">8.6% of the drinks consumed and 7.4% of the dollars spent</a>, since young people buy cheaper alcohol. This translates to $17.5 billion. While underage drinking has been <a href="https://www.niaaa.nih.gov/publications/brochures-and-fact-sheets/alcohol-facts-and-statistics">steadily declining since 2002</a>, it is still a substantial source of income for these companies. </p>
<p>According to our <a href="https://doi.org/10.1111/acer.12084">2011 survey</a>, the 10 most popular alcohol brands among underage drinkers were Bud Light, Budweiser, Smirnoff Malt Beverages, Smirnoff Vodkas, Coors Light, Jack Daniel’s Bourbons, Corona Extra, Mike’s, Captain Morgan Rums and Absolut Vodkas.</p>
<p>Three companies own most of these drinks and accounted for nearly half – 44.7% – of the alcoholic drinks consumed by young people. Anheuser-Busch InBev accounted for 21.2% of of these drinks, from which they earned $2.2 billion. MillerCoors sold 11.1% of the booze, earning $1.1 billion. Spirits- and beer-maker Diageo also sold 11.1% of the beverages youth drank – and, since liquor tends to be more expensive per drink compared to beer, earned $2 billion from underage drinking.</p>
<h2>Revenues from underage drinking could be put to good use</h2>
<figure class="align-right zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/404929/original/file-20210607-80132-1mr4oht.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="A sign on a fence saying 'Must be 21 years old to enter.'" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/404929/original/file-20210607-80132-1mr4oht.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/404929/original/file-20210607-80132-1mr4oht.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=900&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/404929/original/file-20210607-80132-1mr4oht.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=900&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/404929/original/file-20210607-80132-1mr4oht.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=900&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/404929/original/file-20210607-80132-1mr4oht.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=1131&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/404929/original/file-20210607-80132-1mr4oht.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=1131&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/404929/original/file-20210607-80132-1mr4oht.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=1131&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Alcohol companies claim to be against underage drinking but contribute very little money to effective programs aimed at reducing the large market.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/photo/drinking-age-royalty-free-image/172281583?adppopup=true">Kameleon007/iStock via Getty Images Plus</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Brewing industry trade association the Beer Institute says that the “<a href="https://www.beerinstitute.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/BI_WhitePaper2018.pdf">U.S. beer industry has dedicated itself to preventing illegal underage drinking for more than three decades</a>.” They go on to say that companies do their part to make sure advertising is aimed at adults, educate parents and college students about underage drinking and encourage stores to not sell alcohol to minors.</p>
<p>However, <a href="https://dx.doi.org/10.1093%2Feurpub%2Fcky065">numerous studies</a> have found that alcohol companies’ actions to prevent alcohol-related harms are ineffective. Our research clearly demonstrates a conflict of interest: These companies are making literally billions of dollars from the very behavior they say they want to prevent. </p>
<p>In response to a request from Congress, in 2003, the National Research Council and Institute of Medicine issued a <a href="https://doi.org/10.17226/10729">major report on reducing underage drinking</a>. They recommended that all segments of the alcohol industry that profit from underage drinking place 0.5% of total company revenues in an independent nonprofit foundation dedicated to reducing and preventing underage drinking. In 2016, this would have amounted, for example, to $78 million from Anheuser-Busch InBev. This money could do a lot to support community groups trying to implement <a href="https://www.thecommunityguide.org/topic/excessive-alcohol-consumption?page=1">evidence-based strategies</a> such as reducing density of stores that sell alcohol, raising alcohol taxes and increasing enforcement around illegal sales to minors. </p>
<p>But no independent fund was ever created, and the alcohol companies themselves continue to control the money they contribute to preventing underage drinking, largely spending it on branded “corporate social responsibility” efforts that do more to <a href="https://dx.doi.org/10.1093%2Feurpub%2Fcky065">promote their products than prevent harmful drinking</a>. </p>
<p>Meanwhile, federal funding specifically dedicated to the prevention of underage drinking is minimal. The <a href="https://www.samhsa.gov/sites/default/files/samhsa-fy-2022-cj.pdf">most recent president’s budget</a> recommended a mere $10 million for grants to community coalitions working on underage drinking. On top of this, as a result of a significant alcohol tax cut passed in 2017 and <a href="https://www.thedrinksbusiness.com/2020/12/us-alcohol-producers-benefit-from-900bn-stimulus-package/">made permanent in 2020</a>, alcohol companies are contributing less to the federal budget than ever.</p>
<p>I believe that, because of their conflict of interest, alcohol companies cannot be trusted to spend prevention dollars effectively. The billions these companies make from underage drinking is money that the prevention field could really use. A system, independent of the industry, that would collect and allocate these unwanted revenues could be a better way to get it to local communities and help reduce and prevent underage drinking.</p>
<p>[<em>Get our best science, health and technology stories.</em> <a href="https://theconversation.com/us/newsletters/science-editors-picks-71/?utm_source=TCUS&utm_medium=inline-link&utm_campaign=newsletter-text&utm_content=science-best">Sign up for The Conversation’s science newsletter</a>.]</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/162222/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>David H. Jernigan receives funding from the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism and the de Beaumont Foundation. He also serves as the Scientific Chair of the Global Alcohol Policy Alliance.</span></em></p>
In the US, underage drinking accounts for a whopping US$17.5 billion worth of alcohol yearly. New research shows which companies take in most of this money and how little is spent on prevention.
