The Healthiest Beers Around the World

Jan 22, 2022

The History of Healthiest Beers of the World

“He was a wise man who invented beer.” — Plato

The history of beer dates back to the world’s first civilization, Sumer, in Mesopotamia.  A 5,000 year old brewery was discovered in China, including a recipe of broomcorn millet, barley, Job’s tears, and tubers. Recently, a 6,000-year-old Italian wine was discovered in a Sicilian cave, tying Armenia for the earliest evidence of winemaking.

A 9,000-year-old tomb in China unearthed a recipe with hawthorn fruit, sake rice, barley, and honey, the oldest known fermented beverage in history and a hybrid of beer, rice wine and mead.  

The Neolithic era represents the agricultural age that started 10,000-12,000 years ago and came with many faults. But I think many of us can agree that the best invention that came out of the Neolithic era, was wine and beer. 

Unlike today’s beer, beer in ancient times was not bitter, rather flat, and most likely a combination of sweet and sour. However, sour beers are now making a come back. 

Mainstream beer companies that have created an embarrassing imposter full of chemicals, additives and depleted vitamins and minerals. Real beers served as a source of nutrition, rich in b-vitamins, minerals, probiotics and medicinal compounds from numerous herbs.

Thankfully today, there is a craft beer scene that is as wild as the yeast in the air with creative brewers everywhere recreating what beer should be.

During my research and exploration of brewing methods for beer along with wine production, I discovered a startling revelation. The majority of beers and wines are no different than any other sector of a processed food, with a high chemical load and nutrient deficient profile.

In the past, the question “is beer good for you?” would have gathered a hearty laugh. For many cultures, drinking beer provided a major source of clean hydration, vitamins, and minerals.

Today, people just assume beer has negative health effects and therefore is just categorized as a guilty pleasure. In fact, beer is good for you in moderation of 1-2 beers a day, but you have to choose wisely.

What You Won’t Find on the Label of Mainstream Beer and Wine

When you start to look at the content of many mainstream beers, you will find MSG, high fructose corn syrup, propyl glycol, food dyes, BPA, unnatural preservatives (due to pasteurization), and chemical residues like glyphosate found in 14 German beers and California wine (higher in non-organic).

A study from the American Chemical Society in August 2016 found that 97% of imported and US beers tested had glyphosate levels of 0.46 – 196 ppb. A good beer isn’t full of chemicals.

In California, conventionally-grown wine grapes received more pesticides than almonds, table grapes, tomatoes or strawberries. Residual concentrations of many different pesticides have been detected in bottled wine were similar to initial concentrations on the grapes. Since hops are notoriously prone to pest and disease issues, I imagine a similar issue with many beers along with sprayed grains.

I knew from research that alcohol depletes b-vitamins, vitamin C, magnesium, zinc and disrupts gut flora. But it started to become clear that this depletion is negated based on where it is grown, how it is produced, how much is consumed, and the diet of the individual.

The good beer of our ancestors – or places where traditional fermentation is still intact – did not contain the chemical load that many US wines and beers do (and other places in the world), and the mineral levels in the water and soil have always been higher in the past.

The beer was unfiltered and unpasteurized, leaving the yeast in that contains the nutrients that alcohol depletes, was a source of probiotics and often had medicinal herbs that increased the medicinal value.

The Medicinal Qualities of Yeast, Beer, and Alcohol

If you look at the breakdown of brewer’s yeast from Nutrition Data in 1 oz., it is quite impressive for b-vitamins, immune-boosting selenium and the electrolytes magnesium and potassium.*Chromium isn’t listed, but is also found in yeast and is important for stabilizing blood sugar.

the healthiest beers in the world

the healthiest beers in the world

 

 

 

 

 

Now, take a look at a beer that was tested for B-vitamins:

the healthiest beers in the world

Source: The Science of Healthy Drinking

This beer shows 62.5% of folate and 170% of B12!

Yeast Provides A Major Source of Nutrition

If you filter the yeast out and pasteurize the beer, you lose most, if not all of the b-vitamins and probiotics. While you will keep the benefits of compounds in barley and hops with filtered and pasteurizing, you are losing out on a major source of nutrition due to the loss of the vitamins, minerals, and probiotics.

The Health Benefits of Beer

The benefits of beer not only come from the grains and yeast but also the herbal change to hops. Hops contain a flavonoid called xanthohumol that strongly suppresses CYP1A2 (suppressing is good), a liver enzyme that metabolizes various environmental procarcinogens such as heterocyclic amines (created during high heat cooking of meat or fish), nitrosamines (pesticides, cosmetics), and aflatoxin B1 (mold) that can lead to cancer when overexpressed.

When you have a homozygous variant in this liver enzyme as discovered through Nutrition Genome, you have to take more dietary strategies to prevent the activation of procarcinogens.

Hops appear to be one of those strategies, while they also improve fat metabolism. Hops are also a potent phytoestrogen due to 8-prenylnaringenin; something that doesn’t make me get on the heavy hops IPA bandwagon of brewing for guys.

I prefer a smaller dose of hops and a higher use of other herbs myself. But for post-menopausal women, the hops may increase bone density and the prevention of hot flashes.

Beer Instead of Tranquilizers

One study highlighted in The Science of Healthy Drinking found the following: Two months after the hospital staff began offering one beer a day to the geriatric patients, the number of them who could walk on their own increased from 21 percent to 74 percent. Social interaction tripled, and the percentage of patients taking Thorazine, a strong tranquilizer, plunged from 75 percent to zero.

