Posted on 03/15/2017 1:27:22 AM PDT by markomalley
Caffeine, in the guise of chocolate, is my drug of choice.
Chocolate and I have a complicated relationship.
I gave up chocolate for Lent once.
Once.
My parish council asked me to never do that again. Sensibilities can be mended, but thrown hymnals can’t.
We've all heard the list before. Devout Catholics readying themselves for spiritual combat every year regularly giving up smoking, meat, coffee, chocolate, alcohol, beer, sodas, candy, cakes, sugar, Twittering, Facebooking, bullfighting or traveling by private jet for 40 days. And though literally everyone breaks their New Year's resolution on or around Jan. 3, I've not heard of a Catholic breaking their Lenten vows.
But, what if you could have your “cake” and eat it too?
Apparently, 700 years ago, in the fabled country of Germany, some Italian monks came up with a way to fulfill their Lenten fasts and otherwise mellow out.
Beer.
But not just any beer mind you, good Christians. Rather, it's Bock Beer.
Bock is a beer so full of nutrients and calories that one can subsist upon a daily flagon of it for the entire 40 days of Lent.
(Excerpt) Read more at ncregister.com ...
The health benefits of beer include anticancer properties, a reduced risk of cardiovascular diseases, increased bone density, the prevention of dementia and coronary disease, aid to the digestive system, and anti-aging properties, as well as treating diabetes, gallstones, kidney stones, osteoporosis, and hypertension. It also acts as a serious stress buster and a diuretic.
Beer is an alcoholic beverage that people usually prefer to drink with certain meals in North America and Europe. It has a greater protein and vitamin B content than wine, while its antioxidant content is equivalent to that of wine. Hops, a major component for brewing beer, are rich sources of flavonoids, which are potent antioxidants.
It is a very good source of certain minerals that play essential roles in various metabolic processes. If taken in moderate quantities, it can definitely boost your health in a number of ways.
Health Benefits of Beer
Health benefits of beer become prominent if it is consumed in moderate amounts. Some of these interesting health benefits include the following:
Anti-Cancer Properties: A flavonoid compound called Xanthohumol is found in the hops commonly used in brewing beer. It has been seen to play a major role in the chemoprevention of cancer, including prostate cancer. According to Bio-medicine, it is also a good source of polyphenols, due to the grains used for fermentation. It has been proven effective in fighting cancer, just like red wine.
(remainder snipped)
Ok, I’ll bite. Who is Bock?
It's a dark German beer......
Michelob Amber Bock.
Yes, thank God for REAL beer. Cant remember the last time i had a BMC product. Sooooo many great beers out there, a whole world full.
Ew. Shiner Bock is way better than that swill.
Bock beer is a super food. It’s like a sammich in a bottle.
Bock is made in the springtime, according to German tradition. They save enough of their best grain to turn out one last batch of the malt-rich (but light on hops) delight before the spring planting of barley.
Americans, somehow, started the untrue rumor that Bock is made with floor sweepings and second rate ingredients. Would the Germans really do such a thing? Not likely.
The monks improved Bock into Dupplebock (Double Bock) to better nourish themselves during the required fasting of Lent.
That’s good to know! I must admit, I prefer beer over wine. And with all the craft beers, my choices are overflowing...
Bock is the German word for goat.
The references to caffeine and chocolate got my hackles up. Coffee and chocolate are two cheap-o ways brewers make dark beers that just make nasty beers. (Sam Adams??? Et, tu?) Fortunately, the article was NOT about such bock.
Bock! Bock! Bock! Bock!
The name is derived from the town of Einbeck (south of Hannover), where it was first made.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bock
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Einbecker_Brewery
That’s what I’m talking about.
“I consider that horse and buggy thinking.”
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