David H. Jernigan, Professor of Health Law, Policy & Management, Boston University
Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.
tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/159662
2021-04-28T11:21:51Z
2021-04-28T11:21:51Z
Four reasons why your tolerance for alcohol can change
<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/397560/original/file-20210428-23-1ttk449.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=13%2C0%2C4384%2C2747&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Drinking as much as you used to could lead to greater intoxication.</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/young-friends-drinking-beer-open-face-1904284618">View Apart/ Shutterstock</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>As pubs and bars reopen across England, many are excited about the opportunity to enjoy a drink with friends and family. While some evidence suggests alcohol consumption <a href="https://www.cam.ac.uk/research/news/one-in-three-adults-drank-more-alcohol-during-first-lockdown">increased during lockdown</a>, other reports suggest that over <a href="https://alcoholchange.org.uk/blog/2020/covid19-drinking-during-lockdown-headline-findings">one in three adults</a> drank less – or stopped altogether. </p>
<p>But though we may be excited to get back to the pub, our tolerance may be lower than it was pre-lockdown.</p>
<p>Regularly drinking a certain amount of alcohol (for example, having four pints every Friday evening after work) can lead to <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20051223102353/https:/pubs.niaaa.nih.gov/publications/aa28.htm">increased tolerance</a>. This is where the brain adapts to the effects of alcohol (such as relaxation and improved mood), and over time more alcohol is needed to achieve the same effects. </p>
<p>In this scenario you may need to drink five pints to get the same initial “buzz” you got from four pints. Tolerance is a <a href="https://www.niaaa.nih.gov/publications/brochures-and-fact-sheets/alcohol-use-disorder-comparison-between-dsm">hallmark feature of addiction</a>. But it can also develop with regular and continued alcohol use in social drinkers.</p>
<p>Following a period of reduced alcohol use or abstinence, alcohol tolerance can decrease to levels before regular use. This means that your brain and body are “out of practice” in terms of processing and responding to alcohol. Alcohol tolerance can be explained via <a href="https://pubs.niaaa.nih.gov/publications/aa28.htm">several mechanisms</a> – but here are four ways that tolerance may develop and change.</p>
<h2>1. Functional tolerance</h2>
<p>As we drink over the course of an evening the amount of <a href="https://www.alcohol.org/effects/blood-alcohol-concentration/">alcohol in our bloodstream</a> increases, leading to slower reaction times, lowered inhibitions and impaired judgement. Large amounts of alcohol cause slurred speech, lack of coordination and blurred vision. </p>
<p>People who regularly drink any amount of alcohol can become tolerant to these impairments and show few signs of intoxication – even when there are large amounts of alcohol in their bloodstream. If these drinkers stop or reduce their alcohol consumption, this tolerance could be lost.</p>
<p>But if they start drinking at their previous levels again, alcohol-related impairments in cognition and behaviour could return – but after having smaller amounts of alcohol. These changes in tolerance reflect the brain’s desensitisation (increased tolerance) and resensitisation (reduced tolerance) to alcohol at the <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0196064486801196">cellular level</a>.</p>
<h2>2. Environmental-dependent tolerance</h2>
<p>Tolerance can develop much more quickly if alcohol is always consumed in the same environment – for example, if you only drank at home during lockdown. This is a sub-type of functional tolerance.</p>
<p>This is because familiar “cues” – such as your home setting – are repeatedly paired with alcohol’s effects. This leads to a <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/2270057/">conditioned compensatory response</a>. This response counters alcohol’s impairing effects, and we may not feel as “intoxicated” as a result.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="Young man drinks a bottle of beer with a snack at night in front of his computer." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/397563/original/file-20210428-25-1lrogu9.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/397563/original/file-20210428-25-1lrogu9.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/397563/original/file-20210428-25-1lrogu9.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/397563/original/file-20210428-25-1lrogu9.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/397563/original/file-20210428-25-1lrogu9.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/397563/original/file-20210428-25-1lrogu9.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/397563/original/file-20210428-25-1lrogu9.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">If you’re used to drinking at home, drinking in the pub could lead to feeling more intoxicated.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/handsome-man-working-remotely-sitting-home-1942494121">Jelena Zelen/ Shutterstock</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>But when we drink in a new environment – such as going to the pub for the first time in six months – the compensatory response is not activated, making us more prone to experiencing alcohol’s effects. So even if you’ve still been consuming large amounts of alcohol at home during lockdown, you may find you feel alcohol’s effects to a greater degree when drinking the same amount as normal in a pub or bar.</p>
<h2>3. Learned tolerance</h2>
<p>Developing tolerance can be sped up if we repeatedly perform the same task or activity under the influence of alcohol.</p>
<p><a href="https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/BF00421426">Studies of rats</a> have shown that animals trained to navigate a maze while intoxicated actually performed better and were more [tolerant to the effects of the alcohol] than those who didn’t receive alcohol during training.</p>
<p>In humans, this type of tolerance can be shown in the performance of <a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-42545425">well-practiced games</a> played under the influence of alcohol. For example, an person who typically plays darts sober would likely experience impairment in performance if intoxicated. But if a person regularly drinks while playing darts, they may experience no alcohol-related impairment because of their <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S074183299190221H">learned tolerance</a>.</p>
<p>If you regularly played darts or pool at the pub prior to lockdown, a loss of learned tolerance could mean that you don’t play as well as you used to when you have a game after a few drinks.</p>
<h2>4. Metabolic tolerance</h2>
<p>While the other three types of tolerance focus on alcohol’s effects on the brain, metabolic tolerance refers instead to the rapid elimination of alcohol from the body following prolonged or heavy alcohol consumption. </p>
<p>Repeated alcohol use causes the liver to become <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3484320/">more “efficient” at eliminating alcohol</a> from the body. This results in a reduction of alcohol in the bloodstream, alongside its intoxicating effects. Similar to functional tolerance, as metabolic tolerance develops, a greater amount of alcohol is needed to experience the same effects as you experienced initially. </p>
<p>So drinking lower amounts of alcohol during lockdown could mean that your liver is less effective at “clearing” alcohol from the body. As a result, you’ll feel the intoxicating effects even from lower amounts of alcohol. Equally, increased alcohol consumption during lockdown could lead to increased metabolic tolerance, where a greater amount of alcohol is needed to feel intoxicated. </p>
<p>Tolerance is an important factor in understanding our drinking habits. It’s also important to remember that drinking as much as you used to after a period of drinking less (or not at all) could lead to greater intoxication, blackout and accidents. So if you plan to head back to the pub with friends now that lockdown is over, be mindful of how your drinking has changed so you can stay safe and enjoy that first tipple.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/159662/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Sally Adams does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>
Tolerance happens when the brain adapts to the effects of alcohol – eventually causing us to need more to achieve the same effects.
