canklecat

Besides implying that Michelob Ultra has any flavor at all?

While I enjoy a good local IPA or stout with plenty of wallop, I usually prefer ice cold generic stuff to wash down Mexican food, pizza or BBQ. It only needs to be cold and refreshing, like club soda. I usually drink something cheap like Lone Star, Hamm's, Busch or Milwaukee's Best when eating spicy foods. I'll save the better beers for later to savor slowly.

As long as it's not sweet it's okay by me. I've lost my taste for sugary pop and sweet drinks. Occasionally I'll put a little sugar in iced tea if it's not good iced tea. Needs a little something to balance out the bitterness. But if it's good iced tea I'll drink it unsweetened.

OldTryGuy

Freezer cold mug, cold Coor's NA poured into mug and frosted up = wonderful following my 106 miles today.

KraneXL

Actually I was speaking about advertising. In this case, its use of health and fitness as a backdrop for drinking beer. A Gatorade commercials would fit. Even a Red Bull commercial I could see the connection. But beer? Just how far can we stretch this?

McBTC

After a 2 hour ride is when an icy-cold flight of IPA tastes best...

I've done a little research on it... dehydration is the key thing to avoid so it's suggested to keep up the water-intake. Also, up to ~22 ounces of beer right after a ride won't do you any harm but more than the equivalent of a single mixed drink the next day will interfere with your recovery.

Interesting to consider too is protein about 20 minutes after a ride and more specifically, protein that contains the amino acids, leucine, which is thought to be critical in the process of exercise-induced muscle tissue building. It's not that convenient to eat a T-bone steak right after a ride but, you might experiment with having a tin of smoked kippers.

zacster

I've been known to crack open a cold beer after getting off the trainer, maybe more than once.

Hondo Gravel

I hear ya beer is ingrained in the culture down here in Hondo Texas.

KraneXL

The post protein timing is considered not to be as important as had been previously though. The benefit can still be had even many hours later. As to the valine, I believe you're referring to BCAA (valine, leucine, and isoleucine) which are responsible for 1/3 of muscle protein.

Some believe supplementing your diet will help in faster recovery but they are present in any complete protein. BCAA supplementation can be expensive, but if cost is no object they certainly wouldn't hurt.

McBTC

...the exception being, fasted training, such as going for a bike ride for a few hours before breakfast, before any carbohydrates are consumed, since eating ~12 hrs. or more earlier in the previous day, in which case protein is good but certain amino acids are better or... as little as 3g of leucine apparently is sufficient, which is close to what's in about 3 oz. of kippers.

canklecat

One of my cycling friends is co-founder of a local brewery that's doing really well after less than two years.

It's good to see a resurgence in the beer industry in Texas. It was always a natural fit, but encountered a culture clash between the Germans and Czechs who came here in the early to mid 1800s, bringing their long heritage in brewing, and the repressive Methodists and Baptists of English and Scottish heritage who imposed blue laws and dry counties after WWII. I've heard some funny stories from cousins about their mixed-culture parents and grandparents, including the spouse who'd sit alone in the dark in a room praying for the souls of their partners and in-laws who'd dare to enjoy life by playing music, singing and drinking beer out on the porch at night when the devil roamed.

Before WWII the German and Czech culture of beer brewing was strong, including in my own family. My grandmother was of direct German lineage and her side of the family brewed beer, played music, enjoyed good food and life. The other side of the family were from a lineage of miserable Baptist numbskulls who saw nothing but sin and torment and guilt in everything, even though they indulged just as much but in secret.

After WWII, Germans were associated with Nazis and for a few decades lost some political and cultural clout, so many counties went dry. But this only created more problems. Wherever two or more counties butted together, at least one would be wet. The daytime, Wednesday and Sunday teetotalers would flock to the nearest roadhouse to get drunk and cause wrecks on the long drive home. Classic example of how fabricating a "sin" only makes things worse in normal human activities that date back to the earliest discovery of fermentation.

Fortunately the mostly apolitical qualities of the German and Czech heritage persisted in certain enclaves (the Hill Country, the town of West, Texas, and others). My grandmother always enjoyed that part of her heritage, even though she didn't drink beer and rarely drank much of any kind of alcohol. We'd often drive to the Hill Country, stoop in West, drive up to Muenster and surrounding areas.

