Cheers!

I was in a spin class the other day and was mentioning to a fellow spinner that it was ironic that the time a crave a "cold one" the most is right after a really hard cardio workout.  I sometimes have been known to drink one right after, usually while I'm showering.  You see my shower has a little cut out that is just the right size to fit a beer bottle without it getting any water in it.  Now the thing is when I'm training for an "A" race or during my tri season I usually don't drink, much any way.  Hence, the dilema.  He mentioned that a German company was coming out with a non-alcoholic beer as a recovery drink.  Of course I had to immediately go Google it.

So here it is:

German Non-Alcoholic Beer Promoted As Sports Drink

Brian Kropf / Tue, Feb 22

Germany’s Andrea Henkel enjoys an Erdinger Alkoholfrei after finishing second in the World Cup biathlon women’s 12.5 km mass start last week. (Don Emmert/AFP/Getty Images)

A German non-alcoholic beer has been creating some buzz recently (or lack thereof..) with their claims that the alcohol-free version of their beer is a great post-workout recovery drink and a good alternative to sports drinks such as Gatorade. Erdinger of Erding, Germany says their Alkoholfrei beer is great for athletes as it’s an isotonic beverage, replenishing much needed vitamins and salts lost when an athlete sweats. Beer is also primarily water and very rich in carbohydrates and one doesn’t need to worry about the jitters of an energy drink and excessive caffeine or the buzz of real beer, both of which can lead to further dehydration.
How are athletes reacting? Surprisingly well as it is actually showing up on podiums around the world, proudly touted in huge glasses, and as far away from Germany as the World Cup Biathlon held this month in northern Maine.

What do you think?