Sally Adams, Lecturer in Health Psychology, University of Bath
Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.
tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/155940
2021-03-05T13:12:48Z
2021-03-05T13:12:48Z
Women used to dominate the beer industry – until the witch accusations started pouring in
<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/387808/original/file-20210304-15-bf0kqb.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=21%2C21%2C3534%2C2713&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Three women dressed in Middle-Age period garb as alewives.</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/news-photo/barmaids-in-costume-from-the-festival-inn-east-london-which-news-photo/613511756?adppopup=true">Hulton-Deutsch Collection/Corbis via Getty Images</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>What do witches have to do with your favorite beer? </p>
<p>When I pose this question to students in my American literature and culture classes, I receive stunned silence or nervous laughs. The Sanderson sisters didn’t chug down bottles of Sam Adams in “<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tfteLe_G5MY">Hocus Pocus</a>.” But the history of beer points to a not-so-magical legacy of transatlantic slander and gender roles.</p>
<p>Up until the 1500s, brewing was primarily women’s work – that is, until a smear campaign accused women brewers of being witches. Much of the iconography we associate with witches today, from the pointy hat to the broom, may have emerged from their connection to female brewers. </p>
<h2>A routine household task</h2>
<p>Humans have been drinking beer for almost 7,000 years, and the <a href="https://www.womenshistory.org/articles/women-and-beer-forgotten-pairing#:%7E:text=Women's%20involvement%20in%20brewing%20beer,in%20Mesopotamia%2C%20and%20possible%20earlier.&text=Historically%20women%20were%20involved%20in,also%20brewed%20their%20own%20beer.">original brewers were women</a>. From the Vikings to the Egyptians, women brewed beer both for religious ceremonies and to make a practical, calorie-rich beverage for the home. </p>
<p>In fact, the nun <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/food/hops-the-beer-ingredient-most-drinkers-love/2014/02/10/fd5daab0-8f57-11e3-84e1-27626c5ef5fb_story.html">Hildegard von Bingen</a>, who lived in modern-day Germany, famously wrote about hops in the 12th century and added the ingredient to her beer recipe.</p>
<p>From the <a href="http://www.bbc.com/earth/story/20161130-why-the-stone-age-could-be-when-brits-first-brewed-beer">Stone Age to the 1700s</a>, ale – and, later, beer – was a household staple for most families in England and other parts of Europe. The drink was an inexpensive way to consume and preserve grains. For the working class, beer provided <a href="https://newhistories.group.shef.ac.uk/the-medieval-beverage-of-choice-alcohol-or-water/">an important source of nutrients</a>, full of carbohydrates and proteins. Because the beverage was such a common part of the average person’s diet, fermenting was, for many women, <a href="https://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/women-making-beer">one of their normal household tasks</a>. </p>
<p>Some enterprising women took this household skill to the marketplace and began selling beer. Widows or unmarried women used their fermentation prowess to earn some extra money, while married women partnered with their husbands to run their beer business. </p>
<h2>Exiling women from the industry</h2>
<p>So if you traveled back in time to the Middle Ages or the Renaissance and went to a market in England, you’d probably see an oddly familiar sight: women wearing tall, pointy hats. In many instances, they’d be standing in front of big cauldrons.</p>
<p>But these women were no witches; <a href="https://www.researchgate.net/publication/298992595_Beer_in_the_Middle_Ages_and_the_Renaissance">they were brewers</a>. </p>
<p>They wore the tall, pointy hats so that their customers could see them in the crowded marketplace. They transported their brew in cauldrons. And those who sold their beer out of stores had cats <a href="https://www.jstor.org/stable/41388926">not as demon familiars</a>, but to keep mice away from the grain. <a href="https://www.vice.com/en/article/xw9egk/witches-hats-alewife-brewster-history">Some argue that iconography we associate with witches</a>, from the pointy hat to the cauldron, originated from women working as master brewers.</p>
<p>Just as women were establishing their foothold in the beer markets of England, Ireland and the rest of Europe, <a href="https://www.history.com/news/how-medieval-churches-used-witch-hunts-to-gain-more-followers">the Reformation began</a>. The religious movement, which originated in the early 16th century, preached stricter gender norms and condemned witchcraft. </p>
<p>Male brewers saw an opportunity. To reduce their competition in the beer trade, some <a href="https://digpodcast.org/2018/10/21/witches-brew-how-the-patriarchy-ruins-everything-for-women-even-beer/">accused female brewers of being witches</a> and using their cauldrons to brew up magic potions instead of booze. </p>
<p>Unfortunately, the rumors took hold.</p>
<p>Over time, it became more dangerous for women to practice brewing and sell beer because they could be misidentified as witches. At the time, being accused of witchcraft wasn’t just a social faux pas; it could <a href="https://www.historic-uk.com/CultureUK/Witches-in-Britain/">result in prosecution or a death sentence</a>. Women accused of witchcraft were often ostracized in their communities, imprisoned or even killed. </p>
<p>Some men didn’t really believe that the women brewers were witches. However, many did believe that women shouldn’t be spending their time making beer. The process took time and dedication: hours to prepare the ale, sweep the floors clean and lift heavy bundles of rye and grain. If women couldn’t brew ale, they would have significantly more time at home to raise their children. In the 1500s <a href="https://digpodcast.org/2018/10/21/witches-brew-how-the-patriarchy-ruins-everything-for-women-even-beer/">some towns, such as Chester, England</a>, actually made it illegal for most women to sell beer, worried that young alewives would grow up into old spinsters.</p>
<p>[<em>Get the best of The Conversation, every weekend.</em> <a href="https://theconversation.com/us/newsletters/weekly-highlights-61?utm_source=TCUS&utm_medium=inline-link&utm_campaign=newsletter-text&utm_content=weeklybest">Sign up for our weekly newsletter</a>.]</p>
<h2>Men still run the show</h2>
<p>Men’s domination of the beer industry has endured: <a href="https://apnews.com/press-release/pr-wiredrelease/7d27a05d2226d7d3667616b2e24ce705">The top 10 beer companies</a> in the world are headed by male CEOs and have mostly male board members.</p>
<p>Major beer companies have tended to portray <a href="https://www.fastcompany.com/90460642/heineken-tries-fails-playing-gender-stereotypes-alcohol-marketing">beer as a drink for men</a>. Some scholars have even gone as far as calling beer ads “<a href="https://doi.org/10.4135/9781483326023.n6">manuals on masculinity</a>.” </p>
<p>This gender bias seems to persist in smaller craft breweries as well. <a href="https://www.craftbrewingbusiness.com/featured/woman-looking-work-craft-beer-ask-female-leaders-share-stories-advice/2/">A study at Stanford University</a> found that while 17% of craft beer breweries have one female CEO, only 4% of these businesses employ a female brewmaster – the expert supervisor who oversees the brewing process.</p>
<p>It doesn’t have to be this way. For much of history, it wasn’t.</p>
<p><em>Editor’s note: This article has been updated to acknowledge that it isn’t definitively known whether alewives inspired some of the popular iconography associated with witches today. It has also been updated to correct that it was during the Reformation that accusations of witchcraft became widespread.</em></p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/155940/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Laken Brooks does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>
Today, beer is marketed to men and the industry is run by men. It wasn’t always that way.