If you want your mind blown by 400 pages of studies showing the positive benefits of moderate alcohol intake, including drinking beer every day, pick up The Science of Healthy Drinking.

Beer’s Superpower Against Radiation

Radiation is another risk factor for cancer, as it may damage cellular DNA. In one study, human volunteers were asked to drink two beers a day, and then X-rays were irradiated to blood samples collected three hours after beer consumption. The results showed that the frequency of chromosomal aberrations in lymphocytes after beer consumption was significantly lower than that before beer consumption. This effect was not attributable to alcohol, but to the compounds in beer.

Beer and Homocysteine Levels

Another study found that when volunteers consumed either beer, red wine, or spirits for one week, it was only the beer drinkers that did not have a rise in homocysteine due to the B6 and folate content.

You can have too much of a good thing. If you or your family members are prone to gout, beer appears to raise uric acid levels higher than liquor and wine, with wine being the best option for not pushing uric acid levels too high.

It is important to note however that the reason gout has been known as the rich man’s disease is that it occurred from a combination of over-consumption of sugar, red meat, and alcohol during a time when only the wealthy could afford it. Uric acid actually acts as an anti-oxidant comparable to vitamin C, and moderate elevations are beneficial. It all comes back to balance.

Since beer companies are not allowed to make any health claims, you have to dig for the beer health benefits in the research.

The Medicinal Effect of Moderate Alcohol Consumption

Alcohol itself works in medicinal doses. Both too little and too much appear to be an issue. One study on alcohol from Harvard was published recently in the European Society of Cardiology and is perhaps one of the longest of its kind. It followed 14,629 men and women aged 45-64 and followed them for up to 25 years.

They found that for those who drank one 5 oz glass of wine or 12 oz. beer per day, the men had a 20 percent less incidence of heart disease and 16 percent for women. What’s interesting is that heart failure rates were higher for those who drank less OR more. For those having more than 21 drinks, a higher risk of dying from any cause went up 47 percent for men and 89 percent for women.

In a new study from UCSD, “researchers found that among men and women 85 and older, individuals who consumed “moderate to heavy” amounts of alcohol (1-4 drinks based on gender and weight) five to seven days a week were twice as likely to be cognitively healthy than non-drinkers.”

This study looked at 1,344 older adults (728 women; 616 men) in an upper class, Caucasian population. I think it is important to note here that this San Diego demographic is also highly active.

Let’s also take a look at the PON1 gene, which codes for enzymes that break down pesticides and helps prevent LDL from oxidizing, a major mechanism in atherosclerosis. One study found that alcohol in small amounts (4-5 oz. of wine or 12 oz. of beer for example), improved PON1 activity by 395%.

However too much decreased it by 45%. PON1 is responsible for elevating HDL in response to alcohol. Another study reported that three weeks of beer consumption significantly reduced the level of plasma c-reactive protein (CRP), but was attributed to the alcohol.

Many other studies have confirmed this fact over and over again. Alcohol can be very good for us, but it must be treated like everything else in our food supply. The source, production, and amount is the key. Even more reason for responsible drinking.

Is Beer Good for You? It Depends on the Beer

I came across a beer in Whole Foods by Propolis Brewing Company from Washington state a few months ago when I started asking the question “is beer good for you?” I was so impressed by their beer, that I looked them up and found a description on their website that resonated with other literature I had read about beers of the past.

For thousands of years beer served as food and medicine; it had antiseptic, anti-bacterial and anti-viral properties. Old world ales were referred to as “gruits” and were created from various malted grains and bittering herbs. Proprietary herbal blends were passed down from generation to generation as was the knowledge of how each herb served to promote health throughout the year. We carefully selected local herbs and botanicals that bitter and flavor our ales. Our herbal blends are developed to harmonize with the spectrum of malt that shifts from light to dark with the sun and the harvest.

Before the Beer Purity Law 500 years ago this year, other herbs were used in beer instead of hops. According to the book Sacred and Herbal Healing Beers, before the use of hops in beer, gruit ale was the beer staple made primarily with sweet gale, bog myrtle and yarrow.

These herbs were mildly narcotic and some were considered aphrodisiacs. Due to these qualities, it was under extreme interrogation by the Protestant church. Unhappy with partying habits of the Catholics, the Protestants played a role in the banning of certain herbs and replacing them with hops, a known sedative.

I scoured the internet and contacted breweries to compile a beginning list to seek out these special craft beers. Whole Foods and specialty wine and beer shops will most likely carry some of these. If you have one of these breweries in town, that is also the best place to go.

The Healthiest Beers Around the World (Unfiltered aka Hazy and Unpasteurized)

Some of these may indeed contain organic ingredients but are not certified. It is very costly to be certified and I understand companies choosing not to. But some companies will use organic ingredients without being certified, and I’m trying to find these.

Many beers in Europe are organic, unfiltered, and unpasteurized by default. I was told that the east coast of the US has more breweries that are creating unfiltered, unpasteurized beers, while more west coast breweries filter many of their beers.

“Bottle conditioned” is another word used for unpasteurized to look for on labels. Yeast is added at the bottling stage for carbonation.

North Coast Brewing: Blue Star and Pranqster. Prankqster is a very delicious, good beer. Great customer service.

Sierra Nevada: Porter, Stout, and Kellerweis (most yeast). Pale Ales are bottle conditioned. All others are filtered, but unpasteurized. All beers use non-GMO ingredients. I can vouch that the porter is excellent. Great customer service too.

