RickInOz

A slight bastardisation but I’m sure Bryan Adams will forgive me.

Although it’s still officially spring we are experiencing a period of unseasonably hot weather. It would appear that summer has come early and I’ve realised how poorly acclimatised to the heat I am. Recently it has been in the mid to high 30s and with relatively high humidity. Fortunately this is my “on” week so I have been enjoying the industrial-strength air-conditioning in the hospital. However cycling home after a day in climate-controlled comfort becomes very sweaty.

When it’s really hot a cold beer can be very refreshing. The average beer here is above 5% and contributes to dehydration. So counter this we have started drinking light beer. This can come in different guises be it low-calorie, part-fermented or partially de-alcoholised. The former is simply beer than has had additional enzymes added during brewing to lower the final sugar content. The second lacks taste as it hasn’t been through a complete brewing process. The latter is the preferable option as some of the alcohol from a full strength beer is removed before bottling. This way the consumer still get the taste of the fully fermented drink without the alcohol.

A couple of examples:

The added advantage is that there is a consensus that low alcohol drinks (i.e.: below 3% ABV) don’t dehydrate and may actually contribute to rehydration. This is probably because the reduced amount of alcohol doesn’t have sufficient diuretic effect to counter the body’s natural water conservation system. So the best of both worlds - a refreshing cold beer without the risk of heat stroke. Perfect!