Laken Brooks, Doctoral Student of English, University of Florida
Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.
tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/154887
2021-02-17T14:46:32Z
2021-02-17T14:46:32Z
Alcohol use is worryingly high among Nigerian students: here’s who is most at risk
<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/384685/original/file-20210217-19-12amj16.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Used bear bottles in a factory in Nigeria. </span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Stefan Heunis/AFP/Getty Images</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>Many young people drink <a href="https://bmcpublichealth.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12889-019-7104-7">alcohol</a> – whether it’s out of curiosity, ignorance, peer pressure or other reasons. It’s a major public health <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3908712/">concern</a>. </p>
<p>The consequences of drinking can be physical, social and academic. Young people may put themselves at risk of injuries, accidents, health problems, relationship problems and poor school <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK37610/">performance</a>. Using alcohol also increases the risk of using other substances and developing related <a href="https://www.ajol.info/index.php/sajpsyc/article/view/125046">disorders</a>. For young people, it’s linked to mental health disorders in later and old <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK37610/">age</a>. </p>
<p>In most parts of Nigeria, there’s very little control over the sale and distribution of alcohol. It’s available in small and portable packaging and people of any age can buy it. It’s not uncommon for bars to be situated near schools.</p>
<p>According to the World Health <a href="https://www.who.int/substance_abuse/publications/global_alcohol_report/gsr_2018/en/">Organisation</a>, Nigeria ranks second on the list of African countries for heavy episodic drinking. Scholarly <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29580226/">sources</a> have backed this claim. But <a href="https://bmcpublichealth.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12889-019-7104-7">reports</a> on the prevalence of alcohol use among the Nigerian university student population show conflicting results. They are difficult to compare because the studies have used difference methods and samples, at different locations and times. They have also looked at the contribution of different psychological factors. This makes it harder to use the studies to guide interventions to combat harmful drinking.</p>
<p>For this reason, we <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/eprint/R6NTYIVMJ8KH6J3VX8JG/full?target=10.1080/14659891.2021.1875067">surveyed</a> a large sample of university students across six Nigerian regions. We wanted to know how prevalent alcohol use was among students and how this differed by gender, age and geographical location. We also examined how alcohol use was related to three psychological factors: self-efficacy, which refers to the belief or perceived confidence an individual has in
their ability to effectively manage challenges especially in a situation that may put them at risk of mental stress, depression and life purpose.</p>
<p>We found that about a third of the respondents were users of alcohol and about 9% were dependent on it. The pattern of alcohol use differed significantly across age groups and locations. And students who perceived themselves as unable to handle challenges in their lives were more likely to use alcohol. </p>
<p>These findings are a warning for universities to pay close attention to students’ emotional challenges and make sure counselling and prevention programmes are available to them.</p>
<h2>Alcohol use among Nigerian university students</h2>
<p>We conducted our survey in six Nigerian federal universities, spread across the six regions. We collected data from a sample of 1,173 students using a structured questionnaire. </p>
<p>We found that about one-third (31.4%) of the respondents had used alcohol in the past 30 days. About 16.8% of the students in our survey consumed alcohol at a non-risk level, while about 14.6% were drinking in ways that put their health and well-being at risk, for example being drunk on many occasions, or engaging in risky behaviours under the influence of alcohol.</p>
<p>Our findings raised a concern about the high rate of alcohol use among Nigerian university students. </p>
<p>The rate of alcohol use significantly differed across geographical locations. Alcohol use was more predominant among students in the North East and South South region. The least alcohol consumption was reported in the North West and South West. A probable explanation for this difference is socio-cultural and religious factors and ease of access to alcohol. Alcohol is prohibited in the core part of the North West on Islamic religious grounds, but is generally culturally acceptable and available in the South South region. </p>
<p>There was no significant difference in the rate of alcohol use reported by male and female students. Unlike previous <a href="https://bmcpublichealth.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12889-019-7104-7">studies</a> that reported males using alcohol more than females, we found evidence of an increasing rate of alcohol use among female students.</p>
<p>We also found a significant relationship between age and alcohol use. Students aged 19 years reported more alcohol use than those aged between 16 years and 18 years. However, the 16-18 year olds reported a higher level of problem drinking than than older students aged 19 years and above. For instance, dependent level of alcohol use, which implies using alcohol at the extent of not being able to function properly if not on alcohol, was higher for younger students. 9.4% of the younger students engaged in problem drinking, compared to 7% of the older students.</p>
<p>Students who reported symptoms of depression, and students who said they perceived their lives as lacking meaning or purpose, reported a higher level of alcohol use than students who didn’t report these psychological problems. This was also the case for students who reported low self-efficacy – that is, a feeling of being unable to handle personal issues and life challenges. Our findings imply that alcohol use among the student population is linked with mental health challenges. It appears that alcohol is used as a coping strategy. </p>
<h2>Conclusion</h2>
<p>Our findings show that it’s important to identify and help students with mental health challenges. We recommend that the Nigerian university authority should strengthen healthcare services for students. The system should target students who need mental health assessments and interventions. This would translate into a reduction in alcohol and drug use as a way of coping.</p>
<p>Also, we recommend that all concerned stakeholders, including government agencies like the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, address problem drinking among students. Although alcohol is a legal substance, its use is associated with an array of harmful <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK37610/">consequences</a>.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/154887/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Samson Femi Agberotimi does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>
Nigerian students are consuming alcohol in alarming quantities, and for psychological reasons. What can be done?