Bell’s Brewery: According to Bell’s Brewery: “Most of our ales are unfiltered, it’s been one of our main philosophies since Larry Bell first started brewing more than 30 years ago. Our lagers, on the other hand, are filtered, but unpasteurized.” Amber Ale, Kalamazoo Stout, Porter, Oatsmobile, Two Hearted (non-GMO verified), Oarsman, Oberon (non-GMO verified), Winter White, Best Brown, Expedition Stout, Special Double Cream Stout, Hopslam, Arabicadabra, Christmas Ale and The Oracle.

Crux Brewery: All of our beers are unpasteurized and only one is unfiltered, our Hazy IPA, Bubble Wrap. All other beers are centrifuged.

Schneider Weisse: Choose Aventinus.

Franziskaner: Hefewiessbier 

Red Oak Brewery: A brewery in North Carolina that makes some awesome unfiltered and unpasteurized beers.

Great Divide: Orabelle Belgian Tripel, Nadia Kali Hibiscus Saison, Colette Farmhouse Ale, Samurai Rice Ale (being released later this year). Ingredients are not organic.

Chimay: This one is actually pretty easy to find at Trader Joes, Whole Foods and at restaurants. Chimay is a very good beer.

St. Bernadus: If you like Belgian beers, this is a delicious choice.

Lagunitas: Lagunitas is in Petaluma, CA, and has a limited release in 2020 of a Little Sumpin’ Hazy, that has bold letters in red at the bottom that says UNFILTERED. I like to think that my pestering emails asking about unfiltered beers may have influenced this.

Einstok: “Our White Ale in bottles is unfiltered, unpasteurized and bottle-conditioned, and our Toasted Porter is unfiltered.”

Orval: Orval beer means is in the exclusive club of authentic Trappist beers.

Westmalle: Westmalle is also a Trappist beer made by the monks.

Rochefort: Trappist Rochefort is an easy beer to find from Belgium.

Green’s: One of the few gluten-free beers on the market.

Lindemans: If you like sour beers, Lindemans make some wicked Belgian lambics. Check out Cuvée René Gueuze and Lindemans Cuveé René Kriek.

Du Bocq beers: This is another beer from the famous Belgian region.

Budvar’s: They have an unpasteurized yeast beer.

The Bruery: Email response. “All of our beers are going to be unfiltered, as well as all of our sour beers will be unpasteurized.”

Beau’s: A great find for Canada! Organic malt, hops and local spring water. However, they pasteurize their beers but have unfiltered versions.

Weihenstephan: Vitus, Korbinian, Hefeweissbier Dunkel, White Hoplosion are the best beers. *Update. I received an email that all their beers are flash-pasteurized. 

Castle Danger: This brewery is in Two Harbors, Minnesota, and carries unpasteurized and certain unfiltered beers. 

The Healthiest Beers Around the World (Organic, Unfiltered and Unpasteurized)

*Only certain beers for some of these companies may be certified organic, or use mostly organic ingredients.

Propolis Brewing: This brewery is in Port Townsend, Washington, and I would consider this beer to be at the top of the healthy beer list. They have access to natural spring water, which I think is a secret ingredient for the best beers. I ordered a case of their yarrow beers for my wedding to show you how highly I think of them. They also have a monthly ale club.

Flying Embers: I just found out about this one in 2021. USDA organic and they combine medicinal mushrooms like Lion’s Mane lager and Reishi stout. My kind of brewery!

Peak Organic Brewing Co: All beers are certified organic, unpasteurized and unfiltered. Available in the northeast US.

Protector Brewery:  Located in San Diego and distributed in California, Denver and DC. All beers are certified organic, unpasteurized, unfiltered and is veteran owned.

Freehouse Brewery:  Located in North Charleston, South Carolina. Certified organic, unpasteurized, and the majority are unfiltered.

Coast Brewing Company: Also located in South Carolina. Coast uses organic ingredients in all their beers, and are unfiltered and unpasteurized.

Logsdown Farmhouse Brewery: I bought these as gifts for my groomsman. They are definitely on the healthy beer list.

Aslan Brewing: I haven’t had the pleasure of trying this one yet, but they are organic, unfiltered and unpasteurized. If you live in Washington state, try this one out.

Allagash: All beers are unpasteurized and bottle conditioned. Sixteen Counties uses organic oats along with others. Their Fine Acre golden ale is certified organic. 

The Ale Apothecary: This brewery is in Bend, Oregon, the land of beer. They would also be categorized as a healthy beer due to their water source, clean ingredients, and ancient fermenting practices.

Gjulia: Gjulia is made in Italy and is a little harder to find. I have only seen these at one Italian restaurant where I live.

Ayinger Brewery: Ayinger is from Germany and they are excellent beers. I’ve seen Ayinger at Bevmo, Whole Foods and numerous grocery stores.

Bison (unpasteurized, but filtered). Bison is one of the few breweries that sing their organic certification loud and proud. Numerous health benefits from the herbs and spices added to their beers.

Deschutes Brewery: Deschutes is also in Bend, Oregon, and if I was picking beer stocks, I would invest in Deschutes to become the top craft beer distributor along with Sierra Nevada. Black Butte Porter, Chainbreaker White IPA, The Abyss, The Dissident, Flanders Black, bottle condition all the beers in the Mainline, Seasonal, and Bond St. lines, Reserve Series beers have live yeast. Non-GMO ingredients and some are organic. Deschutes County doesn’t fluoridate their water, another win. Great customer service.

Dogfish Head: Email response. “We use organic ingredients when available but we do not claim to be 100% organic. Some of our beers are unfiltered like our wheat beers (Namaste) and certain high gravity beers (120, Burton) other beers are filtered (like 60 Minute). And we are unpasteurized.”

