Melissa Cole enjoys a healthy pint of Abbot
In this edition of our Ale Blog we have a guest blogger. The UK’s leading female beer writer, Melissa Cole, explains that there’s so much more to real ale than the stereotype…
Busting the Buts
One the things I get ‘told’ most about my profession is that ‘it must be fattening’. Whilst, I’ll admit I could bear to lose a few pounds I know it’s because I don’t get to the gym enough because I spend too much time doing what I’m doing now, sitting in front of a computer.
Like many of you I’ve always known my weight has got little to do with my drinking habits and more to do with my lack of exercise, and now we’ve got proof!
A recent report by the Beer Academy (www.beeracademy.co.uk) has shown beer has a whole slew of health benefits that various other drinks which have dominated the headlines, in terms of being good for you, can only dream of.
So, for those of you who may get grief about spending too much time in the pub, you might want to read on!
Weight of Public Opinion
It’s hard to understand where the beer belly myth came from but we are stuck with it, for now.
Personally I think it’s a lot to do with beer’s image as portrayed in the media, it was only a couple of years ago you started seeing pictures of anyone photographed at a beer festival who wasn’t around 70-years-old, with a beard you could nest a bird in and a paunch.
Which is truly aggravating given that numerous studies have shown, time and again, that it is not the beer that causes the weight gain, it is the lifestyle associated with beer drinkers.
Of course, you have to tip your hat to the wine lobby which has managed to create an image of healthy sophistication around its products, with most people thinking that wine, especially red, is significantly better for you than beer – which isn’t true as it contains no dietary fibre and is higher in calories and here’s proof, did you know, for example, a half of Ruddles Best only contains 79kcals?
You also rarely see little, other than possibly a small curiosity piece, about research such as that which was carried out in 2003 and reported in the European Journal of Clinical Nutrition, which set out to determine whether beer intake was associated with increased BMI (Body Mass Index) or waist hip ratio (WHR).
The study concluded that this was unlikely and even pointed to the evidence that showed moderate beer consumption in women to be linked to lower BMI than those who drank no beer.
Nutritional Nuggets
In fact, a closer look at the nutritional content of Abbot Ale tells a very different story – when drunk in moderation, beer is one of the healthiest alcoholic drinks available.
Beer contains vitamins, which can help you to maintain a well-balanced healthy diet, fibre to keep you regular, readily absorbed antioxidants and minerals such as silicon which may help lower your risk of osteoporosis.
As Professor Jonathon Powell, head of MRC Human Nutrition Research in Cambridge and the first scientist to show the link between the effects of silicon and bone density, points out: “Silicon is found in large amounts in the husk of barley, the very substance used in the beer-making process and is dissolved into the fluid of beer.
“Even knowing this, we were surprised that some of the beers we tested were literally drenched with silicic acid – silicon.”
And despite 68% of people citing beer as the national drink few are aware of its healthy properties and here are some of the most common misconceptions around:
· 10% of people wrongly believe that beer contains fat – beer, like Ruddles or Abbot Ale, contains zero fat and zero cholesterol
· 24% of people wrongly think that red wine, rather than beer, contains the most vitamins
· Only 2% of people realise that beer contains a valuable source of silicon
· 13% of people incorrectly believe that beer is made from chemicals, rather than malted barley and hops.
· One in ten people surveyed don’t realise that beer, such as Abbot Ale contains vitamins and minerals
Brain Benefits
One of the things I’ll always say about beer is that it is, first and foremost, a social lubricant – and a man far smarter than I agrees:
“Our societal attitudes to drinking is one of the few things that have not changed over time,” says
Dr Peter March, a chartered psychologist and director of Social Issues Research Centre based in Oxford, who has edited a report on the cultural aspects of alcohol use.
“Even back in Egyptian times there were rules and regulations designating when and where people drank alcohol.
“Sometimes the drinking was ceremonial, sometimes celebratory or even quasi-religious. But it was always done in a group and therefore subject to group imposed restraints.”
“A good pub is a place where you can go in as a stranger and come out knowing something or someone local.
“All the research points to the conclusion that drinking as part of a group is far better for your emotional wellbeing than drinking alone. It also adds to the welfare of the community as a whole. Alcohol is the facilitator of all these things but drinking as part of a group provides a far greater function than just the imbibing of beer.”
And all I can say to that is – cheers!
Who is Melissa Cole?
Melissa is a freelance beer & food writer/broadcaster and member of the British Guild of Beer Writers. As well as judging at major beer festivals all over the world like the Great American and Great British Beer festivals she appears regularly on Market Kitchen, has worked with Radio 4 and written articles for the Times Online, Guardian Online Observer, Beer magazine and Sainsbury’s – as well as leading guided walks around the Great British Beer Festival.
Abbot Ale, has teamed up with national treasure, Brian Blessed, to challenge drinkers to “Make Brian Laugh”. Those who have a joke to tell just need to submit it onto the Abbot website and if Brian thinks it’s side-splittingly funny, they’ll will be rewarded with his trademark booming belly-laugh. 