Samson Femi Agberotimi, Postdoctoral Research Fellow, North-West University
Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.
tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/148386
2020-11-16T21:07:45Z
2020-11-16T21:07:45Z
We brewed beer from recycled wastewater – and it tasted great
<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/368938/original/file-20201111-13-1jrvvcy.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=206%2C94%2C5535%2C3595&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Would you drink beer made from wastewater?</span> </figcaption></figure><p>As the Earth’s population grows and approaches a projected <a href="https://www.un.org/en/sections/issues-depth/population/">9.7 billion by 2050</a>, the world’s freshwaters will face mounting pressure to supply the needs of population growth. Approximately <a href="https://www.who.int/news/item/18-06-2019-1-in-3-people-globally-do-not-have-access-to-safe-drinking-water-unicef-who">33 per cent of people do not have access to safe drinking water</a> and a similar number <a href="https://ourworldindata.org/sanitation#access-to-improved-sanitation">do not have access to proper sanitation</a> — numbers that will increase as populations grow. </p>
<p>In addition, climate change is predicted to increase the severity of <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2018/12/12/climate/climate-change-floods-droughts.html">floods and droughts</a>, which in some places will limit water availability and reduce water quality. In some Canadian watersheds, like the South Saskatchewan River Basin in southern Alberta, <a href="https://doi.org/10.4296/cwrj3501079">licences for new water withdrawals — for municipal, agricultural, industrial or other uses — have reached their limit</a>. To continue to sustain or grow populations — and economies — more is going to have to be done with the same amount of water, or even less. </p>
<p>But <a href="https://www.epa.gov/waterreuse/basic-information-about-water-reuse">water can be reused</a>. It can be repurposed, following treatment, for drinking water and non-drinking water, such as car washes, and can be part of the solution to help communities build water resilience in the face of growth and climate change. </p>
<p>It can also be transformed into beer.</p>
<h2>Barriers to reuse</h2>
<p>One of the barriers to widespread water reuse is the perception that Canada has an endless supply of freshwater. There’s also the yuck factor: people have a hard time thinking about drinking or cooking with water that someone else showered in or, worse still, flushed down the toilet. Together, that means there is little market pull to drive innovation. </p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/366599/original/file-20201030-16-7hj1y4.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=3%2C0%2C2649%2C1976&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="Bow River at Castle Mountain Junction, Banff National Park" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/366599/original/file-20201030-16-7hj1y4.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=3%2C0%2C2649%2C1976&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/366599/original/file-20201030-16-7hj1y4.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=449&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/366599/original/file-20201030-16-7hj1y4.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=449&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/366599/original/file-20201030-16-7hj1y4.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=449&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/366599/original/file-20201030-16-7hj1y4.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=564&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/366599/original/file-20201030-16-7hj1y4.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=564&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/366599/original/file-20201030-16-7hj1y4.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=564&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">The Bow River is one of two new water sources for Calgary’s 1.5 million people.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Leland Jackson)</span>, <span class="license">Author provided</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>The division of water management between different levels of government and their ministries or sub-groups leads to fragmented systems that are not managed as a whole but rather as individual parts. This management siloing means decisions and communication often lack a whole-watershed perspective. A lack of regulations describing the standards for treated water, particularly for direct potable reuse, means there is little push to create solutions. </p>
<p>What many people do not realize is that we already drink dilute wastewater today, after it has been through a treatment plant and spent time in lakes or rivers, called environmental buffers, where natural processes provide additional treatment. Direct potable reuse is the process of taking wastewater and treating it to drinking water standards without using a reservoir or aquifer as an environmental intermediary. </p>
<p>Technologies exist to produce direct potable water from wastewater — <a href="https://science.nasa.gov/science-news/science-at-nasa/2000/ast02nov_1">astronauts living on the International Space Station have known this for two decades</a>. But there is a lack of regulations in almost all jurisdictions, with the exception now, of Alberta. </p>
<p>On <a href="https://www.overshootday.org/">Earth Overshoot Day</a> (August 22 this year), Village Brewery, a Calgary craft beer-maker, <a href="https://youtu.be/CpupXGEil-E">joined</a> University of Calgary researchers and Xylem Technologies, a U.S.-based water technology company, to brew a crisp blond ale from reused wastewater — the first case of direct potable reuse in Alberta and possibly Canada. </p>
<h2>Safe to consume</h2>
<p>Treating municipal wastewater for potable reuse involves using a variety of technologies to clean it and remove disease-causing organisms, called pathogens. The water is treated by physical screening and settling of solids, biological processes that remove nutrients. Filtration and treatment with highly reactive forms of oxygen, comes next, followed by ultraviolet radiation.</p>
<p>To turn wastewater into beer, the collaboration took wastewater from a treatment plant and ran it through a series of sophisticated purifying steps: ultra-filtration, ozonation, UV radiation and reverse osmosis. </p>
<p>The idea was to remove and inactivate several types of pathogens, including Giardia and Cryptosporidium, parasites that cause diarrhea, and viruses like Norovirus and SARS-CoV-2. The treatment reduced the number of pathogens in the treated water by a factor that exceeded 10 trillion for bacteria and viruses and one trillion for Giardia and Cryptosporidium. </p>
<p>The collaboration used standards based in other jurisdictions that already produce direct potable water, including Singapore, Germany and <a href="https://www.waterboards.ca.gov/drinking_water/certlic/drinkingwater/documents/direct_potable_reuse/dprframewk.pdf">California</a>. It also met all specifications of the <a href="https://www.canada.ca/en/health-canada/services/environmental-workplace-health/water-quality/drinking-water/canadian-drinking-water-guidelines.html">Canadian Drinking Water guidelines</a> for organics and metals. </p>
<p><div data-react-class="InstagramEmbed" data-react-props="{"url":"https://www.instagram.com/p/CEAI4djpSW9","accessToken":"127105130696839|b4b75090c9688d81dfd245afe6052f20"}"></div></p>
<p>So, how did the beer taste? It tasted great! Attendees at the launch enjoyed drinking the beer and many sampled more than one. </p>
<p>In the future, if we can do more with the same amount of water or use water multiple times, it will mean there will be less demand for new water. The use of technology to treat and reuse water, whether it be for watering parks, flooding ice rinks, fighting fires or washing cars and buses, can be part of a solution to reduce demand for new water, mitigate impacts from growing populations and changing climate, and provide resilience to water-scarce communities.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/148386/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Leland Jackson receives funding from the Natural Sciences and Research Council of Canada and the Canada Foundation for Innovation.</span></em></p>
To continue to sustain or grow populations — and economies — more is going to have to be done with the same amount of water, or even less.
