Originally Posted by footfootfoot (Post 857576)

Tested the pumpernickel V. 2 tonight. Very dry. Pronounced molasses taste, pleasant, but it overpowers everything else. A bit of malt comes through -- I added some darker roasts to add complexity but I think I still need to cut back on the molasses and crush the caraway. Maybe add it to to secondary ferment.

Originally Posted by xoxoxoBruce (Post 857577)

Oh dear, brewer's work is never done. What are you doing with the spent grain? Make bacon? :yum:

Originally Posted by glatt (Post 857585)

That chart of ABV reminds me of the time I went to the local Safeway and bought a 40 oz Hurricane to kill slugs in our garden. It was the cheapest and smallest quantity of beer I could find in the store. I had a couple other random things on the belt at checkout, and the cashier looked at the Hurricane and then slowly looked me up and down. I can only imagine what he was thinking. The guy looked just like Ahmadinejad.
Attachment 43285
I figure he was a devout muslim, and here he is checking out this middle aged white guy with his 40 oz malt liquor and eggs.

So where's Hurricane on that list?

Originally Posted by footfootfoot (Post 857602)

I thought you were going to work for me at the brewery? I think we'll have a daily employee beer allowance.

The double deuce is my bottle of choice because if you pour without rhythm, it won't attract the worm. And there is less handling, making for quicker work at bottling, and who is anyone kidding? Who drinks 12 ounces of beer and calls it a day?

Originally Posted by http://www.winning-homebrew.com/beer-calories.html

Beer Calories - Liquid Bread or Spare Tire?

Beer calories are infamous for their effects on your belly. Studies have shown that drinking beer is not the cause of "beer belly". The calories in beer are just like calories in other foods and drinks. The problem is that people often drink beer excessively and/or irresponsibly. Drinking beer often involves eating snacks or fried foods which contain lots of fat. And then there is the fact that beer alcohol consumption of any kind reduces the metabolization of other fats (those chips you ate with the beer).

How Alcohol Affects You
Most of the beer alcohol you consume is absorbed into your blood quickly and heads straight for your liver where is converted to acetaldehyde which is then converted to acetate. Acetate is then used as fuel for your body. That in and of itself isn't bad, it's the fact that the acetate is being used as fuel instead of your fat reserves that is part of the problem. There have been many studies done on alcohol's effect on your body's metabolism. One study showed that fat metabolism dropped by 73% for several hours after just two drinks and another study showed that a few drinks will reduce your fat loss for as long as four days.
So, not only does drinking beer put a stop to fat loss, guess what else is going on. Beer alcohol is also slashing your testosterone levels. Just one night of heavy drinking can increase your body's levels of a muscle-wasting hormone called cortisol and will increase the breakdown of testosterone for up to 24 hours. And these effects on your testosterone levels are made worse if you exercise before drinking. The effects of alcohol on testosterone may be one reason why people who drink a lot usually have less muscle and more belly fat.

Maltose and the "Beer Belly"
Many believe that the calories in beer that come from maltose are the main culprit for their beer belly. It is true, maltose is readily digested by your body and is quickly stored as fat. Several diet books have wrongly included beer as a primary source of dieting problems, claiming that beer's maltose has a glycemic index of 110, 10 more than glucose, and that therefore beer has a glycemic index of 110 and is bad for you. Claiming that beer calories are all from maltose is absurd. Beer is mostly water with some hop oils and a very small percentage of sugars, including maltose. Most research today reveals that the "beer belly" is caused by overeating and lack of muscle tone. It's just as easy for non-beer-drinkers who overeat and don't exercise to get a "beer gut" as it is for beer drinkers.

Can Beer Be Good For You?
Can beer actually be good for you? Well, it was made by the monks to supply needed nutrients during fasting and was called liquid bread. Beer is made from brewer's yeast which is known to be a rich source of nutrients. In fact, it is true that some beer can contain significant amounts of nutrients, including magnesium, selenium, potassium, phosphorus, biotin, and B vitamins. Be aware that some sources claim that filtering beer removes many of these nutrients.
Some research about beer alcohol says that moderate intake of low alcohol beer provides strong anti-cancer benefits and intake of beer in general will provide cardiovascular benefits as well. There is some research showing that it may be something in the beer besides the alcohol, but most research relates the benefits to the alcohol in beer.

Conclusion
What's the conclusion of all this information about calories in beer? If you don't exercise regularly, are genetically predisposed to be large (have big bones), or are getting on in years, you need to watch how much you drink (how many beer calories you ingest) and what you eat while you drink and for the next day or so afterward. Use common sense when drinking. If you drink in excess, you will have to reduce calorie intake for a while and exercise to negate the effects of the beer calories in the alcohol. It all comes down to moderation and focus. Keep your intake of beer calories moderate and focus on negating the effects with exercise and proper eating habits to stay slim.