Beer vs. Soda: Which is Worse for Your Health?

  • Thread starter Thread starter Cyrus
  • Start date Start date
  • Tags Tags
    Beer
AI Thread Summary
The discussion centers around the health implications of drinking beer versus soda. Participants express a general consensus that soda, with its high sugar and acid content, is worse for health compared to moderate beer consumption. Many argue that beer lacks the harmful chemicals found in soda and can even offer some nutritional benefits, such as fiber and B vitamins. However, there is caution against daily alcohol consumption, with suggestions to limit it to special occasions. Some participants share personal experiences, noting a preference for beer over soda due to its less damaging effects on dental health and overall well-being. The conversation also touches on caffeine consumption from drinks like coffee and energy drinks, which some participants view as equally harmful. Overall, the thread emphasizes moderation and the relative health risks associated with both beverages, with a leaning towards beer being the lesser evil when consumed responsibly.
  • #51
WhoWee said:
The words "bloody stool" come to mind.

Have you never drink a real beer before: Are you sure your a man? It looks no different than Guiness, but tastes very different. This is an ale, guiness is a stout.
 
Last edited:
Physics news on Phys.org
  • #52
TheStatutoryApe said:
When I get home from work I generally only have one drink. Sometimes two.

lol, yeah. I love how he can't comprehend such a simple fact.
 
  • #53
Cyrus said:
lol, yeah. I love how he can't comprehend such a simple fact.

I don't remember how old GCT is. I remember though when I was younger that I used to have at least a few drinks at a time.
 
  • #54
Cyrus said:
Have you never drink a real beer before: Are you sure your a man? It looks no different than Guiness, but tastes very different. This is an ale, guiness is a stout.

It was a joke.
 
  • #55
WhoWee said:
It was a joke.
Cyrus is one of the most serious men I know here. He always tells it like it is. :devil:
BTW Cyrus. I want one of those skullsplitters. Makes me thirsty just to see it.
 
  • #56
Cyrus said:
Have you never drink a real beer before: Are you sure your a man? It looks no different than Guiness, but tastes very different. This is an ale, guiness is a stout.

Is Skull Splitters available in the US? I don't think I have seen it anywhere before.
 
  • #57
Flat said:
Is Skull Splitters available in the US? I don't think I have seen it anywhere before.

Yep, I sell it. Plus I've drank it at an ale house. It's a good beer. It really tastes unlike any other beer I can describe. It's very distinct. They come in 4 packs, and run about $14 for the pack, or $10 each if your in a restaurant. (Restaurants rip you off on alcohol by well over 50%)

Yesterday I had this:

http://blogs.eveningsun.com/troublebrewing/samsmit.jpg

It was ok. But I am not crazy for dark beers. It's like a guniness but not as bitter, and a slight aftertaste due to the oatmeal.

It's similar to their taddy porter

3319865018_537095130d.jpg


except the after taste is different.

Their lager is ok, and I really like lagers. But I wouldn't try theirs again. (I think the bottle I had was too old because it didnt make any head when I poured it. I think it went flat).

samsmithlager.jpg


BTW: I have never had a sam adams (diff brand than above) that I like. I think they all taste horrible.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
  • #58
Cyrus said:
Yep, I sell it. Plus I've drank it at an ale house. It's a good beer. It really tastes unlike any other beer I can describe. It's very distinct. They come in 4 packs, and run about $14 for the pack, or $10 each if your in a restaurant. (Restaurants rip you off on alcohol by well over 50%)

Nice, I will have to search around for it. Reading some of the reviews on it online, it seems like it has an interesting taste.
 
  • #59
What about wheat beer? The stuff I get at my local microbrewery is out of this world.
 
  • #60
dlgoff said:
What about wheat beer? The stuff I get at my local microbrewery is out of this world.

Don't get me started on hefeweizens.

franziskaner.jpg


This is by far the best. Imported from germany, worth every penny.

Bluemoon is junk, IMO. I don't like it and I don't see why people hype it up. There's better tasting beer out there IMO. Id rather have a shocktop than a Bluemoon.

3330999224_db31c0897d.jpg
 
Last edited:
  • #61
Good stuff from Belgium :!)
PALM_Fles33clGlasA.jpg
 
  • #62
I think we can conclude that there are lot more beer lovers than soda lovers :smile:

I like Windhoek lager (from Namibia), but now that I'm living in Belgium, I like a good Leffe or Duvel.