Fish Brewery Company: I haven’t tried these beers yet but would love to hear from anyone who has.

Lakefront Brewery: (different degrees of filtering): New Grist and New Grist Ginger are gluten free. Fuel Cafe Coffee Stout, White Belgian Wit, and Growing Power Farmhouse Pale Ale are year round organics. Barrel Aged Beer Line Barley Wine is limited.

Hair of the Dog Brewing Company: Hair of the dog has an excellent reputation in communities lucky enough to be able to buy them.

Brooklyn: I haven’t tried these beers yet.

Pinkus: Organic, healthy beers. The taste wasn’t anything to write home about.

Samuel Smiths: Samuel Smiths Organic Ale is their healthiest option.

Wychwood:  Scarecrow Ale is their organic beer.

K&L Craft Beers: I might fly to Italy just to try these beers.

La Birra di Meni: Now I have two reasons to fly to Italy.

Please feel free to help me add to this list from your hometown in the comment section. Cheers!

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66 Comments

  1. Gail Massey

    Please add gluten-free and gluten reduced in above 2 categories. Thanks for doing this research!!!!

    Reply
    • Alex Swanson M.S.

      Hi Gail,

      You are very welcome! I pull this article up now when I’m shopping and it is pretty handy to have the list. So far Green’s is the only one that I have found to be unfiltered, unpasteurized and gluten free. I have it listed under the “Good” section and gluten free in parenthesis. I’ll keep looking for gluten-free and gluten-reduced that are also unfiltered and unpasteurized.

      Reply
      • Matthew Hogan

        Some awesome beers/ breweries you’re missing:

        Allagash – Fine Acre is certified organic. They list their beer ingredients online, many are fermented with organic oats (allagash white and black, for instance) unfiltered and unpasteurized. One of the best breweries in the world- many of their Belgian ales Alger rated higher than Belgians made in Belgium. Available on east and west coasts.

        Peak Organic – all certified organic, some very highly rated beers. Distributed in Northeast USA. All unpasteurized and unfiltered

        Protector Brewery (San Diego) – all certified organic, my favorite brewery of all time. Unpasteurized and unfiltered. Distributes in CA, Washington DC area and Denver. Veteran owned.

        Freehouse Brewery: 100% certified organic, unpasteurized , majority unfiltered. Above average brewery, available in SC.

        Coast Brewery: uses organic ingredients in all their beers, unfiltered and unpasteurized, lists ingredients online and on the can, most beers 97-99% organic ingredients. Available in SC.

        Reply
        • Alex Swanson

          Hey Matthew,

          Awesome, thank you for taking the time to let me know about these! I’ll add them to the article. Cheers!

          Reply
    • William

      Why aren’t Belgian beers included here? Such as, Chimay and St. Bernardus?

      Reply
      • Alex Swanson M.S.

        Hi William,

        Belgians are some of my favorites. Chimay is on the list. I have had St. Bernadus but forgot about that one. I will add it.

        Reply
  2. Rachel

    This is really interesting! Thank you for posting. I was doing research for nutrition ideas for my elderly mother who doesn’t go to doctors. I’m going to try this with her. The study that said it helped mobility is very exciting. I think I’ll take up beer drinking just for the heath benefits. Thanks again.

    Reply
    • Alex Swanson M.S.

      Hi Rachel,

      Glad you enjoyed it! I found the research studies pretty interesting myself.

      Reply
  3. Rachel

    I wonder if the gluten-free beers are as nutritious as those made with barley…if anyone knows, please comment.

    Reply
    • Alex Swanson M.S.

      Hi Rachel,

      Many of the gluten-free beers actually remove the gluten from the barley. Greens does this as well, but also have three (Discovery, India Pale Ale, Gold Dry Hopped Lager) that use sorghum, millet, buckwheat and brown rice. The nutritional difference will mainly come from the nutritional composition of the grains, and the filtering process. Beers like those from Propolis Brewing that also use herbs along with being unpastuerized and unfiltered are going to have the best nutritional value.

      Reply
      • Rachel

        Thank you Alex!

        Reply
  4. Avi

    Hi!
    To clarify a few points;
    Do unpasteurized or unfiltered beers have live active cultures in them?
    Are there any beers that do?
    A beer with the mildly narcotic ingredients sounds interesting. Are there any breweries making beer with those ingredients?
    Thanks Again!

    Reply
    • Alex Swanson M.S.

      Hi Avi,

      Unpasteurized and unfiltered beers are going to have live yeast in them. The sour beers are going to have some lactobaccili bacteria, the probiotic. If beers are pasteurized and filtered, they are not going to have yeast or probiotics in them.

      Propolis Brewing makes a beer with yarrow and a gruit ale. I believe Dogfish may have a beer with yarrow in it as well. Your best bet is to pick up the book Sacred and Herbal Healing Beers and start brewing!

      Reply
  5. Marty

    HI Alex;
    Many articles purport that drinking distilled alcohol is far less “toxic” to the body when compared to beer or wine. I personally feel that the dosing is a concern, and that claims of mycotoxins in wine are beer may be overstated as I have yet to see any measurements included in such articles. Gluten is usually the other reason to claim toxicity.

    Lastly, does ones liver differentiate between the differing types (e.g. distilled vs. wine vs. beer) other than due to the obvious differences in antioxidant levels and nutrients?

