Beer very high in protein ?

[walther]

Hi,

Silly question,...

As an alternative to protein shake, could you brew a beer with a very high protein content ?

It does not have to be a pure all grain, an excessive amount of an additive would be fine.

Do not care much for protein shakes or boiled eggs !

Cheers,
Walther

 

[iclimbandski]

Very good question. I wish someone more knowledgeable myself would answer it! I'm a rock climber, and I frequently drink beer after climbing. It would be great if I could brew a high protein beer that doubled as a recovery beverage. Ideally I target a 4:1 ratio of carbs to protein.

 

[GuldTuborg]

Higher protein grains are generally not thought of as good for brewing. Wheat and spelt are have the highest levels of protein of any common brewing grains, I believe. It's still not going to give you a high level of protein in the finished product, though. If you work out, I'd look for a better source. There are tons of great sources of protein. Beer ain't one of them, sadly. It does rehydrate better than water, according to one study. We have that going for us.

 

[pjj2ba]

Maybe. The problem with adding more protein is that most proteins don't make it through the brewing process, hence all of the hot and cold break we see when brewing. Therefore you can't simply add your favorite dietary protein supplement to a beer - unless you want to "dry supplement" with it.

I have some high temp milk powder that I use for sausage making that might work (it also has lactose) as it has already been subjected to high heat, although casein, the major milk protein, is not terribly soluble in water/beer. I'm not sure of an off the shelf protein that would work. It might be possible to dissolve some protein supplement in water and then add some meat tenderizer to it which will break the proteins down into smaller peptides, which might survive boiling and chilling.

 

[Andrikos]

Eat jerky while drinking beer, problem solved!

 

[abrix]

Many traditional (i.e. indigenous) beers have higher protein contents because they are consumed before fermentation is complete, so there is still lots of yeast in suspension. As an added bonus, the alcohol content is lower, so you can drink more of it, and you get more residual carbohydrates to keep it well-rounded.

 

[schmidty65]

Resurrecting this post because I just saw this:
http://www.popsugar.com/fitness/High-Protein-Low-Carb-Barbell-Brew-Beer-40413552
High-protein, low-carb beer. Comes in at a 3.6 ABV; sounds like a nice session workout recovery drink.
...but it's in the UK.
OK all you brew masters out there. Figure this one out!

 

[myelo]

Looks like it's a wheat beer to which they add amino acids.

 

[pangaeamaposa]

How about using meat or vegetable broth as the mash water? Would the protein in the broth be maintained throughout the brewing process?

 

[GuldTuborg]

How about using meat or vegetable broth as the mash water? Would the protein in the broth be maintained throughout the brewing process?

Sounds delicious. Excuse me while I puke in the corner.

 

[John Kimble]

Resurrecting this...
I often use collagen peptides or grass finished bone broth powder in recipies (cookies, waffles, tea, coffee) to add a significant amount of protein. They don't change liquid consistency much and don't add any flavor. I know people add gelatin for clarity...maybe adding collagen peptides could be a double use here for clarity and adding protein...
Thoughts?

 

[avalon]

Brewers yeast actually contains high protein, B vitamins and NAD+.

 

[bigDbrew]

Old thread, but I've been trying to research brewing a high protein beer. There's so many benefits in adding protein in your diet, and if I'm drinking beer anyway......

BMCs roughly only 0.7 grams, a blue moon at 1.9 grams.
Solution appears to be a beer with high wheat or spalt content. I would consider that a yeast with low flocculation and unfiltered by a big brewery might make a big difference. I can't find what an unfiltered wheat beer might be for protein content??

Supposedly one of the reasons you can't live on an all beer and water diet is protein. I wonder if it's possible by choosing the right style!

 

[Lefou]

With wheat and spelt you'll get higher protein content, but not in the range you're looking for.
A good wheat beer will use grains near 10-15% protein content but the stability and shelf life will suffer without long-term refrigeration. Furthermore, mashing a high protein grain like wheat or spelt will loose a bunch of gliadin and gluten which can make a painfully insoluble mash without using a protein rest, enzymes and a serious filter bed of rice hulls.
I don't want to deter you but it's something I'm too lazy to try.

 

[Qhrumphf]

I doubt you'll find a beer substitute for a whey (or whatever else) protein shake.

My personal routine (or at least was pre- and will be post-COVID lockdown) is protein and/or gainer shake immediately post workout, and then beer. As I'm not looking for beach body but lift gains (powerlifter, not bodybuilder), I'm not too worried about the beer carbs. Though I generally avoid alcohol pre-lifting.

 

[bigDbrew]

Thx for feedback. I see your points. From what you're saying, I'm gathering there's no way to get all of the protein your body needs from beer naturally. I think I could potentially get 2+ grams of protein per beer, about as much as you can get from some fruits, but in comparison to 62g from a steak or protein shake it shouldn't be my only source.
Sucks when I get a stuck mash so I agree with limiting amount of wheat.
Protein powder milk stout anyone? Doesn't sound too appealing (but you never know!)

 

[Qhrumphf]

Protein powder beer has probably been done by someone.

Protein needs are highly variable. Baseline survival you don't need a whole lot. But as far as a "healthy balanced diet" those old nutrition guidelines the macros aren't balanced right for active people (which is simultaneously recommended).

There's the anectodal "monks survive on beer for Lent" thing. And someone else did it too. For a short period you possibly could subsist solely on beer. I wouldn't recommend it long term.