Let's talk about "health-conscious" beer

[Myka]

Originally Posted by daplatapus

But... I have to admit, there's a micro brewery beer made on Granville Island that's actually pretty good. Not sure if you can find it in Saskatchewan though.

Originally Posted by Wretch

One of my favourites right now is Deschutes. They are from Oregon with a wide selection beers. Should be able to find something you like.

I'll take a look for these - thanks guys!

Originally Posted by Aquattro

Seriously, you don't drink a lot of beer, and the ingredients in the beer you actually enjoy are not going to harm you. Just enjoy your fave brew and relax

I go to the health food store just to buy non-GMO corn and popcorn, I order meats from a local grain-free farm, and then I drink Coors Light. Uh, that just doesn't make sense. Also, with all due respect, you have no idea if it will harm me or not. You don't even know if it will harm yourself. I don't know how you can go through life these days without being health-conscious.

Did you know that GMOs and GMMOs are a Class 9 UN3245 Dangerous Good if they continue to have the ability to alter biological substances? Obviously, things like GMO corn are (somewhat) inert in this fashion (according to "them") and are exempt.

This is from the US, but these regulations cover US, Canada, and Europe. Maybe other places too.

GMO’s are divided into the following categories:
1. Those that meet the definition of an infectious substance. These must be classified as either Category A or Category B.
2. Those that meet the definition of a toxic substance. These must be classified as Class 6.1.

3. Animals that contain or are contaminated with GMO’s that meet the definition of an infectious substance. They must not be transported by air unless exempted by the States concerned.
4. GMO’s which do not meet the definition of infectious substances but which are capable of altering animals, plants or microbiological substances in a way which is not normally a result of natural reproduction. These must be classified as Class 9 (miscellaneous dangerous goods) and assigned UN 3245.
Exemptions:
The following are exempt from these Regulations:

• Substances containing micro-organisms which are non-pathogenic to humans or animals e.g. Class 1 GMO's.
• Substances transported in a form whereby any pathogens present have been neutralised or inactivated such that they no longer pose a health risk e.g. substances fixed in formaldehyde.
• Environmental samples (including food and water) which are not considered to pose a significant risk of infection.

[Nate]

Check the healthiness of red stripe. Made in Jamaica. Been my favorite for about 5 years now. I seem to be less groggy the following day than when drinking some of the cheap brew American beer . Needs to be pretty cold though .

Also if looking for a nice breakfast beer.... Apricat from alley cat brewery , or l'abrocot from a French brewery are great

Don't know the healthiness of any, but I don't enjoy Heineken, and can tolerate coors light , so we might have the same preferences .

Originally Posted by rsisvixen

More of a wine drinker myself, but strangely enough I grow my own hops, lol

[Aquattro]

Originally Posted by Myka

I don't know how you can go through life these days without being health-conscious.

I consider myself fairly health conscious, eating fresh whole foods, not really anything processed. I buy bison and grass fed beef, simply due to the Omega 3 profile vs grain fed meat. I buy regular chicken, because that's what I can afford and organic tastes like crap I buy wild salmon, again due to Omega content vs grain fed dyed farmed salmon.
I also fully support GMO agriculture, and agree with "them" that it's not harmful.

We've been modifying genes in agriculture for 10k years, and now that we do it in a lab vs the field just makes it more efficient and allows us to further yields and target pest control.

I also don't want to live under my bed afraid of everything outside, and if I'm going to drink a beer, it's based solely on taste. "If" there's anything terrible in it, my body is really good at removing things it doesn't need. Although an altered protein in an ingredient simply breaks down into amino acids once I've digested it, and I use what I need and pass through what I don't. This is true of all macro nutrients, proteins carbs and fats. Eating bread and eating a yam both result in glucose entering the blood stream. Some slight timing differences in insulin response, but as far as the body is concerned, bread and broccoli are the same macro. Yes, one has additional micro nutrients and enzymes, but that doesn't make the other inherently bad.