    Here are two popular articles:
    Be Synchro blog article “Solving The Alcohol Dilemma”
    Bulletproof blog article What to Drink: Bulletproof Alcohol Infographic and Hangover Cures”

    Many thanks Alex and another great article,
    Marty

    Reply
    • Alex Swanson M.S.

      Hi Marty,

      Great comments and questions. Interesting perspectives in those articles, thanks for the links. In terms of mycotoxins, I would need to see some data supporting those claims because I think they are overlooking what happens during the fermentation process. Research has shown that saccharomyces (brewers yeast) can remove and transform mycotoxins in 4 days, and many brewers ferment for 2 weeks (here’s one). You may remember historical accounts in certain parts of Europe where fermented drinks were more safe to consume than the water. Also, fermenting bread for 48 hours will reduce gluten down to gluten free levels, so I think it is safe to assume gluten levels become fairly low in properly brewed beer. I would be more concerned with glyphosate levels (and potentially mercury) with commercial beers that use high fructose corn syrup or other corn additives because glyphosate doesn’t appear to be phased by fermentation. This has been true of pesticides and heavy metals in wine testing as well.

      I am not aware of any metabolic difference between breaking down ethanol between distilled, wine or beer. A lot of the positive literature on alcohol often contributes the results to ethanol more than one one alcohol vs. another. But, it does appear that liver function is improved by reducing carcinogenic effects due to the addition of hops and yeast (plus the B-vitamins and selenium that assist the liver), and the improved liver function of certain herbs that carry the strength of a tincture in this form. I actually brew my own medicinal brews this way. So I would disagree with those authors and defend craft beer.

      Reply
      • Marty

        Thank you very much for the response. As always, a very thoughtful and rationale perspective. If you are willing, it would be great if you could share some home-brew (medicinal) recipes that have been successful for you (just shoot me an email). I started doing the same and also plan on making a homemade haskap berry wine raw honey melomel with montmorency cherry concentrate and rosehips.

        Did see some more research in this regard (and some about melatonin formation during fermentation), and the following book caught my eye. I thought you may be interested:
        Fermented Foods in Health and Disease Prevention (came out in 2016)

        Reply
        • Alex Swanson M.S.

          Hi Marty,

          Brewing beer is a new endeavor for me, so I do not have a lot of recipes under my belt yet. I have made Kombucha, kvass, and mead (have a chaga, juniper, sage mead and an elderberry mead aging now). Your melomel sounds awesome. I jumped right into all grain brewing, so it took me 4 batches to finally get it right as it takes careful attention to details. The last two I made that came out well was a gingerbread porter and a Scottish gruit honey beer. I would be happy to send you those recipes if you would like. There are many recipes for herbal beers in Radical Brewing by Randy Mosher (best recipes for all grain brewing) and Sacred and Herbal Healing Beers by Steven Buhner (unbelievable historical and herbal science reference).

          Thanks for the book recommendation, I will definitely add it to my library.

          Reply
          • Andrea

            A gingerbread porter sounds amazing!!

          • Alex Swanson M.S.

            Hi Andrea,

            That it was! Here is my recipe:

            Gingerbread Porter: 2 gallon batch

            3lbs 2 row
            1lb dark crystal malt c120
            3.5 oz. chocolate malt
            3.5 oz Belgian chateau biscuit
            White labs Belgian yeast
            .05 oz. German Hallertauer hops

            1. Head 2.25 gallons water to 155 degrees. Add grain bag for one hour and maintain 155.

            2. Sparge grains in a second pot with 1 gallon water at 175 degrees for 10 minutes.

            3. Move sparge water to the original pot. Bring to a rolling boil for 55 minutes and add hops at the beginning of the boil.

            4. At 55 minutes add:
            1 cinnamon stick
            1/2 vanilla bean
            2 cloves
            2 tsp. fresh ginger
            1/2 tsp fresh nutmeg
            1/2 tsp. orange peel
            1/4 cup molasses
            1/2 cup brown sugar

            5. Cool in an ice bath to 70-75 degrees. About a half hour.

            6. Move to two 1 gallon fermenters. Pitch yeast. Ferment for 14 days.

            7. At 14 days, add priming sugar. I used .70 of an ounce of brown sugar warmed up in water per gallon. Bottle condition for 14 days. Move to the refrigerator. Tastes best letting it sit for one more week.

  6. Marty

    Hi Alex;
    Related to the nutritional benefits associated with the unfiltered nature of properly prepared beer, I am curious to know if you agitate your fermenter so that the trub / lees (primarily, heavy fats, proteins and dead yeast) can be partially bottled with your beer? In most beer making literature, they advise to stay clear of the trub due to potential “off-flavors” and because, it seems, most prefer a highly clarified beer. Secondary fermentation is even recommended in some cases to further clarify beer.

    I think we all hope that you can write more on this topic in the future as you learn more and become an experienced home brewer. In particular, discussion on souring probiotics, melatonin formation, antioxidants and herbs that offer additional benefits would be of most interest.

    A local meadery I know that produces herbal / fruit based honey wines had there products tested for antioxidants. The lab technicians re-did the test four times because they did not believe the results. Their wines ranged from 90 – 120 times greater in antioxidants per glass than a standard glass of red (grape) wine. Dandelion being at the top of the range.

    thanks!

    Reply
    • Alex Swanson M.S.

      Hi Marty,

      Wow! I wish I could have my chaga mead tested. That is incredible and makes sense. You have a hot water extract and an alcohol extract of the herbs, which is extremely potent. Especially in honey. Do you think the meadery would be willing to share the results online? Each person that has tried the Propolis herbal beers has told me that they feel healthier after drinking it. It would be amazing if this would start to get more research attention.