Leland Jackson, Professor of Aquatic Ecosystem Ecology, and, Scientific Director - Advancing Canadian Wastewater Assets, University of Calgary
Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.
tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/138640
2020-09-03T14:48:26Z
2020-09-03T14:48:26Z
Why low and alcohol free beers could be considered health drinks
<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/355848/original/file-20200901-14-1dwem69.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=0%2C36%2C4893%2C3220&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Refreshing in the scientific-medical sense, not just the pints-after-work sense.</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/people-men-leisure-friendship-celebration-concept-464199170">Syda Productions/Shutterstock</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>It is often said that weak beer was drunk in preference to dirty water in European towns during the middle ages. This fact is <a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/9783527623488.ch1">probably overstated</a>, but the idea that beer was nutritionally important in the medieval period seems more likely. Weaker, so-called “small beers” would have been low in alcohol but a <a href="https://www.upenn.edu/pennpress/book/14037.html">valuable source of energy and nutrients</a>, helping medieval labourers meet their high energy requirements of 3,000 calories a day. </p>
<p>The industrialisation of brewing led to higher alcohol levels in modern beers, which together with their energy and carbohydrate content means beer is now associated with <a href="https://www.sheffield.ac.uk/polopoly_fs/1.538671!/file/Drinking_Guidelines_Final_Report_Published.pdf">poor health and disease</a>. Growing concerns about the health effects of excessive beer consumption has driven increased interest in no-alcohol and low-alcohol (<a href="https://www.theguardian.com/business/2020/jan/20/uk-brewers-invest-in-low-alcohol-drinks-trend">“nolo”</a>) beers, especially in adults under 30. The acceptability of these beers has increased recently, in part due to brewing developments that require less heat and so retain more of the original flavours.</p>
<p>Research shows that moderate beer intake, as with wine, is associated with a reduced risks of <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/30166641">heart disease</a>. So it’s plausible that nolo beers could also offer these health and nutritional benefits, but without the negative effects linked to the alcohol and calorie content.</p>
<p>In a <a href="https://www.mdpi.com/2306-5710/6/2/25">recent review</a>, we set out to determine the health benefits of nolo beers and whether they could find a place as nutritious drinks with everyday uses, rather than being drunk typically only by teetotallers and designated drivers. Antioxidants and gut health are areas about which there is considerable interest among the health-conscious and among food producers, and nolo beers can provide for both. </p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/346627/original/file-20200709-62-1h8us8q.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=0%2C4%2C2764%2C1711&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/346627/original/file-20200709-62-1h8us8q.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=373&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/346627/original/file-20200709-62-1h8us8q.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=373&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/346627/original/file-20200709-62-1h8us8q.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=373&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/346627/original/file-20200709-62-1h8us8q.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=469&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/346627/original/file-20200709-62-1h8us8q.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=469&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/346627/original/file-20200709-62-1h8us8q.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=469&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Alcohol-free beer: like a sports drink, but tastes better.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/pleia2/30252646627">Elizabeth K. Joseph</a>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/">CC BY</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>Probiotics</h2>
<p>Many people think <a href="https://theconversation.com/the-science-behind-probiotics-and-choosing-one-that-works-132804">probiotics</a> are the bacteria in yoghurts and perhaps kombucha, but beer can be probiotic too – that is, it contains live, beneficial bacteria – due to its yeast. A number of yeasts such as <em>Saccharomyces boulardii</em> have been found to play a role in managing <a href="https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/1756283X11428502">gastrointestinal disorders</a>, and although this type of beer is yet to be tested to see if it improves gut health, a number of studies are <a href="https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s12602-020-09680-5">in the pipeline</a>. A beer using alternative yeasts such as this also could reduce the beer’s sugar content, or through slow fermentation, produce less alcohol. </p>
<p>Other styles of beer such as sour beers and lambics use bacteria similar to those you would find in live yoghurt. But, as with yoghurts, it may not be possible to get an approved health claim, and many products are treated to extend shelf life and in doing so reduce or remove any potential probiotic microorganisms. To contain any live probiotics linked to maintaining a healthy gut and immune system, the beer needs to be fresh, not pasteurised and unfiltered. But this would reduce its shelf-life and risk the production of “off” flavours. </p>
<h2>Polyphenols</h2>
<p>Polyphenols are a large group of compounds found in hops and grains that have been linked to a reduced risk of disease. They have been shown in laboratory tests to be powerful antioxidants, which can mop up dangerous free radicals in the body’s cells, which if left unchecked can increase the risk of diseases, such as heart disease and cancer. While there is doubt about whether this is the <a href="https://ifst.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/ijfs.14135">mechanism</a> by which antioxidants keep us healthy, what is clear is that diets rich in a variety of these compounds are <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6115785/">a good thing</a>.</p>
<p>Beer and nolo beer are rich in polyphenols due to the barley and hops, which means beer can contain <a href="http://europepmc.org/article/med/25442616">over 50 different compounds</a> that could provide benefits from affecting gastrointestinal health to controlling bacteria growth. Beers containing more hops, such as IPAs, tend to contain even more of these <a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/1541-4337.12352">potential health-promoting polyphenols</a> than lagers.</p>
<p>There is now recognition that nolo beers can potentially be marketed as health products. German brewer Erdinger’s <a href="https://int.erdinger.de/beer/alkoholfrei.html">alcohol-free wheat beer</a> contains electrolytes that can aid the absorption of water to help digestion – something often referred to as “isotonic” when found in a sports drink. The beer is also a source of folate and vitamin B12 due to the action of the yeast in the bottled beer (particularly important for vegans, for whom there are few natural sources of vitamin B12 available). </p>
<p>Erdinger market this beer as “isotonic” and “a sporty thirst quencher”, which suggests it has identified that the beer is both suitable for, and is of interest to, groups beyond those wishing to avoid alcohol. The sports drink potential of nolo beers has been tested in the lab too, with low alcohol beers being <a href="https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fnut.2016.00045/full">almost as good</a> as sports drinks for rehydrating, especially if a <a href="https://journals.humankinetics.com/view/journals/ijsnem/23/6/article-p593.xml">pinch of salt</a> is added. </p>
<p>While nolo beers are <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/business/2020/jan/20/uk-brewers-invest-in-low-alcohol-drinks-trend">growing in popularity</a>, it may be that traditional beer fans may struggle to accept them as “real ales”, given the poor reputation of low-alcohol beers in the past. But with improving brewing and alcohol-removal methods, the flavour and potentially the health benefits of low alcohol beers can be retained, while reducing the negatives of excess alcohol and calories. Even the most ardent beer fans may yet be won over.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/138640/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Ray Carson is a Director of Beertorrent Ltd. </span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Bishoy Hanna-Khalil and Duane Mellor do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>
Remove the alcohol and calories, and it turns out beer is a drink that has many qualities found in health drinks.
