Beer : the ultimate sports drink

Triathlon Forum
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One of Cerveloguy’s small pleasures in life is having a cold one or two after finishing a triathlon. This after tri beer drinking has become a bit of a tradition with our tri group. Not recommended to drink during a tri, especially on an IM bike portion, but beer is the ultimate apres tri sports drink. Rich in carbohydrates and some protein, beer contains no fat. It has trace amounts of B vitamins thiamine(B1), riboflavin(B2), pyridoxine(B6), as well as niacin, pantothenic and folic acids. Contrary to popular belief, beer is not fattening. It has less calories than does pop drinks. In fact a glass of beer has about the same caloric intake as a glass of skim milk. Here are Cerveloguy’s recommendations for this ultimate sports drink.

Cerveloguy’s favorite Canadian beer : Alexander Keith’s. Honorable mention: Moosehead, Sleeman Cream Ale, Brador

Cerveloguy’s favorite American beer : Samual Adams. Honorable mention : Dornbusch Gold, Pabst Blue Ribbon

Cerveloguy’s favorite British beer : Bass Pale Ale. Honorable mention : India Pale Ale, Newcastle Brown Ale.

Cerveloguy’s favorite Irish beer : Kilkenny. Honorable mention : Guiness(especially when playing darts)

Cerveloguy’s favorite Euro beer : Grolsch(Holland). Honorable mention : Tuborg(Denmark), Heineken(Holland), Lowenbrau(Germany), Hoegaarden(Belgium), Parkbrau(Germany)

Cerveloguy’s favorite rest of the world beer : Foster’s(Australia). Honorable mention : Cristal(Cuba), Corona(Mexico)

And finally it must be the marketting. Here is Cerveloguy’s list of beers with the funniest names that must be tried someday : Young Ram Rod(Britain), Big Ram(Canada), Ale of the Living Dead(USA), Arrogant Bastard Ale(USA), Peddle Witches Brew(Britain), Blithering Idiot(USA), Dead Guy Ale(USA), Dirty Dick’s(Britain), Miss Bliss(USA)

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Newcastle Nut Brown is my all time favorite. Fosters…Australian for BEER Mate. Bass is pretty good as well.

All of these are somewhat light “drinkable” beers for after a triathlon. I love Guinness, but just can’t go there while dehydrated.

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Why wait til afterwards?

Some friends and I used to do a 5 mile race that was tied to oktoberfest which offered free beer and sausages afterwards. We decided to do them one better and drink and eat while running. All of us were avid runners/racers.

Rules as follows:

  1. Canned beer only(I wouldn’t recommend guinness -cans are larger, too strong)

  2. One beer per mile. Each mile marker could not be crossed until that beer was empty.

  3. All participants run w/ backpacks to store full beers and empty cans.

  4. By the end of the race have finished one german style sausage (*this rule was ammended after one year to allow for turkey legs as a substitute -1st year wasn’t pretty) or at least make an attempt to finish.

We generally ran in a group or at least in pairs to facilitate the beer-exchange process. We would start at the back and run about 8:30 - 9:30 miles. It was great to see the reactions of people as you passed them downing beers and scarfing big turkey legs. Most people got a kick out of it. The policemen sure did! What you don’t think about is that when you’re at a bar, you usually don’t drink 5 beers in 45 minutes(at least I sure don’t)! You go from being completely sober at the finish line(though a bit bloated) to fairly snookered approximately 2 minutes after that. It just hits you all of a sudden. The legs were rarely finished but the beer/mile rule was strictly enforced.

Anyone else ever done anything like this? Cerveloguy?

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I’ve not taken part in such a race, but the cross country team at my college, somewhere in Lancaster County, PA, holds its annual Beer/Milk Mile every year at the end of the cross country season.

Racers, it was actually a race, toed the line at exactly midnight, for a simulataneous start. At the start of a whistle a 12oz beer was consumed, usually a pislner, and a lap raced upon the completion of the beer. Upon the completion of a lap, beer wenches(male and female) facilitated the racer by readying a fresh beer. The racer would discard an empty beer can and complete another lap repeating the process until a mile was completed. Racers were DQed if the track he allowed his beer to be “revisit” the track while running the lap.

Fastest male time was about 5:30. After many years of female exclusion, the female racers came on strong with a fastest time of about 7:15. Quite a site to behold under the cover of darkness.

The milk mile was instituted for those who did not consume alcohol. Given the body’s response to milk and beyond lactate threshold efforts, I’d prefer that all involved just downed the beer instead.

Not quite five miles, but 5 beers in under 10 minutes for most racers can leave you pretty snookered too!

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“Anyone else ever done anything like this?”

I’ve heard of this, or something similiar. One of the guys in our tri group was talking about it. Apparently he’s done it. Just as well that I haven’t. For me the last mile would likely be more of a crawl home than a run.

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You should look up your local Hash House Harriers. A drinking club with a r*nning problem.

Be forewarned that they will be irreverent, un-PC, un-competitive and just about the most fun you can have at a group r*n without breaking too many laws.

It is basically a rendition of the game “Hares and Hounds” that takes place once a week or so. Usually one or two hares set the trail and the rest of the pack (harriers) following a trail of flour/chalk to one or more beer checks (you stop for a beer or three) and the on to the “on-in” with cheap food and more beer, not bad for a minimal fee $5-$15.

