Whether you’re drinking a pint with some of your best friends or you’re winding down with a bottle at home after a long day, beer is one of the most popular beverage choices.
Not all beer is the same and there is a myriad of different types of beer that differ in recipe, taste and alcohol content. Lots of beer drinkers have strong opinions about whether dark beer or light beer tastes better, but beer in fact offers a number of health benefits when it’s consumed in moderation and can actually be a great part of a well-balanced diet! However, different kinds of beer offer different kinds of health benefits.
Find out more about the difference between light beer and dark beer when it comes to taste and impact on health.
Dark beers, like porters and stouts, are made from a barley malt that has been darkly roasted. The darker the malt is, the darker the beer will be. In addition to darker malts yielding a darker coloration, they also produce a sophisticated, complex taste profile. Dark beers usually have notes of flavors like chocolate and toffee, produced by the roasting of the malt.
What you might not know about dark beer is that it also has several health benefits. There are tons of antioxidants in dark beer that are great for your health. These antioxidants help prevent things like cataracts and other diseases from developing. Although not conclusive, some studies have suggested that dark beers might also help prevent atherosclerosis—a disease that contributes to heart disease and stroke.
Another great benefit of dark beer is that it has a high iron content—the highest of any kind of beer. Drinking a dark beer can help you reach your required daily value of iron, which helps keep your energy levels high and promotes healthy hair, skin and nails. Considering iron deficiency is one of the most common nutritional deficiencies, lots of people could use the extra dose of iron that dark beer has to offer. Cheers!
Light beer is characterized primarily by a lighter color, but also a lighter flavor. While dark beers tend to have malty flavor characteristics, light beers have a hoppy taste and often citrus and floral notes. The taste profile of light beer is not usually as rich as dark beer and it also has fewer calories and carbohydrates. Light beer is a popular choice for people who are watching their calorie intake or who are sensitive to the high carbohydrate content of darker beers.
Light beer doesn’t have as many antioxidants or nutrients as dark beer, so it isn’t as effective at preventing cataracts or reducing the chance of blood clots. Light beer also has a lower iron content than dark beer.
Still, it can be a healthy option for some! For people who are trying to lose weight with calorie reduction, light beer is the clear choice over dark beer. Light beers have between 60 and 100 calories per bottle compared with about 200 for dark beers. If you want to enjoy a drink at a social function without busting your calorie budget for the day, a light beer is an excellent choice.
Since it has fewer carbohydrates than dark beer, light beer usually won’t make you feel bloated or groggy after you drink it. Still, it’s important that you don’t go overboard on light beer. Because it has a lower alcohol content than dark beer, people tend to drink several bottles to get a buzz. However, by the time you’ve had three bottles of light beer, you will have consumed far more calories without a significantly greater alcohol content than dark beer.
The bottom line on beer
It’s important to be aware of the health benefits and potential risks of anything you’re consuming, but remember: beer is meant to be enjoyed. Regardless of whether you reach for a pale ale or an English porter, take the time to really appreciate the beer that you’re drinking and consider the thousands of years of beer-drinking history that you’re taking part in.
doesn't have as many antioxidants or nutrients as dark beer
dark beer
Dunkel (German: [ˌdʊŋkl̩]), or Dunkles ( German: [ˈdʊŋkləs]), is a word used for several types of dark German lager. Dunkel is the German word meaning "dark", and dunkel beers typically range in color from amber to dark reddish brown. They are characterized by their smooth, malty flavor.
, so it isn't as effective at preventing cataracts or reducing the chance of blood clots. Light beer also has a lower iron content than dark beer. Still, it can be a healthy option for some!
Compared with standard beer, light beer contains a similar amount of vitamins and minerals but slightly fewer calories and less alcohol. This makes light beer a better option if you're deciding between the two.
The healthiest are stouts and porters, and higher hoppy beers, such as DIPAs and Imperial IPAs, Trappist beers, and spontaneous fermented beers, such as Lambics and Gose. Trappist-style beer is probably the most famous of the Belgian beers.
Generally speaking, a dark ale is richer and more filling, opposed to a lighter beer that is superior at satisfying thirst. Dark ales get their colour and distinct taste from dark malts that are used during brewing, which can range in colour from copper to dark brown.
Alcoholic beer is likely safe for most adults when used in moderation (two 12-ounce glasses daily). But drinking more than this is possibly unsafe. Drinking higher amounts of alcoholic beer can cause, blackouts, drowsiness, low blood sugar, vomiting, and other serious problems.
One of the most obvious reasons why people love light beer (and why you may see it at your local brewery more often than not) is that it's low-calorie. Many Americans are more conscious of their weight than they used to be, and they're making efforts to ensure that they're consuming fewer calories.
Any amount of alcohol can cause liver damage. Drinking more than two drinks per day consistently increases your risk of liver disease. However, the degree of liver damage varies greatly between individuals and there is no “safe” amount of alcohol to drink that cannot potentially cause liver disease.
Regardless of what the answer might be, it's important to consume alcohol in moderation and responsibly, following the CDC's guidelines to limit daily intake to two drinks or less for men and one drink or less for women.
According to the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, drinking is considered to be in the moderate or low-risk range for women at no more than three drinks in any one day and no more than seven drinks per week. For men, it is no more than four drinks a day and no more than 14 drinks per week.
But apparently there's one kind of beer that's a little less toxic than every other kind of alcohol. According to a new study published in Oxford's Alcohol and Alcoholism journal, scientists discovered that hoppy beer is significantly less harmful to the liver than liquor and even beer without hops.
While darker beers like stouts and porters tend to have more phenols, light, hoppy brews like Imperial IPAs also hold great health benefits. Hops, which give beer its distinctive taste, can even help prevent bacterial growth in your gut and reduce inflammation (4).
It's All About Water. The water in Ireland may have played the biggest role in the development of their classic beer styles. After experimentation, the Irish realized beer brewed with dark malts was most palatable. We know now that's because the dark malts can bring the pH level of water down to a more desirable level.
In some states, there is no law in place requiring a liquor store to sell alcohol wrapped in a brown paper bag. It is thought that the practice of putting liquor in a brown paper bag was started as a way to provide the buyer with some privacy regarding their alcohol purchase.
Dark beer is rich in flavonoids – which contain powerful antioxidants that can help protect against diseases. Stouts are also high in vitamin B, preventing the build up of certain harmful amino acids believed to cause heart problems.
As a result of the higher temperatures applied to produce special dark malts, higher levels of antioxidants (reductones and melanoidins) are formed during MR. Consequently, beers with dark malts normally have a longer shelf life than pale beers [96].
And although they're in all beers, stout contains nearly twice the amount of antioxidants found in light-coloured lagers. Stout is packed with flavonoids, the antioxidants that give fruit and vegetables their dark colour.
There are hundreds of flavonoids in beer, Folts said. Flavonoids also work to prevent the oxidation of cholesterol, which plays a role in causing atherosclerosis — known as hardening of the arteries. They also help arteries to dilate, which improves blood flow and blood pressure, he said.
Introduction: My name is Eusebia Nader, I am a encouraging, brainy, lively, nice, famous, healthy, clever person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.
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