Duane Mellor, Senior Teaching Fellow, Aston Medical School, Aston University
Bishoy Hanna-Khalil, Clinical Teaching Fellow, Aston University
Ray Carson, Senior Lecturer and Medical Studies Co-ordinator, Aston University
Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.
tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/142215
2020-08-24T12:18:31Z
2020-08-24T12:18:31Z
Brewing Mesopotamian beer brings a sip of this vibrant ancient drinking culture back to life
<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/352345/original/file-20200811-19-11yl8ks.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=65%2C312%2C1353%2C547&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Cylinder seal (left) and modern impression (right) showing two people drinking beer through long straws. Khafajeh, Iraq (Early Dynastic period, c. 2600–2350 B.C.). </span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://oi-idb.uchicago.edu/id/61722c88-6efd-4b76-a98f-8bd9acf7b43a">Courtesy of the Oriental Institute of the University of Chicago</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>It’s been about five months since I set foot in a bar. Like many of you navigating life in a pandemic, I miss bars. I miss the simple pleasure of sharing a beer with friends. And I know I’m not alone. </p>
<p>People have been gathering over a beer for thousands of years. As an <a href="https://scholar.google.com/citations?hl=en&user=usYo1yAAAAAJ">archaeologist</a>, I can tell you <a href="https://www.ucpress.edu/book/9780520267985/uncorking-the-past">the history of beer</a> stretches deep into the human past – and the history of bars is not far behind.</p>
<p>If you could travel back in time to one of the bustling cities of ancient Mesopotamia (c. 4000–330 B.C.), for example, you would have no trouble finding yourself a bar or a beer. Beer was the <a href="https://youtu.be/nDva-HQmLUo">beverage of choice in Mesopotamia</a>. In fact, to be a Mesopotamian was to drink beer.</p>
<h2>A beloved beverage</h2>
<p>For the Sumerians, Akkadians and Babylonians, the ancient inhabitants of modern-day Iraq, beer was a daily staple and an essential component of social life. It was a beloved beverage, celebrated in <a href="http://etcsl.orinst.ox.ac.uk/section4/tr4231.htm">poetry</a> and <a href="http://etcsl.orinst.ox.ac.uk/section5/tr55a.htm">song</a>.</p>
<p>But it was also <a href="https://www.worldcat.org/title/drinking-in-ancient-societies-history-and-culture-of-drinks-in-the-ancient-near-east-papers-of-a-symposium-held-in-rome-may-17-19-1990/oclc/33497775">recognized as a potent force</a> whose consumption could prove risky. In Mesopotamian literature, drinking beer could lead to confusion, <a href="http://etcsl.orinst.ox.ac.uk/cgi-bin/etcsl.cgi?text=t.1.1.1#">loss of control</a> and <a href="http://etcsl.orinst.ox.ac.uk/section1/tr131.htm">poor judgment</a>.</p>
<p>Beer was also known to produce unwanted physical effects, like a certain less-than-stellar feeling the morning after or <a href="https://www.worldcat.org/title/drinking-in-ancient-societies-history-and-culture-of-drinks-in-the-ancient-near-east-papers-of-a-symposium-held-in-rome-may-17-19-1990/oclc/33497775">an inability to perform sexually</a>. Still, Mesopotamians continued to drink their beer with enjoyment and gusto. A common scene in the artistic record depicts a <a href="https://youtu.be/l2iHAgPV-EQ">man and woman having sex</a>, while the woman drinks beer.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/352551/original/file-20200812-14-1cz764e.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="Standing man penetrating a standing woman who is bent over sipping beer out of an urn with a straw" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/352551/original/file-20200812-14-1cz764e.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/352551/original/file-20200812-14-1cz764e.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=541&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/352551/original/file-20200812-14-1cz764e.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=541&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/352551/original/file-20200812-14-1cz764e.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=541&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/352551/original/file-20200812-14-1cz764e.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=680&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/352551/original/file-20200812-14-1cz764e.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=680&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/352551/original/file-20200812-14-1cz764e.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=680&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Clay plaque showing a man and woman having sex, while the woman drinks beer through a straw (Old Babylonian period, c. 1800 B.C.).</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.britishmuseum.org/collection/image/32605001">© The Trustees of the British Museum</a>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/">CC BY-NC-SA</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>The key to this impressive example of multitasking was the humble straw. Typically, the straw would have been crafted from a hollow reed or, for the fancier set, bronze or gold. Numerous artistic renderings show one or more people seated genteelly by a pot, drinking beer through long straws.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/351429/original/file-20200805-16-ykskhw.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="Stone plaque showing people gathered drinking out of cups" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/351429/original/file-20200805-16-ykskhw.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/351429/original/file-20200805-16-ykskhw.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=570&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/351429/original/file-20200805-16-ykskhw.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=570&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/351429/original/file-20200805-16-ykskhw.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=570&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/351429/original/file-20200805-16-ykskhw.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=716&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/351429/original/file-20200805-16-ykskhw.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=716&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/351429/original/file-20200805-16-ykskhw.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=716&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">A banquet scene. Khafajeh, Iraq, (c. 2600–2350 B.C.).</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://oi-idb.uchicago.edu/id/36098fce-449e-4613-9130-4075af42f247">Courtesy of the Oriental Institute of the University of Chicago</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Other renderings show banquet scenes, where attendees are surrounded by servants and drink from cups or goblets. The absence of straws makes it less certain these drinkers are consuming beer. It could be wine, for example. But it probably isn’t water. </p>
<p>These scenes offer a glimpse into the drinking world of the well-to-do. But people across the social spectrum enjoyed beer: rich and poor, male and female, young and old. Kings, queens, soldiers, farmers, messengers, carpenters, priests, prostitutes, musicians, children – everybody drank beer. They drank it at home, on the job, at feasts and festivals, in the temple and at the neighborhood tavern.</p>
<p>In the academic literature, there has been a persistent suggestion – well on its way to becoming an unquestioned assumption – that the <a href="https://www.mpg.de/4987500/sumerian_beer">beers of Mesopotamia were low or extremely low in alcohol content</a>. This is, however, just an assumption. </p>