However, having had this argument on nutrition boards all too often, people believe what they believe and there's seldom changes in thinking. I hope you find a healthier beer

[Reef Pilot]

If they can make "meat" from plants, maybe they can also figure out how to make non-grain beer...
http://www.cnbc.com/id/102659606

[DAVE]

Give Mill St. Organic a try.

[Myka]

Originally Posted by Nate

Check the healthiness of red stripe.

GMO corn syrup.

Originally Posted by BIGSHOW

Give Mill St. Organic a try.

Will do. Thanks!

[ALBERTA REEF]

Try the hard stuff. My poison is Rye. Sask boy en yall.

[mike31154]

Referring back to your original post it appears you prefer a light or pilsner style of beer. I really enjoy a good pilsner myself, especially one with a strong hop flavour. Hoppy is not everyone's cup of tea though. In any case, keep looking for & trying pilsners from different producers until you find one that suits your taste & doesn't have any GMO corn. I'm quite surprised to find that any kind of corn is actually an ingredient for beer! Going by the 1516 Rheinheitsgebot, water, barley & hops are the only allowable ingredients in beer made to that standard. Of course you need yeast as well, but it wasn't mentioned in the original text of the law. I haven't checked to see if there's any GMO barley out there yet, chances are there is, but if you stick to beer made to the 1516 standard, you'll be less likely to come across GMO ingredients.

I'm thinking the smaller craft breweries are more apt to follow the 1516 rule than mega breweries like Molson, Labatt, et al. And these days there's a greater selection of smaller local brewers offering Pilsners & lighter beers.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reinheitsgebot

Okanagan Spring no longer makes a pilsner (WTF?), but if you can get hold of a 1516 Lager in Saskland, it might be close to what your taste buds crave.

http://okspring.com/1516-bavarian-lager/

I've found my tastes have changed significantly with respect to beer I enjoy as I myself 'matured' (or aged do put it bluntly). I'm liking the darker brews these days. Also don't drink my beer very cold any longer. Cold kills the flavour, particularly the darker brews. Nothing like a Backhand Of God from a craft brewer in Sorrento in Long John's Pub (shameless plugs, yes) after a morning skiing the slopes of Silver Star. That brew is so dark & thick, you can almost skip food for lunch altogether. On the other hand, a chilled Corona with a lemon or lime in the heat of summer is hard to beat.

Clearly I drink a bit more beer than Mindy! I'm kind of on the same page as Aquattro with respect to watching ingredients of what I consume very closely. Generally if it tastes real good, I'll go for it, within reason of course. I figure if it hasn't put me under the ground yet, I'll keep risking it. To each his own though. There's certainly a lot of stuff going on that we don't know about with regard to our food supply. My problem with modifying crops is companies like Monsanto (spelling?) having the power to put farmers out of business that don't use their seeds.

[Myka]

Originally Posted by Aquattro

I also fully support GMO agriculture, and agree with "them" that it's not harmful.

We've been modifying genes in agriculture for 10k years, and now that we do it in a lab vs the field just makes it more efficient and allows us to further yields and target pest control.

There's a big difference between the "line-breeding" (in-breeding) of organisms in fields and the genetic modification of organisms such as adding a bacteria gene to corn which makes corn produce a toxin that kills the corn boring insect. Of course this is the same toxin that's been used as a pesticide since the 1960s and is considered safe, and yada yada. They don't talk about the other genes they add either, since you can't just add that one single bacteria gene, you also have to add other genes that control how that first gene is expressed in the organism too.

I don't know what these things do (neither do you), and I know I don't know, so I will avoid eating them until there is less turmoil surrounding it.

I also don't want to live under my bed afraid of everything outside

I hope you're not suggesting that of me. You talk about all the healthy things you do, so why is that ok with you, but then GMO foods is one step too far? What makes you the decider of that?

[Aquattro]

Originally Posted by Myka

I hope you're not suggesting that of me. You talk about all the healthy things you do, so why is that ok with you, but then GMO foods is one step too far? What makes you the decider of that?

No, I'm suggesting that of society in general. But this topic is akin to religion and politics. So I'll just decide for me. Carry on.