A Beer a Day..

A Beer a Day ...
Everybody hears about the horrors of drinking. As a society we are told we're out of control when it comes to imbibing. The South Side Irish Parade is a prime example of what happens when good drinking goes bad in Chicago.

Illinoisans who live near the border purportedly drive drunk to get home from Indiana and Wisconsin bars at which they can smoke.

Generally plumper than the rest of the population, drinkers tend to overeat and don't even know it. These excesses enable heart and liver disease, diabetes and addiction. Plus it has an abject effect on the senses.

An alcohol culture creates mixed messages for our youth and is a killer.

With all of this negativity we hardly ever hear the good things about beer.

***Warning: The author is not a doctor, and the following has not been approved by any scholarly body, medical society or board of ethics and decency.***

For millennia civilizations have recognized beer's health benefits. A couple of glasses a day seems to stave off stroke, heart and vascular disease. Moderate consumption is a calmative that lowers stress and improves sleep.

Beer contains nutrients from barley and other grains; stouts have been called "a meal in a glass" for centuries. Beer is fat-free and has zero cholesterol.

People have known innately that boiling water kills bacteria; Pasteur proved it. Beer is forged over fire and tempered by temperature, and thus purged of many potential poisons.

India pale ale was so named because it was transported by boat from England to the colonial subcontinent. Highly hopped, it's naturally antiseptic.

Beer drinking has also created a social context of a good time, cementing communities and fomenting group sentiment. The "Beer Barrel Polka" or most any Pogues tune gets the crowd in the mood and helps the good times roll.

Get It

Growlers and six-packs of locally brewed beer are available within a few miles of wherever you are in the Chicago area. Ask your brewpub bartender or liquor store manager for the best and freshest.

Entertain With It

Warm up your stethoscope and invite a couple of couples over to have a couple and to check your heart rates. Feel the stress float from your body. Relax.

Beer Notes

They can bust you for drunk driving only if you drive drunk. So don't drink to excess and definitely don't drive if you do. Bring a designated driver. Or better yet, take a train, bus or a cab.