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naraburns  nihil supernum  1yr ago (text post)   3435 thread views

Small-Scale Question Sunday for February 12, 2023

Do you have a dumb question that you're kind of embarrassed to ask in the main thread? Is there something you're just not sure about?

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Ancient beers were caloric and very high in B-Vitamins. Brewer’s yeast was the single most accessible and inexpensive B-Vitamin supplement in the ancient world by an order of magnitude. This was used to make unpasteurized beer. There are studies on malt showing that it healthier and less inflammatory than fructose. Next, ancient grains were higher in protein, fiber, magnesium and so forth. Long-chain fibers which you’d find in ancient grain are one of the best prebiotics for your microbiome. Beers in antiquity were fermented (probiotic) and packed rich prebiotics. The portability and shelf life is also of obvious importance.

Sorry, no sources. It’s actually really stupid that we haven’t continued drinking ancient beer. Made right it’s the single most nutritious thing you can drink.

I have bemoaned, at times, the way Big Sugar has taken over American cuisine. However, I am curious as to whether the Prohibition in the 20th century of alcohol led to the end of nutritious alcoholic drinks with the cutting of their supply chain.

Yet another thing to blame Coca-Cola for! /facetious

I agree on caloric, but I'm not convinced ancient beer was a necessary/useful source of B-vitamins (which ones? they're quite different). Does modern beer not have b-vitamins?

During WW 2 it was fairly common, and apparently somewhat successful, for prisoners in the Pacific to cultivate yeast to prevent B1 and B3 deficiencies. I'm not sure how many of the other vitamins were known at the time. So primitive fermentation is viable in some circumstances.

On the other hand, alcohol is an anti-vitamin for at least some of the B-vitamins in beer. For example, alcoholics are prone to B1 deficiency.

Brewers yeast has a variety, apparently. No idea which of them are denatured by the heat of pasteurization,

Given all the various craft beer gimmicks out there, you'd think someone would make it (although you can't tout the health benefits anymore - "A Guinness for health" would have to have a footnote that there are no health claims proved by the FDA). I know Dogfish Head had their "Ancient Ales" series, where they tried to reconstruct some beers, but I've heard nothing about the health equivalent.

I was just thinking of Dogfishhead's ancient ales. I really liked the Midas Touched one.

I believe Trappist beers are the rough equivalent.

Hah, I should have thought of those. I'm now reminded (although it's not a Trappist style) of the fellow who tested the myth that monks sustained themselves entirely on Doppelbocks (and no food) during Lent. Apparently he wound up in good health after 40 days.

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