The thriving microbrewery industry in Texas is a good indication we've reconciled ourselves to an integral part of our diverse culture.

KraneXL

Which also has been debunked as of late -- although not universally accepted. I tried fasted cardio, and despite the logic it does more harm than good. Fasted anaerobic exercise however, is another matter altogether.

McBTC

All of my understandings about these matters flow more from hopefulness than faith in the science as I'm in the impossible situation where muscle mass is expected to decrease whereas I'm in need of reversing the aging process and not just slowing it down. So, having a tin of kippers ~20 minutes after a fasted ride (which is sort of related to intermittent fasting) is more my paying homage to high hopes.

bruce19

I had heard that Pilsner comes from the Pilzen hops found in the Czech Republic. I also heard that when they tried to import Budvar, a Czech Pilsner, into the US, Budweiser threatened to sue over the name. It was then renamed Czechvar and imported. Don't know how much of this is true.

bruce19

FWIW on a hot day I like Stella Artois or similar beers.

McBTC

On the label Stella is calling their brew a lager...

Carbonfiberboy 

It's saaz hops, which I believe are slightly psychedelic and perhaps account for the Czech sense of humor. Or perhaps it's because the Czechs always lose and have learned to laugh about it. Some microbrews in the US are brewed with saaz hops.

The war between Budweiser and Czech beer is true. In the Czech Republic, they advertise Budweiser beer complete with logo quite openly, and it's not the American stuff. The Czechs feel the name is stolen and horribly misappropriated. The name comes from the Czech town of České Budějovice.

KraneXL

As long as you know what you're getting (empty calories), and don't count is as a good thing.

McBTC

empty calories-- calories derived from food containing no nutrients.

Looks like a no lose situation to me...

McBTC

Anything tastes good if you haven't eaten more than a stick of string cheese in >12 hrs. but for anyone interested in what I think may be a good food to break the fast of fasted cycling, you might like to try a tin of Herring--

Essential amino acids are not produced by the body in any significant amount and are considered by many to be crucial components in muscle synthesis.

KraneXL

Good food notwithstanding, I would burn through that in about 30 minutes. I typically reserve fish for when I eat out, and have never gotten full from any fish meal.

I tried many different macro nutrients solutions and combinations over the years and found that only carbs will satiate my hunger after a fast. I could do it with protein but it would take massive amounts (3/4 of a chicken or a 16oz steak) to reach that same level of hunger relief.

If I ate that much steak I'd have to wait 6 hours before bed. Although I could do it with ground beef in half that time.

canklecat

Empty calories, pppbbbttt! It's made from grains, yeast and water. Sounds like health food to me.

Hey, I've given up most carbs, including morning muffins with coffee. I have maybe 3 lbs of excess fat around my waist, the lowest my weight has been since I was in peak condition in my 20s. If I have to give up beer to trim that little bit, it ain't worth the effort. I can't blame my suckiness at hill climbing on 3 lbs of goo, not when I'm being passed by guys who are 20-50 lbs overweight. Some sacrifices just ain't worth it.

Besides, I have a BBQ chicken and beer in the fridge with my name on 'em.

Carbonfiberboy 

That isn't really how it works. It takes carbs to build muscle. (Look it up.) After a ride, the most efficient mix is 2-4 times as many grams carbs as protein. Your body's first need is to replenish glycogen. If you don't eat carbs but protein instead, it'll convert the protein to carbs, with a lot of loss. Glyconeogenesis it's called. And protein has a big window, maybe 4 hours, while the glycogen window is much shorter. I think ideally you want to eat carbs while you're still breathing hard.

McBTC

True, true but my initial carb intake is an IPA which is delayed a bit in getting to the craft brewery.

KraneXL

None of which is providing your body any nutritional benefit. Just because its organic does not mean its good for you.Well you're on the right track. But there's still hidden carbs everywhere. Like in the BBQ sauce you're so fond of for example. Its not that carb are bad (there's a lot of nutrients in unrefined carbs) its just that its so easy to get too much of them. And technically they are not nutritionally necessary to survive.
Bon appétit.

canklecat

What is this "BBQ sauce" of which you speak? This is Texas, not those heathen places that pour syrup on their meat.

McBTC

Good fasted food...