Still, I think my favourite Ale is Kilkenny.
 
  • #63
redargon said:
Still, I think my favourite Ale is Kilkenny.

YOU BASTARD!


Which reminds me of the perfect beer for Cyrus...
abale.jpg
 
  • #64
AHAHAHA! Awe thanks ape!

Pech lambic are amazing

IMG_1734.JPG


They are like a woodchuck, but better.

http://www.sheckys.com/UserFiles/Image/National-Nightlife-Beat/10-October%2007/Woodchuck.jpg
 
  • #65
Cyrus said:
AHAHAHA! Awe thanks ape!

Pech lambic are amazing.

They are like a woodchuck, but better.
No problem.

Lambic is quite good though sweet. I'm not sure how many beer drinkers would like it. I've had raspberry and peach. The raspberry actually had a tartness to it that most raspberry flavoured drinks don't.

As for cider I usually go for Hornsby's amber. I used to know several different types but I guess cider isn't as popular any more and I haven't found a very large selection any where in years. There used to be one called Hardcore Black that I liked. Woodchuck is practically like drinking apple juice but its good. Wyders I think is a bit expensive for being a cider that isn't terribly note worthy. Ace is a microbrew cider that was much too acidy and dry for me. The local snooty grocery store used to have a nice snooty selection of beers and such but they got rid of most of it. :-/
 
  • #66
Cyrus,

Obviously you are a connoisseur of beer. So how is it that you can only drink one beer/day? Or is it that one really good beer does the trick? I really envy your good fortune to be able to sample all those good ones.
 
  • #67
dlgoff said:
Cyrus,

Obviously you are a connoisseur of beer. So how is it that you can only drink one beer/day? Or is it that one really good beer does the trick? I really envy your good fortune to be able to sample all those good ones.

I take one beer home. Once I drink it, there are none left to drink.
 
  • #68
I think beer is much preferable to soda, in moderation, of course.

This is one of my favorites - Redhook ESB. Don't know that I would drink it out of an Erlenmeyer flask though.

259zm6p.jpg


Do you have it where you live?
 
  • #69
I prefer http://www.bristolbrewing.com/our_beers.asp?brs_id=5 , but like to try out whatever microbrew a restaraunt carries.

http://blogs.sun.com/rohrer/resource/llab_small.gif

Unless it's hot out. For thirst or hot weather, I'd drink a coke even though it's worse for you than beer (although I kind of prefer just plain old water to either). In fact, if you're talking about what I drink at home, I'm much more likely to drink a coke than a beer. A six pack of beer can last a couple months at my place.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
  • #70
If it's only one a day, and the rest of your diet is healthy, and you're otherwise healthy, I don't think it matters which you have. If you start coming home and thinking, "Man, I need a beer," or it increases from one to more than one a day, then it's time to think about whether a habit is forming...and that's the same if we're talking about soda too. I just spent three days on a bus and sharing cabins in the middle of nowhere with about 25 other faculty, and you have never seen a bigger group of caffeine and sugar addicts...only two in our group opted for diet soda, and one chose a non-caffeinated beverage (he was the smoker, so had a different source of stimulant)...mornings were VERY quiet until everyone got their coffee (we stopped at one B&B for a dinner and breakfast and at dinner they asked how many people would drink decaf in the morning so they had an idea how much to make, and NOBODY raised their hand). We did just fine not having any alcohol during most of the trip (one evening we sat around with beer and wine while chatting, but even though none of us had to drive anywhere, nobody had more than one or two, though were still seeking tea and coffee).
 
  • #71
Samuel Smith's ales, porters and stouts are among my favorite beers, along with Guinness Stout and Chimay Red Trappiste Ale (Blue's OK too).
 
  • #72
Astronuc drinks the manly beers. I drink the kiddie hefewiezens and lagers. :biggrin:
 
  • #73
Cyrus said:
Astronuc drinks the manly beers. I drink the kiddie hefewiezens and lagers. :biggrin:

And apple juice with cute critters on the label.
 
  • #74
Moonbear said:
...mornings were VERY quiet until everyone got their coffee (we stopped at one B&B for a dinner and breakfast and at dinner they asked how many people would drink decaf in the morning so they had an idea how much to make, and NOBODY raised their hand).

Coffee, on the other hand, is a completely different story. My blood pressure registers "might have been dead for a week" low until my first cup of coffee.

dilbert_decaf.gif
 
  • #75
TheStatutoryApe said:
And apple juice with cute critters on the label.

