It’s long been joked that a lovely cold beer is the perfect recovery drink – but German brewery Erdinger have taken that dream and made it a reality with their isotonic beer.
Now available in the UK, the Bavarian brewed drink contains salts to help restore the body’s electrolyte levels after a workout, as well as all the B group vitamins and magnesium. And there’s only 125 calories in each 500ml serving.
How to Stay Hydrated on the Bike
An isotonic drink is one that contains similar sugar levels to the human body – that’s 4g to 8g per 100ml. This similar ‘osmotic pressure’ to the bodily fluids means the hydration is more quickly taken into the body and turned into fuel – and this beer contains just the right balance.
Before you get too excited, we do have to add that this is ‘Alkoholfrei’ – containing 0.5% alcohol by volume. That’s too much to make it ‘alcohol free’ by UK laws, but you’d certainly need to get very well hydrated to notice an effect.
The beer is made using water from the 1886 brewery’s deep springs, and 500ml contains 26 per cent of your daily vitamin B requirement. You’ll also find 26.5gramms of carbohydrate – essential for re-stocking the glycogen stores, and 6.5mg of the salts you need to ward of cramps.
The brand also sponsors Great Britain’s pro triathlete, Lucy Gossage – having perhaps partially hydrated her to multiple Ironman wins over the years.
But how does it actually taste? Though we’re not food critics, we’d be happy to sum it up in a few lines: distinctly like a normal lager, but better. Refreshingly light, with a zing of lemon dancing somewhere on the taste buds, slides-down-the-throat drinkability that would certainly have us reaching for one after a long, hot mid-summer ride.
Interested to try one? Find out more here.
