Back in the day, the Tour de France was powered by beer and champagne. I was both surprised and delighted when I heard this. You see, supporting sports performance with optimal nutrition and health is a relatively new thing. Up until the 1960s the heroic peloton would chug back the brews and fizz for hydration and energy. And because they’re darn tasty and rather fun. These drinks also had the added benefit of dulling the inevitable pain and fatigue that comes from this epic race.

While beer might not be the preferred choice for today’s elite athletes, there have been recent interesting developments by some breweries who are adding ‘functional’ ingredients to their brews as a health benefit. The low/no alcohol market is really booming at the moment. You might remember from our interview with Small Beer Brew Co (issue 05) that low alcohol beers (2% ABV or less) are actually isotonic. Meaning that the liquid has a similar water, salt and carbohydrate concentration to human blood, thereby aiding in hydration and recovery. An ABV over 2% will dehydrate the body. And dehydration equals hangover! Not good at the best of times; certainly not good for getting a PB.

Functional Fungi

One company that has recently popped up is the award winning Fungtn, who launched last year with their premium, alcohol free craft beer laced with medicinal mushrooms (no, not magic mushrooms!) as a ‘natural solution to help combat the stresses of our hectic modern lives’. Medicinal mushrooms* have been used for centuries for their impressive health benefits. Studies suggest these benefits range from supporting the immune system and brain health to increasing energy. All of Fungtn’s brews come in under 0.5% ABV and each brew focuses on a specific mushroom. They’re also gluten free. First up is their Chaga Lager - a crisp and refreshing dark malt lager with Chaga mushrooms and Tettnanger and EKG hops. Then we’ve got Lion’s Mane IPA, a deep, earthy IPA with high notes of peach and stone fruit made with Cascade and Challenger hops. Finally comes a juicy, sweet/sour citra beer with Idaho 7 and Simcoe hops and reishi mushrooms. 

So the big question is: do they taste of mushrooms? No, thankfully they are free from the taste of ‘shrooms - though the starchiness of the mushrooms is said to enhance the body of the beers, making them a doubly useful addition.  

Order Fungtn beers from: 

www.fungtn.com

Follow @fungtn.brewing

Curious to discover more about medicinal mushrooms? Check out the documentary ‘Fantastic Fungi’ on Netflix, it will blow your mind!

CBD Beer

For their boosted beer, Lancaster based Cannabrew has opted to go for a mid strength (4.5% ABV) brew infused with CBD. Short for cannabidiol, CBD is a compound derived from the hemp plant. Unlike its cousin, cannabis, CBD from hemp (also a cousin of hops) contains only traces of the ‘psychoactive’ compound THC, so it’s not something you can get high from. In the UK, CBD is completely legal and is classed as a food supplement by the Food Standards Agency. CBD has been getting a lot of buzz lately thanks to its reported health benefits such as helping with stress and anxiety and promoting pain relief and improved sleep. It’s also touted to be good for sports recovery, which is how Cannabrew founder Elliot Horner came to discover the positive effects of CBD. Elliot who plays for Fylde and Lancashire RUFC was introduced to CBD as a way to help the aches and pains endured from playing rugby. Already a commercial brewer, Elliot decided that a CBD beer can only be a good thing to help people ‘unwind naturally’, and so Cannabrew was born. 

They now sell their CBD infused Sesh IPA, Soul Lager and Cloud Apple Cider (all 4.5% ABV) both online and in selected outlets. The CBD they use is specially formulated and doesn’t impact the taste or aroma at all. Just great brews with an added bit of bliss.

Read more and order from:

www.cannabrew.uk 

Follow: @cannabrewltd

Hey you! Call me boring but I just wanted to remind you that we’re all grown-ups here and that heavy drinking - whether in binges or on a regular basis - can be harmful. So regardless of any health claims of beer, this isn’t an excuse to chug it back for brekkie instead of your fruit and muesli. Drink responsibly, mmm’k?