I think that with all the doom and gloom in the world of finance, we should change the conversation to something that’s more fun to talk about — beer. It’s been around since the 6th millennium BC, it’s the world’s oldest and most popular alcoholic beverage and in 2007 it outsold wine in North America by a rate of seven to one. Hail to the conquering refreshment — ice-cold beer.

Drink to your health

Not only has it been the life of the party for centuries, it has a whole list of health benefits to its credit. Whether you prefer ales, lagers, stout, bitter or wheat beers, studies show that one drink a day for women or up to two drinks a day for men will reduce your chances of a stroke, heart or vascular disease. It has also been attributed with the ability to increase the amount of “good” cholesterol in the bloodstream to help decrease blood clots.

For most people this may seem counterintuitive, but beer’s bad reputation comes from typical activities associated with drinking beer, and not the beverage itself. For example, when was the last time you paired deep-fried chicken wings and fries with a glass of wine?

Which beer is right for you?

There are many styles of beer for you to choose from, differentiated and categorized by factors such as colour, flavour, strength, ingredients, production method, recipe, history or origin. The two main types of beer are lagers and ales.

Lager is distinguished by its yeast which ferments at colder temperatures than ales and settles on the bottom of the fermenting vessel. The flavour of lagers is usually mild and the producers often recommend that the beers be served refrigerated. However, the examples of lager beers produced worldwide vary greatly in flavour, colour and composition.

Ale, by contrast, is made from yeast that ferments at warmer temperatures, settling at the top of fermentation tanks. This yeast ferments the beer quickly, giving it a sweet, full-bodied and fruity taste. Most ales contain hops, which impart a bitter herbal flavour that helps to balance the sweetness of the malt and preserve the beer.