Electrolyte Beer for Runners

I just read an article from Gizmodo about some scientists who tried to create a beer that rehydrates rather than dehydrates. They simply added electrolytes.

As a distance runner and homebrewer, I think this would be an awesome thing to try. You can get all sorts of flavorless electrolyte powders, but I don't know if they will have an effect on the brewing process such as PH change, conversion problems, or inhibiting fermentation. Here's a link to a product (Endurolytes) that I have at home. Do you think this sort of thing would cause problems? Changes to my process? Any other thoughts?

Thanks in advance for the help.

What *are* these electrolytes? Do you even know?

You can see in the link that the description of Enduralytes lists a series of things like sodium, calcium, manganese, magnesium, et al.

I found the ingredients on this website.
Sodium Chloride - 100 mg.
Calcium (Chelate) - 50 mg.
Magnesium (Chelate) - 25 mg.
Potassium (Chelate) - 25 mg.
Vitamin B-6 (Pyrodoxine HCL) - 6.7mg.
Manganese (Chelate) - 1.6 mg.
L-Tyrosine - 17 mg.
Glycine - 50 mg

I want to brew with Pedialyte, maybe would be similar? I posted a thread about this minutes before the OP did. I bet we were typing at the same time. SCIENCE!

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f12/holy-grail-session-beers-thank-you-science-427613/

Why not just drink whatever sports recovery drink you like after exercise and then drink a good beer you brewed instead of focusing on this "electrolyte beer" nonsense.

Beer would be a perfect recovery drink if it didn't have negative effects on electrolytes in the body. Give it some electrolytes and you have a much better tasting sports drink.

Plus, homebrewing is supposed to be about experimentation and trying your own thing. Why bash something I'm interested in?

(Edit: Electrolytes help with hangovers, too. HowstuffWorks has an article about it)

I agree. I think it is all about experimentation. It is a "why not?" situation in my book. I know after a good long run I enjoy a beer. Why not get the best of both worlds?

Alcohol is always gonna dehydrate you there is no way around that other drinking water. Adding electrolytes is all well and good but it's never going to hydrate you. It's like putting reduced fat cheese on a Big Mac. You can do it but what are you solving?

Of course alcohol will dehydrate, but extra electrolytes will help the body recover. Maybe you don't take it as a running supplement, but a hangover supplement.

So far, lots of posts, but no help. Anyone with something positive to say?

I don't see why you couldn't add them post fermentation so as to avoid any issues with mash PH, conversion, or the fermentation itself.

This sounds like a really cool idea that may work. I'm wondering how you would figure out how much should be added to see the effects.

A hangover supplement? I've already done the field research on that one. It turns out drinking beer for a hangover works incredibly well....bc your just drunk again. You don't need fancy electrolytes to change your hangover cure there.

i can see this getting all of us exercising again. brilliant.

Any brewing chemists out there who know what this kind of ion additions will do to fermentation or flavor whether in bottle or in primary?

I think the only good way to find out is to give it a shot. Seems the researchers set up a good test, either wait for the results or give it a go. With the low amounts of e-lytes as additions, I don't see them adding much to the flavor.

I think this is a very interesting idea. I do agree that it should be added after fermentation.

Also, I just watched Idiocracy, and all I could think of while reading this was "it's got electrolytes!"
http://youtu.be/g5Q-yNNu-tM

I'd be interested to know more about what makes the beer dehydrating. Is it that the electrolytes in the body have higher solubility in the ethanol than the water and so move out of the cells? Or is it that the osmotic pressure of the ethanol is higher than the electrolytes in the cells and so water leaves the cells?

I think a more specific understanding of what's going on and how salts are taken up in cells will help. For example, the first salt in your electrolyte powder is sodium chloride. I'm not a biologist, but I do know that sodium is a common ion outside of cells (I think it's potassium that's usually inside). Therefore, it seems to me like sodium should work to dehydrate rather than hydrate, kind of like drinking seawater.

If anyone has a better idea of how this all works, I'd definitely be interested in hearing it.

Apparently non-alcoholic beer is an extremely effective recovery drink, with or without additional electrolytes.

http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/08/24/nonalcoholic-beer-aids-marathon-recovery/?_r=0

Interesting ... I just read an article that talked about removing or lowering the alcohol but still preserving the flavor by bringing the temperature post fermentation to approx 180F - past the point alcohol will evaporate. My dad can't have much alcohol because of the medication he is on so I was looking at how I could create a special batch for him. Anyhow, wonder if reducing or eliminating the alcohol and adding the electrolytes would give you what your looking for with the flavor of beer ... It's obviously not something you'd get drunk off though.

JonM said:

Apparently non-alcoholic beer is an extremely effective recovery drink, with or without additional electrolytes.

Click to expand...

As is the alcoholic stuff.

Is Beer Really Better Than Water For Hydration?

This should clear up everything.

Alcohol is a diuretic which tells your kidneys to flush salt from your body in an attempt to restore balance. Adding electrolytes simply replaces the salt needed to restore that balance (osmosis essentially). However excess salt also acts as a diuretic if it reaches a certain level or is processed by the kidneys (think blood pressure meds).

Here is a link to some info in another thread:
https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f12/holy-grail-session-beers-thank-you-science-427613/

A buddy of mine is a really good club soccer player and swears a few pints before the game helps. I don't see how.

m3n00b said:

A buddy of mine is a really good club soccer player and swears a few pints before the game helps. I don't see how.

Click to expand...

Beer=carbs=metabolic conversion=ATP=more quick energy for use