Beer and Water

Water is essential for life on Earth. Water is also essential for making beer.

Hydration -- especially in the summer months when we perspire more -- is vital for survival. Clean water has helped life thrive by reducing illness and disease. Processing the product has enhanced sanitation, a boon for all.

Water is by far the most prevalent ingredient in beer, 90% by some calculations. Not only is a vast percentage of the final product water, some estimates figure it takes as much as 26 gallons of water to produce one bottle of beer (including growing the barley, malting and fermentation) on top of the volume of water in the beer itself. This doesn't even include the copious quantities required for cleaning and sanitation. Smaller breweries are less efficient, water-wise, as larger facilities take advantage of economies of scale and methods of cooling that are not water-based.

Further, unique qualities of water -- such as salt and minerals -- make some sites super for certain beer styles. Prime examples are Munich (Germany) and dark, mellow lagers, Dublin (Ireland) and Guinness Stout, and Burton-on-Trent (England) and hoppy, pale ales.

When exercising, fluids can make all the difference. Although water is necessary for tissues and synapses, some studies show that beer may be better for you than water after exercise, nutritive qualities adding an extra benefit when managed in moderate amounts. In this manner, the Hash House Harriers have always known; a drinking club with a running problem, they get it: beer and exercise go together.

Beer and water are a necessary and natural pairing. Drink some of each today.