Hey man, those wood chucks are good. Don't knock it, you know you like it too baby.
 
  • #76
BobG said:
Coffee, on the other hand, is a completely different story. My blood pressure registers "might have been dead for a week" low until my first cup of coffee.

dilbert_decaf.gif

Its funny because this goes at the heart of my point. People always talk about beer with the caviat, "don't drink too much", yet they binge on soda and coffee like there's no tomorrow. Sure, you won't get drunk on coffee, but caffine in excess is really not good for you. People are dependent on coffee like alcoholic are to beer. No coffee = head ache.
 
  • #77
Yesterday I had a leinenkugel summer shandy. I thought it was o.k., but not great. I didn't like that strong citris taste to it.

2725518300_34a91bd4cd.jpg


Right now I'm having an polish Okocim, full pale.

IMG_1504.JPG


its not bad.
 
  • #78
OK, guys, most of you know that I'm a microbiologist and a brewer, I became a brewer of necessity (I was originally a dairy scientist) during my celibate sojourn in Saudi Arabia when the only way of acquiring an alcoholic beverage was to create it from first principles. Fortunately, all of the raw materials were easy to acquire and with some minor innovations (related to avoiding being caught and then deported and preventing the incursion of undesirable microbes) reasonable beverages could be produced. I now live in an area where there is excellent access to every type of beer from Belgian to pilsner and weissbier and it has been said that I will quaff any thing without discrimination. In the extremely civilised country where I currently reside I have seen no better example of sophistication that to be offered free beer on completion of a 10 km run. Now that's what I call class. Now, I'm sure when I started this diatribe I had an important point to make but I have no idea what it was. But keep drinking beer. In any of its presentations. Slainte maith!
 
  • #79
  • #80
Todays my beer is from ethiopia. Harar Beer. A very unique taste and unfiltered! A cross between a heffeweizen and lager/pale ale.

2289304934_c82232890b.jpg
 
Last edited:
  • #81
You must have a great store near you that you can buy just one beer at a time, and can choose from such a great variety to try. Especially when trying something entirely unfamiliar, it would be nice to be able to get just one bottle and not buy a whole 6-pack in case it turns out to be nasty.
 
  • #82
Moonbear said:
You must have a great store near you that you can buy just one beer at a time, and can choose from such a great variety to try. Especially when trying something entirely unfamiliar, it would be nice to be able to get just one bottle and not buy a whole 6-pack in case it turns out to be nasty.

Yeah, I own it. :smile: Thats exactly why I hate (and never buy) 6 packs of anything. If I don't sell it, I try to find the singles at another store near me that does have it. (Plus I pay prices far below what customers can get it for). We only sell 6 packs of this one, so I had to buy the single from another store. I didnt want to ruin a 6 pack just to try one. This one cost me $3.15 for the single at the store near my house, so I Know he probably made a good $1.50 profit on it. (I sell over 400 different beers). If you'd like to try one let me know.
 
  • #83
You own a store? I had no idea! You're quite diversified...beer seller, helicopter painter...:biggrin:

You're in charge of the beer at the next PF gathering. :wink:
 
  • #84
Moonbear said:
You own a store? I had no idea! You're quite diversified...beer seller, helicopter painter...:biggrin:

You're in charge of the beer at the next PF gathering. :wink:

Trust me, boxes of beer and wine are heavy. You don't want to stock shelves all day long. It makes me all the happier to do equations afterwards. I don't carry the cases anymore. I just open them and carry the 6 packs two by two instead. A case isn't heavy. Carrying cassings all day long adds up to a sore back by the time the days over.
 
  • #85
Don't go for a soda, because "Too much cola zaps muscle power,"

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/8056028.stm.

Go for a soda, because

"Might as well go for a soda...Nobody hurts and nobody cries
Might as well go for a soda...Nobody drowns and nobody dies,"

.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
  • #86
Cyrus said:
Yesterday I had a leinenkugel summer shandy. I thought it was o.k., but not great. I didn't like that strong citris taste to it.

2725518300_34a91bd4cd.jpg


http://www.leinie.com/red.html is good. Ironically, I first drank that in Italy. Italian beer sucks, but you usually have access to quite a few good foreign beers. We were kind of surprised to find out Leinenkugel's is actually brewed in Wisconsin (in fact, they own the original Blatz brewery ).
 