Just some words of caution, don’t wear new shoes or a rce related t-shirt and for gods sake don’t tell them you are a trithlete.

Do a web search :slight_smile: just not at work :wink:

on-on

Nipple Ripper, BH3

(yes, you get a cool nickname too)

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is a good British Beer and then in no particular order or with repsect to origin…

Caffreys, Guiness, Paulaner, Stella, Carling, Fat Tire…

and for the record Hashers are nuts.

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Delicious sounding list. Tell me, my friend, have you found Parkbrau in the states?

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“Tell me, my friend, have you found Parkbrau in the states?”

No, and you probably won’t. I drank it as a teenager when living in Germany on a military base where my air force dad was stationed. First beer I ever drank and still consider it one of the best.

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American: Anchor Steam, hon. mention to Abita Turbo Dog, Yeunling and Sierra Nevada Pale

British: Boddington’s, hon. mention to Bass and Newcastle

Irish: Guiness, hon. mention to Murphy’s

German: Beck’s…the German variety, which I used to get from a German work friend

Italian: Moretti…drinking some now in EARLY anticipation of this year’s Giro (go Cipo!)

Japanese: Saporo, hon. mention Kirin Ichiban

Mexican: ALL…seriously, my favorite general category. I love them all.

Mediterranian: Macabee; stay away from the Pilsen in Turkey…it’s preserved with formaldehyde

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I can’t let this thread go by without comment.

Keiths, AKA Vitamin K, is a fine beer but it is owned by Labatts, I believe. I tend to favour the micro brews, more interesting flavours.

Ontario beer: Creemore, 2nd place to Bixel, a Brantford brew that sadly went under quite quickly. Bixel was not unlike Sam Adams.

American: I have a thing for Lone Star. It makes the BEST boiler makers when kicked up with Wild Turkey.

Europe: Heineken at the brewery tour is tough to beat. All you can drink for two guilders. Kronenbourg is another favourite. And the Swiss make a beer called Sammischlaus. (Santa Claus). It’s an 18% brew, brewed on December 05, (St. Nicholas Day), and is only available for ashort time. Very fruity, but very fine. There is a Dutch beer called Oranjeboum. They have a version with extra “zwaar”. It gives it a burnt toast taste, and great mouth feel.

Great Britain: Winter Welcome Ale from the Tadcaster brewery.

Australia: Swan

But my all time favourite is the Welsh brew Brains Bitters. An evening of that whilst doing The Mumbles Mile is almost a sacred rite of passage.

Paul

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I forgot Aussie–Matilda Bay for me, por favor; although Redback will do in a pinch
.

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I have never even tasted an alchoholic beverage of any kind. I know, I’m suspect…

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We do it here at the university as part of the cross country team. Cept its a beer mile.

Run 1/4 mile (400m) chug, a beer, repeat till you finish the mile. And you have to be going all out…many many people puke!

-kevin

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Another Uni race example (from the UK). 5 legged race (4 people with legs tied together in a row) around 5 pubs with a pint in each. Helpers buy in advance and the initial running in sync soon deteriorates.

Cold beers have always gone down well and ideal for recovery.

VB (aussie), Budvar (Czech).

Nothing like going into Belgos in London and being presented with a menu of over 150 Belgium beers.

Pilsner beers don’t contain carbohydrate as all the sugar has turned to alcohol. Hence low in calories.

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Or the circle line pub crawl - 27 pubs in 12 hours in London. Hard work even for the well trained!

Favourite bottle beer: Budvar (czech) and Spitfire (UK Ale). When I lived in NY I used to stock up on my trips back to London.

Favourite tap beer: Old Speckled Hen (UK)

Cheers,
dt.

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I don’t classify in nationalities, I will just give a laundry list:

  1. Stella Artois while in England

  2. King Cobra when in the mood for malt liquor, Colt 45 is second in this category

  3. Grolsch

  4. St. Pauli Girl

5)Boddington’s

  1. Keirin when having sushi- goes well with Green Tea Ice Cream (with beans)

  2. Bud Light when I want to drink many, many,many beers and I need to drive, a.k.a. my default beer

  3. Diamond White cider when I need a buzz- also only in England

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Of course everyone knows that Guinness is the Nectar of the Gods. After Guinness, in descending order, my favorites: John Courage, Samuel Smith’s Oatmeal Stout, Newcastle Brown, Harp, Bass, Kierin, Widmer Brother’s Winternacht,

I absolutely refuse to drink any mass produced American beer, EXCEPT Pabst Blue Ribbon, and then only as a requirement for getting a shot of JD at Hogs-and-Heffers, NY, NY.

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Has anyone mentioned Shiner Bock? That’s my staple brew. IMO as good as Newcastle, but cheaper, and Lance drinks it; so, there is a chance it might work.

Of course traveling to England or Europe allows for some special pleasures with the local unique brews.

Thanks for starting a bit of a “Lite” thread.

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“Thanks for starting a bit of a “Lite” thread.”

That’s why I did. All that stuff about divorce and religion on other threads was getting too heavy. Besides, I’d rather drink a beer than think about my divorce!!