      I do not agitate the lees. Some of it makes it into the beer, but the majority of it stays at the bottom. This makes the beer cloudy like a hefeweizen or some unfiltered Belgian golden ales. For darker beers like porters or stouts, you can’t tell the difference. I think if you tried to mix the majority of it in there that it would make it hard to drink.

      Yes, I will absolutely write more on the subject as I get more experienced.

      Reply
  7. Luke Cafferty

    Hi Alex,

    Thanks for this article.

    Do you find these beers are showing up in more stores or are most still fairly niche? I don’t recognize many listed.

    – Luke

    Reply
    • Alex Swanson M.S.

      Hi Luke,

      It depends on where you live. I have found that North Coast, Deschutes, Sierra Nevada and beers from Germany can be fairly easy to find in California. Specialty wine and beer shops will often carry many of these. If you have some companies near you that you like, send them an email on which beers are unfiltered, unpasteurized and non-GMO. I would be happy to add to the list.

      Reply
  8. Marty

    Hi Alex;
    You should try this small companies beers if you have not: http://www.thealeapothecary.com

    They are pretty amazing (albeit expensive). They do mixed fermentation with Brettanomyces, Lactobacillus and Saccharomyces. Plus a wood aging program.

    Reply
    • Alex Swanson M.S.

      Hi Marty,

      Wow, great find. I have been to Bend, Oregon and wish I knew about them when I visited. What a great example of true craft beer. I would do anything to try their Sahti beer from a hollowed tree log. This beer is one I have been wanting to make since I first read about it.

      Reply
  9. sante

    alex,
    your article has reassured me that beer can be used as alternative medicine. that is, for gout patients, like myself.

    in the past, i came across drinking some microbrewed beer at a local bbq pub. that evening i walked in there limping due to my gout pain on my foot. but when done consumimg the beer & bbq, i walked out there normal. the pain was gone and did not flare up again next day or the week. it happened all within over an hour while dinning inside.

    to this day, i wondered myself how was that possible. maybe it was just a fluke. but then… i couldn’t help keep thinking about the beer . i knew bbq meat wasn’t the reason but maybe it was the beer. if it was, what made it help to relieve the gout?

    it’s the question i had since then.
    that’s when i decided to search internet & came across your article.

    according to your article, maybe it wasn’t a fluke after all. that is, with moderate beer consumption, it may or can help relieve gout flare.

    any recommendation or suggestion on which particular bottle or brewery, would be ideal for gout patients?

    i’d like to test it on myself next time when gout flares up again.

    thank you.

    – sante

    Reply
    • Alex Swanson M.S.

      Hi Sante,

      Excellent question and I had to think about it for a little while. The article wasn’t saying that beer could relieve gout, but that wine and liquor are safer bets for gout because beer has a higher rise in uric acid. However, here is the interesting thing about uric acid. Sugar raises uric acid, meat and seafood raises uric acid, beer raises uric acid, certain vegetables like asparagus raise uric acid, and a low-carbohydrate nutritional ketosis diet also can raise uric acid. Not everything here will necessarily cause gout on its own as a result of elevated uric acid. There’s much more to it and there isn’t a one size fits all explanation due to genetic differences, likely in kidney function. But isolated sugar is universally a problem for gout. My dad had gout when he was younger and he didn’t drink alcohol, but he did drink sodas and very little water. He also continually gets kidney stones when he forgets to drink enough water.

      Cherries on the other hand, which have been used as a remedy for gout for centuries and confirmed in research, are high in fructose and yet lower gout risk due to the high flavonoid content. So to answer your question, if it wasn’t a fluke, the only possible explanation I can think of is that the beer was very high in flavonoids, which had a strong anti-inflammatory action. I would also be interested to see if the amount of hops used and alcohol content had any correlation. The best thing to do would be to analyze the beer that you consumed.

      Reply
      • sante

        alex,
        excellent ^^ i see your recommendation on different lines of beer already included in your article. i will try some of them as a start. will let you know if i can duplicate the result. thank you so much ~

        Reply
        • Alex Swanson M.S.

          Hi Sante,

          Great, look forward to it. I did some digging and found the gene associated with a slower breakdown of uric acid, which is why it builds up more in the blood in certain people. I added it to the Nutrition Genome Report in my software. It looks like the flavonoids play a pretty strong role in lowering uric acid. Interesting enough, so does swimming in ice cold water.

          Reply
          • sante

            alex,
            thanks for more inputs. i will try to add more flavonoids into my diet. interesting you mentioned swimming in ice cold water. did some search on it and found out benefits behind it. and a website suggested if not ice water, just cold water will do. so if not swimming i will try to add taking cold shower everyday. maybe pickup swimming too. and based on your lead, i may revisit the cryotherapy treatment i’ve been seeing in the past. after a few times, i stopped because it’s too cold & inconvenient visiting its facility.
            will add all these to my status & will let you know. thanks again ~

  10. Ryan Zenga

    Please add smooth and aromatic La Birra di Meni to this list: Handmade in Italy by 68 year old Domenico “Meni” Francescon and his son Giovanni. They touch every bottle. Only available in New York and New Jersey…they only make 50,000 bottles per year!

    Reply
    • Alex Swanson M.S.

      Will do! These look great. I had an Italian beer recently that was incredible and I haven’t been able to find it anywhere except one restaurant.

      Reply
  11. james a rickman

    Does any one know where to find organic beer in Ohio ?

    Reply
    • Jin Ma

      Does Publix supermarket has live yeast beers? What brand ?