Last edited by a moderator:
  • #87
Cyrus said:
Yeah, I own it. :smile: ... If you'd like to try one let me know.
Wow. That's outstanding Cyrus. Should we PM you for orders? I want to try them all.
 
  • #88
dlgoff said:
Wow. That's outstanding Cyrus. Should we PM you for orders? I want to try them all.

Sorry, that's illegal. Cant sell out of state.
 
  • #89
I see how you are. Build me up just to let me down. Maybe I'll drive to your place. :)
 
  • #90
Cyrus said:
Yesterday I had this:

http://blogs.eveningsun.com/troublebrewing/samsmit.jpg

That's my personal favorite.

BTW, I drink about 1/3 of a beer every couple of weeks or so.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
  • #91
Everyone has favorites.
Best recent beer... fat tire
Worst ever... carlsberg elephant
Either way one of each will do.
 
  • #92
Todays beer(s) are:

http://blogs.eveningsun.com/troublebrewing/clipper_city_winter_storm.jpg

At first, it tastes like the skullsplitter beer I showed earlier, but I really don't like the taste of this. I'm going to pour it down the sink and try something else. I generally don't like these dark red beers.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
  • #93
They should rename this the "Cyrus's Beer of the Day Thread". :smile:
 
  • #94
Cyrus said:
Sorry, that's illegal. Cant sell out of state.

How about if I just buy the box and you send the beer as a gift with it? :biggrin:

It's legal for me to buy out of state...well, wine and hard liquor anyway...this state gets weird with the beer laws. I can get moonshine more easily than some beers. :rolleyes:
 
  • #95
Moonbear said:
I can get moonshine more easily than some beers. :rolleyes:

Do they only allow Budweiser and Pabst or something?
 
  • #96
TheStatutoryApe said:
Do they only allow Budweiser and Pabst or something?

I think the cutoff is somewhere around 6% alcohol. You can get some decent beers, but some of the darker, stronger ones can't be sold here. If the limitation just applied to grocery store sales, that might make sense to me, but even the stores licensed to sell hard liquor can't sell stronger beer. I don't understand the rationale, if there is any, for that cutoff, since wine and hard liquor are both higher alcohol percentages.
 
  • #97
Moonbear said:
I think the cutoff is somewhere around 6% alcohol. You can get some decent beers, but some of the darker, stronger ones can't be sold here. If the limitation just applied to grocery store sales, that might make sense to me, but even the stores licensed to sell hard liquor can't sell stronger beer. I don't understand the rationale, if there is any, for that cutoff, since wine and hard liquor are both higher alcohol percentages.

What a weird law! I take it that means you can't buy 'beer' like http://gk007a0336.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk/carls.htm. Whatever would the tramps drink?
 
Last edited by a moderator:
  • #98
Last edited by a moderator:
  • #99
Moonbear said:
I guess that's a British-ism?

Hmm, it must be. Ahh well, I'd be quite happy if they outlawed the sale of that stuff. I see tramps on buses at 9ish in the morning drinking that super strength lager.. it's really pretty disgusting!
 
  • #100
cristo said:
Hmm, it must be. Ahh well, I'd be quite happy if they outlawed the sale of that stuff. I see tramps on buses at 9ish in the morning drinking that super strength lager.. it's really pretty disgusting!

No "tramp" around here could afford the super-strength stuff. It usually is far more expensive than regular beers, so not exactly the choice of alcoholics or underage drinkers...they usually go for the cheap Bud and similar beer that can be bought by the case for what a bottle or 6-pack of the stronger beers costs.
 

Similar threads

Ever had a Evo moment like this?
Replies
28
Views
4K
Medical Are You Getting a Second Opinion on Your Dental Health?
Replies
13
Views
6K
How Do You Maintain Your Health Routine Amidst a Busy Lifestyle?
Replies
18
Views
3K
Optimizing Beer Temperature: A Scientific Approach
Replies
10
Views
10K
Get Your Juice On: My Hamilton-Beach Juicer Adventure
Replies
15
Views
3K
Ammonia in breath or sweat after exertion or strenuous exercise
Replies
6
Views
11K
Physics Need to consider my options
Replies
16
Views
1K
PF Fan Fiction: Mathematicians in Love
Replies
2
Views
4K
Happy St. Urho's Day - Celebrate in Purple & Green!
Replies
8
Views
3K
Share your Story about Dad on Father's Day
Replies
2
Views
2K

Hot Threads

Recent Insights

Back
Top