Click to be added!St. Patrick's Day, feast or famine ping!
Posted on 03/16/2005 2:16:25 PM PST by quantim
Brewers are hoping to appeal to women drinkers by offering beer in third-of-a-pint glasses. But first they tackle the belief that beer is more fattening than wine. Is it true?
Stroll through the doors of a traditional British hostelry and the scene that presents itself would no doubt jar with the slogan for a new campaign by pub operators: Beautiful Beer.
The sight of burly, whiskery men propping up the bar with a pint in one hand and a gravity-affirming paunch may conjure many descriptions, but "beautiful" is probably not one of them.
Yet, with its campaign, the British Beer and Pub Association believes it can turn back the clock on British drinking trends, which, of late, have seen ales and lagers lose out to the more fashionable wine.
To do so, it needs to win over women drinkers - only 14% of whom drink beer in pubs, compared to 36% who drink wine.
Believing that female drinkers are put off by pints and halves the BBPA wants to see beer served in more elegant, long-stemmed, third-of-a-pint glasses.
But it also wants to set the record straight on beer's calorific qualities. Startling as it may seem, beer is less, not more, fattening than wine.
Crisps and peanuts
According to the BBPA, a glass of beer with a typical 4.6% alcoholic volume, has fewer calories not only than a similar measure of wine, but also milk or fruit juice.
Spirits, meanwhile, contain more than six times the calories of beer, and when mixed with a soft drink, the calorie-count soars even higher.
But who ever heard of a wine belly or a vodka gut?
Research into drinking habits has found that beer's fattening reputation has more to do with the lifestyle of those who drink it, and the greasy bar snacks that often accompany a night down the local.
"There's no such thing as the beer belly," says George Philliskirk, of the Beer Academy. "But it is an appetite stimulant and it's the fish and chips or curry that round off a night with a few pints that puts the weight on."
A study of 2,300 drinkers in the Czech Republic, where beer is the tipple of choice, found they put on almost no more weight around the abdomen than non-drinkers.
Martin Bobak, an epidemiologist at University College London, who carried out the research, suggests it is a lifestyle argument.
In the West, the better educated someone is, the less obese they are likely to be. Lower educated people tend to drink more beer while the higher educated tend to drink more wine, said Mr Bobak.
Bigger glasses
Sceptics will argue that although beer has fewer calories than wine, it comes in pints while wine is served in smaller measures.
However, Mr Phillistick says the gap is narrowing - the typical wine serving has crept up from 125ml to 175ml. Many bars now serve a large 250ml glass as a matter of course, which is equivalent to a third of a bottle.
The BBPA says the trend toward slightly stronger beers in recent years means drinkers can sip from a full-flavour Continental brew in much the same way as they do from a glass of Chardonnay; even enjoy it at mealtimes.
In fact, concerns about alcohol being fattening could be completely off-target anyway. Martin Bobak says there isn't even concrete evidence that the human body can turn alcohol into fat.
CALORIES PER 100ml
Beer (4.6% alc): 41 calories
Wine (12% alc): 77 calories
Spirits: 250 calories
Milk: 64 calories
Orange juice: 42 calories
Apple juice: 47 calories
Source: BBPA
Click to be added!St. Patrick's Day, feast or famine ping!
They have never seen my wine glasses. Converted bear steins.
OOPs, beer
But since wine has more than twice the alcohol content, you can drink less of it for the same effect, yes?
Right?
Nah, gimmie a beer.
Despite liking wine, it's beer for me tomorrow. But just a little as I still have to work on Friday.
Thats what i used to tell my mom when she noticed my beer belly forming.
"That's not the reason. It all comes up at the end of the night"
That would usually end the conversation right there
I forgot to link that image. She is fun to play with.
http://www.virtualbartender.beer.com/beer_usa.htm
What am I doing on this thread? Oh yeah, I'm Irish-duh
Why is it called a "beer gut" rather than a "wine gut"?
You ever see a fat wino? According to the way they measure calories in food, gasoline is more fattening than either beer or wine, but I don't think you can get fat drinking it.
I will probably pour a black and tan tomorrow (bodingtons and quiness)... But beer is definitely in the back seat in my house..
Why is it called a "beer gut" rather than a "wine gut"?
Perhaps it has to do with stereotypes?
A tip of the tradtional Irish Red to ya tomorrow! (One of the few brews the Mrs. likes)
Bumping for beer !
Wow, a BEAR stein must be really, really big. It's probably also from Berlin.
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