Beer may be good for you! Go GREEN – Drink organic beer…

 

 

GREEN BEER

 

Organic beer is getting to be big business. In the past few years, the large national brewers Anheuser-Busch, Miller and New Belgium have all introduced organic products, joining a growing number of microbreweries offering organic beer.

 

When you buy organic beer, you’re supporting a farm system that uses fewer pesticides and synthetic fertilizers, which in turn enhances soil fertility, increases species diversity, conserves water and produces fewer greenhouse gases. “Certified Organic” beers are made with at least 95 percent organic ingredients following all the standards set by the USDA, which include standards for the chemicals used to clean breweries.

 

 

The benefits of organic beer are largely environmental. Unlike conventional produce, which can absorb high levels of pesticides, conventional beer hasn’t been found to contain many pesticide residues. A 1999 survey by the U.N.’s Food and Agriculture Organization detected chlormaquat, an herbicide used on wheat, in beer but at levels so low as to not pose immediate risks to a beer drinker’s health.

 

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There’s even some evidence that beer might be good for you. A 2000 article in the American Journal of Medical Sciences said that beer contains more B vitamins and protein than wine and that the antioxidant content of beer is equivalent to that of wine (although the antioxidants differ because those in barley and hops are different than those in grapes). Nevertheless, that doesn’t mean you should overindulge. Organic or not, beer contains ethyl alcohol (ethanol), known to cause cancers of the mouth, pharynx, larynx and esophagus. A U.S. Department of Health and Human Services report also found other components and contaminants besides ethanol in wine, beer and spirits that are known or suspected human carcinogens, including acetaldehyde, nitrosamines, aflatoxins, ethyl carbamate (urethan), asbestos and arsenic compounds. No clear information is available on dosage levels and harm to health, but it’s still important to enjoy beer, and any other alcoholic beverage, in moderation.

 

LINKS  http://www.thegreenguide.com/products/Food_&_Drink/Beer/4

 

http://beeractivist.wordpress.com/2008/02/02/the-topic-for-session-13-is-organic-beer/