<p>Some of the beers of ancient Mesopotamia might have been “near beers” with little discernible effect on the imbiber. But, the drinking of beer was also <a href="https://www.worldcat.org/title/drinking-in-ancient-societies-history-and-culture-of-drinks-in-the-ancient-near-east-papers-of-a-symposium-held-in-rome-may-17-19-1990/oclc/33497775">clearly recognized to lead to inebriation</a>. I suspect the argument for low-alcohol beer in Mesopotamia has more to do with current, conflicted attitudes towards alcohol than any past reality. </p>
<h2>What did the beers of ancient Mesopotamia taste like?</h2>
<p>If you could somehow procure a taste of a 4,000-year-old beer (miraculously preserved in its original state of freshness) from, say, the city of Ur, would you enjoy the experience? Would you even recognize it as beer? </p>
<p>First off, let’s just banish all discussion of whether or not their beer was gross or nasty or otherwise unpleasant. They loved their beer. Enough said. </p>
<p>Like many beers enjoyed across the world today, theirs was <a href="http://www.brepols.net/Pages/ShowProduct.aspx?prod_id=IS-9782503583785-1">built on a base of malted barley</a>. And it could include date syrup, emmer wheat, and various roasted, toasted, or baked grain products. But <a href="http://www.brepols.net/Pages/ShowProduct.aspx?prod_id=IS-9782503583785-1">Mesopotamian beer was not flavored with hops</a>, and it was probably on the thick, porridgey side. Their beer certainly diverged from the hopped-up IPAs and crisp lagers of the 21st century. Exactly how much is difficult to say.</p>
<p>Since no one has yet unearthed that sample of 4,000-year-old beer, one of the best ways to gauge the character of Mesopotamian beer is to brew some yourself and give it a try. This is what archaeologists call experimental archaeology. Over the years, a number of different groups have <a href="https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/ct-xpm-1997-10-22-9710220112-story.html">sought to bring the beers of ancient Mesopotamia back to life</a>. </p>
<p>No ancient brewing manual has yet come to light, but experimental brewers can turn to plenty of resources for guidance: the excavated remains of ancient brewing facilities and equipment, <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jas.2018.05.010">traces of beer</a> preserved within ceramic vessels and thousands of cuneiform tablets featuring information about beer and brewing.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/351430/original/file-20200805-24-1s9vm9r.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="A tray of glasses containing a milky-looking, modern-day Mesopotamian beer" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/351430/original/file-20200805-24-1s9vm9r.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/351430/original/file-20200805-24-1s9vm9r.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=448&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/351430/original/file-20200805-24-1s9vm9r.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=448&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/351430/original/file-20200805-24-1s9vm9r.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=448&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/351430/original/file-20200805-24-1s9vm9r.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=563&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/351430/original/file-20200805-24-1s9vm9r.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=563&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/351430/original/file-20200805-24-1s9vm9r.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=563&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Serving up a taste of the past. Great Lakes Brewing Company, Cleveland, Ohio, 2013.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Kathryn Grossman</span>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/">CC BY</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>I myself have been <a href="https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/ct-xpm-2013-07-05-ct-met-sumerian-beer-20130705-story.html">involved with a collaborative effort</a> joining the <a href="https://oi.uchicago.edu/">University of Chicago’s Oriental Institute</a> and <a href="https://www.greatlakesbrewing.com/">Great Lakes Brewing Company</a>. Many <a href="https://www.chicagobeergeeks.com/2013/12/the-gods-must-be-crazy/">intrepid tasters have sampled</a> <a href="http://3beersin3days.blogspot.com/2014/04/sumerian-beer-dinner-gage-and-great.html">our Gilgamash and Enkibru</a>, <a href="https://www.ozy.com/the-new-and-the-next/the-art-of-making-and-of-course-drinking-ancient-booze/39045/">two experimental brews</a> named after the famous adventuring duo, <a href="https://theconversation.com/guide-to-the-classics-the-epic-of-gilgamesh-73444">Gilgamesh and Enkidu</a>. Assessments <a href="https://untappd.com/b/great-lakes-brewing-company-enkibru-ancient-equipment-version/431286">have generally</a> <a href="https://untappd.com/b/great-lakes-brewing-company-gilgamash/445708">been positive</a>. The Enkibru (the more authentic of the two) is flat, lukewarm, sour, milky-looking and sometimes a bit cloying. But it’s also intriguing and, in our version, yes, intoxicating.</p>
<p>[<em>Deep knowledge, daily.</em> <a href="https://theconversation.com/us/newsletters/the-daily-3?utm_source=TCUS&utm_medium=inline-link&utm_campaign=newsletter-text&utm_content=deepknowledge">Sign up for The Conversation’s newsletter</a>.]</p>
<p>Peering down into the murky liquid, bits of grain husk floating on the surface, taking a good long sip through a reed straw and feeling that alcoholic punch hit you – it feels a little like stepping into a time machine. Our experimental recreation is far from perfect, but it provides a unique kind of sensory connection with the past.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/351431/original/file-20200805-24-12pfdc0.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="People gathered around a large vessel drinking from long straws." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/351431/original/file-20200805-24-12pfdc0.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/351431/original/file-20200805-24-12pfdc0.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=448&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/351431/original/file-20200805-24-12pfdc0.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=448&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/351431/original/file-20200805-24-12pfdc0.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=448&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/351431/original/file-20200805-24-12pfdc0.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=563&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/351431/original/file-20200805-24-12pfdc0.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=563&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/351431/original/file-20200805-24-12pfdc0.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=563&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Bottoms up, Sumerian-style.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Kathryn Grossman</span>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/">CC BY</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>I like to think the beer aficionados and bar flies of ancient Mesopotamia, who themselves were <a href="https://narratively.com/the-king-who-ordered-a-quarantine-to-flatten-the-curve-4000-years-ago/">no strangers to epidemics</a>, might genuinely sympathize with the challenges of 2020. But I wonder what they would make of our beer, the beer of the future.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/142215/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Tate Paulette consults with Great Lakes Brewing Company. </span></em></p>
Beer was extremely popular in ancient Mesopotamia. Sipped through straws, it differed from today’s beer and was enjoyed by people from all walks of life.
Tate Paulette, Assistant Professor of History, North Carolina State University
Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.