      Reply
      • Alex Swanson M.S.

        Hi Jin,

        I’m not familiar with those supermarkets but just check if they carry any of the beers on this list.

        Reply
  12. Mike

    Red Oak Brewery in North Carolina only brews Lagers that are unfiltered and unpasteurized! My absolute favorite brewery.

    http://www.redoakbrewery.com

    Reply
    • Alex Swanson M.S.

      Hi Mike,

      Thanks for the tip! I’ll add it to the article.

      Reply
  13. Dan B.

    Hey Alex,

    I just saw your Mom yesterday and found out that I have an allergy to brewers yeast. As a beer lover that is a pretty disheartening thing to hear! But she said I could still drink beer just be very particular in which one I choose. Do you have any suggestions for beers that are filtered to remove the yeast but use only high quality ingredients?

    Any other thoughts?

    Thanks!

    Reply
    • Alex Swanson M.S.

      Hi Dan,

      That is definitely disheartening to hear! So essentially you are looking for beers that are filtered and not bottle conditioned but use clean water, barley, and hops. I would say that Bison (all beers), Lagunitas (all beers), Dogfish Head (60 minute) and Einstock (Pale Ale) are some of your best choices.

      Reply
  14. Marty

    Hi Alex;
    Beau’s Brewery is exceptional in Canada. They make gruit, all organic and use spring water (so no extra fluoride).

    The one downside is I beleive they are all pasteurized but not necessarily filtered (depends on the type of beer).

    https://beaus.ca/about-beaus/

    -Marty

    Reply
    • Alex Swanson M.S.

      Great find!

      Reply
  15. Michelle Jersey

    Hello Alex!

    I’m curious to know what you think about Bell’s Brewery. I love their Two Hearted Ale and they claim that it’s unfiltered and unpasteurized. True?

    Thanks!

    Reply
    • Alex Swanson M.S.

      Hi Michelle,

      I emailed a request to get a list of their unfiltered and unpasteurized beers. Will let you know as soon as I find out!

      Reply
    • Alex Swanson M.S.

      Hi Michelle,

      Here was their reply:

      “Two Hearted is unfiltered and unpasteurized. Most of our ales are also unfiltered, it’s been one of our main philosophies since Larry Bell first started brewing more than 30 years ago. Our lagers on the other hand are filtered, but unpasteurized. Two Hearted and Oberon are both verified non-GMO.”

      They also sent me a list of beers that are unfiltered and unpasteurized that I will be adding to this article. Great find!

      Reply
  16. Marty

    Three more for Canada:
    Salt Spring Island Ales – unfiltered, unpasteurized, organic malts and spring water (they make gruit as well)
    Crannóg Ales – certified organic, unfiltered, unpasteurized; they brew on their sustainable farm and grow their own hops!
    Le Castor – certified organic, most are unpasteurized and unfiltered in bottles

    Reply
    • Daniel D.Teoli Jr.

      I’m an old, goddamn boomer. So that means I know what I’m talking about. Sadly the commercial beer in the USA has gone to hell. Pretty much all the store bought beer is just pasteurized crap with funny names.

      Now, maybe you got some crafter that makes an honest beer, or you got a mega-mart with a zillions beers to choose from, but I can’t find any in my local. Pilsner Urquell is not the same as it once was. Same with Mackeson milk stout. Even the imports have gone to hell.

      I don’t want to be making my own beer. Why can’t they just make decent, honest beer anymore?? All these flavors are added to mask the fact that their beer is garbage. It is really sad.

      The Germans made some of the best beers I’ve ever had, especially their rich Märzenbier, but I’ve not had any in Munich for 20 years. And who knows, maybe the Germans are not what they once were. The young kids take things over and that is it. Same with the olive oils. All diluted with cheap oils. They are nothing like they used to be. Greed destroys the good.

      Reply
  17. Angie

    Hi ~ I like Lagunitas Beer because it does not use Fluoridated Water. Do you have any further information on there beer, especially the IPA? Thank you!

    Reply
    • Alex Swanson M.S.

      Hi Angie,

      Yes, Lagunitas has an exceptionally clean water source in Marin County that isn’t fluoridated. I also know they source high-quality barley and hops. They filter all their beers and do not bottle condition, but I think they are one of the better ones in this category.

      Reply
  18. Angie

    Oops – I meant “their beer”!

    Reply
  19. Joe Pineau

    Beers have been identified as a source of microplastics in people’s blood. Are there breweries that take steps (like thoroughly filtering the water they use) to prevent this?

    Reply
    • Alex Swanson

      Hey Joe,

      Great question. Do you have a study link? I can start to do some digging with breweries and see if any action is being taken.

      Reply
      • Joe Pineau

        Alex, My original question was written in a sloppy manner. The study that just came out which found measurable levels of microplastics in peoples blood is talked about here:

        https://thehill.com/policy/healthcare/599661-study-finds-microplastics-in-human-blood-for-the-first-time

        This led me to a 2018 study which found microplastics in 12 great lakes beers and referred back to a 2014 German study which found it in 24 German beers, link here:

        https://weather.com/science/environment/news/2018-05-11-great-lakes-beer-water-microplastics-study#:

        None of this proves that the microplastics in peoples blood came from beer, but it does raise the possibility and make me wonder if anyone is working on it.

        Reply
        • Alex Swanson

          Hi Joe,

          This is definitely becoming a real problem and it appears to be very ubiquitous. It would really depend on the filtration system each brewery is using. What I can do is start putting this on the radar of breweries who may take notice and start advertising if their filtration system removes microplastics. Then I will update this article for the breweries that are actively doing so.

