Best Lager?

[jenks111]

I have been drinking Holsten Pils lager as it has no sugar or virtually none, my wife read a report that Holsten Pils shouldn't be drunk, what do people drink and is there a reason why Holsten Pils should be avoided?

 

[urbanracer]

The 'no sugar' idea is a bit misleading as far as beer is concerned. Beer has a lot of carbohydrates (from the grains) and these carb's can be turned into glucose by your body.
When you drink alcohol, the body prioritises processing of the alcohol and blood glucose levels often fall initially and rise later when you start absorbing the carb's.
You would need to test your blood glucose levels before and after drinking to see what effect it has on you.
In general, we view wine and spirits as being friendlier to diabetics than beer is.
In beer manufacturing, "Ultra" has become shorthand for lower carb' beer so maybe look for any beers with this in the name, Examples would be Michelob Ultra, Miller Ultra, Kingfisher Ultra, Steinlager Ultra etc.

 

[Tattyjacket]

Thanks Urbanracer. Would you know how safe it is to drink cider?
Sad to hear about your chocolate digestive problem. Tell me? Have you discovered Stevia sweetened chocolate?
There are a few different brands on Amazon

 

[jenks111]

Thank you urbanracer, I have for scientific purposes tested many types of lagers and Holsten Pils is by far the best lager as it does not affect my levels to the extent of other lagers, so not sure why the grains and carbohydrates is a factor as all lager/beers would have to use grains? I also know if you drink non alcoholic beers your sugar levels will go off the chart? I have tried some of the Ultra beers and they tend to lack taste and the ABV is only just above the ABV of water....

 

[urbanracer]

Thanks Urbanracer. Would you know how safe it is to drink cider?
Sad to hear about your chocolate digestive problem. Tell me? Have you discovered Stevia sweetened chocolate?
There are a few different brands on Amazon

I'd put cider as broadly in the same category as any beer when it comes to carb' content.

Sadly I am not much liking the after taste of Stevia when I've tried it tea/coffee etc so I have not tried it in any other forms. I've never looked for Stevia sweetened chocolate - what brands use Stevia?

 

[Ushthetaff]

when I was first diagnosed (1980) Holstein pils was recommended by the British diabetic association ! So much so that there were adverts for it in the Balance magazine! For the reason “ all the sugar turn to alcohol “ I think was the catchphrase at the time! However it was found that diabetics drinking holsten pils were having increased episodes of low bs, , I was one of these people only Drank pils , the problem was in those days it was all about sugar content not alcohol which as we now know alcohol tends to drop a quickly hours after drinking,
as a result of much experimentation I now dont take any insulin if I am going to drink a lot of alcohol ( not something I do a lot now ) im not too bothered if my bs levels spikes for a short time as I find the quickly dropping blood sugar levels later when I’ve gone to bed more of a pain in the bum, not saying my method suIts everyone but it has served me well

 

[urbanracer]

Thank you urbanracer, I have for scientific purposes tested many types of lagers and Holsten Pils is by far the best lager as it does not affect my levels to the extent of other lagers, so not sure why the grains and carbohydrates is a factor as all lager/beers would have to use grains? I also know if you drink non alcoholic beers your sugar levels will go off the chart? I have tried some of the Ultra beers and they tend to lack taste and the ABV is only just above the ABV of water....

Non alcoholic beers !

From what I've seen on the internet they can have up to 5g sugar per 100ml ( a teaspoonful is about 4g ). So that could explain why your glucose readings might go skyward after drinking it. Depends on the brand of course, some are very low at 0.5g per 100ml.

I am not a big beer drinker and prefer my single malts so I'm not an expert on beer processing but I found THIS ON-LINE which is quite interesting and goes some way to explaining why not all beers are the same.

Regards
Urb'

 

[Paul_]

so not sure why the grains and carbohydrates is a factor as all lager/beers would have to use grains? I also know if you drink non alcoholic beers your sugar levels will go off the chart?

Carbs aren't the only variable at play here. When drinking alcohol, the liver stops producing glucose and processes alcohol instead. This can cause a drop in blood glucose levels, especially if drinking for extended periods, or large quantities in short periods. Alcohol can also interact with some medications, multiplying this effect too.

How Does Alcohol Affect Blood Sugars and Cause Hypoglycemia?

Consuming alcohol can lead to hypoglycemia, especially for people with diabetes. This can happen several hours after you've finished drinking. It can also cause low blood sugar when combined with some medications.

www.healthline.com

As to why different brands cause different reactions, part of the answer is carb content, however the other part is alcohol volume. Different beer brands can have wildly different alcohol volumes, so the more alcohol, the more time your liver spends processing it.

Just for completeness, I'm not advocating for alcohol being a solution to blood glucose control. There's always a debt to pay somewhere with these things, so moderation is naturally the key.

 

[KennyA]

I have been drinking Holsten Pils lager as it has no sugar or virtually none, my wife read a report that Holsten Pils shouldn't be drunk, what do people drink and is there a reason why Holsten Pils should be avoided?

No reason in particular. It's a beer like any other, but it does seem to have slightly less carb content. There are a couple of cans in my larder. I don't really drink a lot of normal beer these days - when I do I tend to have one bottle of high alcohol Belgian, but that's a rarity.

I've found (in terms of low-carb beers) three in particular. One is Marston's Resolution: hard to find, and I usually have to order in bulk from Marston's. It's not the best beer ever but it does, and it comes in at about 3g a bottle. I've seen it occasionally at excellent prices in places like Home Bargains.

The others (a lager and an IPA) were produced by an Italian brewer and imported - available only online. However the website went dark a few months ago and it looks like that is that. Both were excellent and zero carb, don't ask me how.

There are others, as mentioned above, but they seem to achieve low-carb by watering down already weak beer. I'd rather do without. I've never seen a low-carb cider.

One word of warning: I've had one nasty experience having had a couple of drinks while my BG was already low and I was toward the end of a 20hr fast - BG went really low and so did I. In future I'm ensuring I have enough to eat if I'm drinking.