Sour beer and probiotics

[prohl84]

I've been wondering about sour beers and the probiotic nature of certain microorganisms. What about S. cerevisiae even? From my understanding it will populate your gut- likely you would get some digestive benefits especially if you're diabetic? I know it may cause stomach discomfort/ excessive releasing of air and possibly the poopage often associated - doesn't seem to affect me.

Lactobacillus delbrueckii is responsible for the tart in yogurt and sour beer. So I'm willing to take a gander that its benefits will carry over from a brew.
Unless the alcohol in a sour causes you to purge most of it like so many vitamin benefits associated w/ S. cerevisiae.

Anybody know anything about potential Brett or Pedio benefits?

To your health!

 

[ColoHox]

Many of the microbes used in sour beers and yogurt also play a role in our digestion. Members of the Lactic Acid Bacteria group (Lactobacillus, Pediococcus, etc) are prominent members of the bacterial species that make up our gut microbiome, in addition to hundreds of other genera. Saccharomyces and other yeasts play a role as well, although Brettanomyces are not considered a major influence.

Some people are quite sensitive to the addition of microbes to their gut, hence the stomach discomfort/gassy complaints, but this may be due to a personal (genetic) sensitivity. Your gut microbiome is actually pretty stable, although dysregulation of the proportions and presence of particular genera are implicated in many systemic health issues, such as obesity, IBD, and some neurologic conditions.

To acquire long-term health benefits associated with the probiotics found in sours, you must constantly "dose" yourself, which usually is not a problem, because sour beers are delicious. The constant introduction of these bacterial species will alter your gut bacterial flora, usually for the positive. Although, as you mentioned, the alcohol content limits the viability of some of these organisms, so in reality you are drinking very few viable cells. Once you stop, however, your gut microbe populations usually settle back to a "normal" state for you based on your diet, exposures, and general health.