          Reply
  20. Beer Snobs

    Times are a little tougher these days, and it’s not a bad thing to look for healthier alternatives for some of the stuff we enjoy, like beer. Thank you for this list! I will definitely try and look for Propolis Brewing. I tried to look around their site, and I love that they have so many varieties.

    Reply
  21. Tim Patterson

    Castle Danger in Two Harbors MN makes some delicious unpasteurized ales.

    Reply
    • Alex Swanson

      Noted. Thanks Tim!

      Reply
  22. Timothy Major

    How about Voo Doo Ranger…

    Reply
    • Alex Swanson

      Hey Timothy,

      I wrote to the company on the 26th, but I still haven’t heard back…

      Reply
    • Alex Swanson

      I just heard back. “Voodoo Ranger IPA is filtered, flash pasteurized, and not certified organic.”

      Reply
  23. Christopher Mooney

    Hello, Two questions.
    A question about beers that are lower in gluten, I read somewhere that Corona is lower in gluten, is that true? BTW, I was thinking that gluten free is just a fad. We have had gluten all our lives since the beginning of time. It’s just recently due to GMO foods gluten had been more fortified more so. I think that it is why some people are gluten sensitivity or are allergic to it. Is that right?

    I occasionally just a social drinker, wine or beer at home or out and about once in awhile, Corona just seems an easy beer to order, is that a good beer? Wondering what’s a good beer to drink at a restaurant or a pub, I don’t particularly like the taste of sour or hoppy beers, I like the taste of Larger or Pilsner beers. Could you recommend an easy to order what beers that are hopefully healthy, maybe unfiltered or unpasteurized?

    Thank you,

    Reply
    • Alex Swanson

      Hi Christopher,

      Regarding gluten levels in beer, the amount is reduced during primary and secondary fermentation. Like sourdough bread, the final amount is much lower after fermentation. There was a study that looked at the final gluten levels based on the beers that found the following: “When various types of beer were compared, the gluten concentration increased as follows: alcohol-free beer (<3.0), lager beers (<3.0-8.7 mg l-1), stouts (9.0-15.2 mg l-1) and wheat beers (10.6-41.2 mg l-1)." So yes, lager beers are likely to have lower gluten levels.

      You are correct in that we have had gluten in our diet since the beginning of agriculture, 10,000-12,000 years ago, and there's evidence grain was being consumed for thousands of years even before that. You have people that have celiac disease, which is a true gluten allergy in a small percentage of people. Then you have non-celiac wheat sensitivity, which often comes with other food allergies like dairy due to perforated holes in the intestinal lining that allows protein molecules into the bloodstream and causes a reaction. Outside of those two examples, people likely have no reaction to gluten and a lot of gluten-free products are actually pretty unhealthy processed foods.

      Recent research has shown that FODMAPs - not gluten - may be what people like those with IBS are actually reacting to. Both FODMAPs and gluten are reduced during fermentation like with beer and sourdough bread, but would be higher in gluten-containing grains that are not fermented. This is why we often see people better tolerate sourdough bread instead of whole wheat bread. So in my opinion, we are all better off sticking with traditional methods of fermentation that have been used over thousands of years when consuming barley and wheat.

      I wouldn't say Corona is a quality beer due to the glyphosate levels. It came in at number 5 on a list 20 beers tested (source). The best rule of thumb is to look or ask for for smaller, local microbreweries when choosing a beer at a restaurant or pub. Or, choose a Belgian or German lager or pilsner. This increases your chance of getting a higher quality beer.

      Reply
  24. Marty

    Re: glyphosate and some non-organic options

    Another study showed Beers with Glyphosate concentrations below the LOQ (0.38 ppb) of the assay were: Kronenbourg 1664 Witbier Wheat; Birra Peroni Pale Ale; Amstel Brewery Light Lager; Molson Coors Pale Lager.

    The top two on this list IMO would be 1. Birra Peroni Pale Ale (Italy); and 2. Amstel Brewery Light Lager (Dutch), since Kronenbourg 1664 Witbier Wheat contains undesirable ingredients like glucose syrup, and Molson sourcing varies so much.

    https://www.researchgate.net/publication/321589684_Analysis_of_Glyphosate_in_Food_and_Beverage_samples_by_ELISA_and_lateral_flow_Immunoassay

    Reply
  25. Luke

    HI. Any chance I’d be able to find a more updated/newer list of yours for non-gmo/organic beers?

    This is awesome! Really appreciate this list!

    Reply
    • Alex Swanson

      Hi Luke,

      Glad you found the list helpful! Are there any particular companies or beers you are interested in learning more about?

      Reply
  26. Wes Canon

    Howdy – appreciate all the good intel. I think the biggest health risk for beer these days and wine is Glyphosates. Many of the beers listed above definitely contain some glyphosates. Would you guys be open to creating a list of glyphosate free beers given the inherent danger.

    Thanks!

    Reply
    • Alex Swanson

      Hi Wes,

      I agree, glyphosate in beer and wine is a major problem. As you saw in the article, 97% of the beers tested in 2016 had 0.46 – 196 ppb of glyphosate. The issue with compiling a list of glyphosate-free beers is that it requires either the company to test their beers, or a 3rd party to independently test the beers like the American Chemical Society did. The test is fairly expensive, and we most likely are not going to see continual testing due to the cost and other reasons. Since the source of the barley and wheat is going to be the culprit of glyphosate residue, your best bet is to choose organic beers and avoid beers that use wheat like hefeweizen.

      Reply

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