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Many Göller fans ask me if there are health benefits to drinking this tasty beer, so I thought it is time to talk about it. My assumption is that Göller fans feel guilty over so much pleasure drinking it that they hope I can help sooth their conscience. Unfortunately the answer cannot be as straightforward as I would like because, 1) it's alcohol, and 2) the TTB is watching.
What I can say is that from the evidence across many studies, it seems that a moderate daily intake of any alcoholic drink (including Göller beer) is healthier for some people than having too little or too much of it.
To be clear, moderate consumption of beer is commonly defined as 2 glasses per day for men and one for women. Nearly every study relating to alcohol points to benefits within this moderate range. I also want to be very clear that not all alcohol is created equal. The health benefits of alcohol in general are easy to look up: cardiovascular and heart improvement, stress relief, mental clarity, etc. However, although this should be obvious, I need to point out that many drinks have serious negative effects resulting from the low quality ingredients and methods used. For example, cheap wine has excessive sulfite levels, and cheap beer uses ingredients like corn and barley sprayed with chemicals, as well as adjuncts that may add other bad effects to the beer. Brewing methods play a huge role in health. A study from Amsterdam University shows increased probiotic benefits in beer that goes through a secondary fermentation. Beneficial yeasts multiply with aged beer, and drive out bad bacteria and yeast in your gut, leading to a healthy gut. Lately there has been a lot of discovery in the medical field of the importance of healthy gut cultures. As you may already know, all Göller beers go through a secondary fermentation. The maturation period is 6-8 weeks for most of beers, 10 weeks for the Kellerbier, and 13 weeks for Bock beer. This long secondary fermentation cleans up the dangerous yeasts and provides robust probiotics for your gut. Göller beer also contains a plethora of healthy nutrients such as protein, niacin, riboflavin, magnesium, silicon and phosphorus, all of which are essential for your body. You also need calories and carbohydrates, which these traditional recipes provide ample amounts of. And the well attenuated (fermented) beer has little to no sugars left, so less chance to give you diabetes. Even your bones benefit from quality beer. The locally selected barley used by Brauerei Göller contains plenty of silicon, which gives strength to your bones and teeth.
We haven't even talked about hops yet! It has been shown in several studies that hops have the ability to prevent inflammation in the body. It's a well known fact that hops are added to beer not only for flavor and aroma, but also to preserve it. Hops have anti-bacterial acids that keep beer from spoiling, which also helps to disinfect your body. Hops were used by the ancients for their medicinal properties.
Here again, not all hops are safe for your body. Mass production methods and processing destroy many of the benefits. Göller Brewery's small-scale production, along with their traditional methods, such as the strict adherence to Reinheitsgebot standards, means a more natural beer.
Göller Brewery gets another point because of their careful selection of fresh hops from the Hallertau region in Bavaria. These Noble hops are considered the best quality in the world, and all natural. They don't use hop extractions, for example, which are super processed. I must also mention the last, but not the least, reason that Göller beer offers health benefits: the experience. The beer brings a joy to life by experiencing it, and joy is the number one cause of good health for the human body. Seeing the classy swing-top bottles, hearing the ancient story of the brewery, watching the tall head when its poured into a glass, sniffing the Noble Hop aromas, and enjoying the malty taste of authentic craft German beer -- that is joy! It makes me want to sing out Beethoven's 9th Symphony "Freude!" every time. A glass (or two) like this everyday definitely has the potential to improve your health.