I recently answered a question in my Mr. Wizard column related to beer and health.  In my answer I acknowledged that I am not a health expert and that I based my answer on information from talks given at technical meetings over the last decade by medical professionals and brewing scientists.  This question was playing in the back of mind yesterday when I was enjoying a bold cup of coffee at a local café.

I like coffee in the morning and frequently catch up on e-mails while having my Saturday morning Java.  As I tapped at my keyboard and sipped on my hot beverage I began observing many of the regulars filter in an out of the café.  Many came in for the daily dose of drip coffee of espresso, but the majority seemed to be purchasing “coffee drinks” that are made by adding various syrups and creams to the base coffee.  Some of these concoctions look more like desserts than beverages, with their large whipped cream heads.  Not surprisingly, the caloric content of these beverages is quite high.  As it turned out many of the consumers of these decadent treats shared a common body type; above average size.

Flashing back to other visits to this café I recalled how many plus-sized high school students frequently buy these calorie rich beverages on their way to school.  And then it struck me.  The stereotypical beer drinker is supposed to have a large beer gut.  However, when I began recalling the appearance of the regular beer drinkers at Springfield Brewing Company I was surprised how few of our regulars have what I would describe as a beer gut.  In fact, most of our regulars are pretty fit and many of them frequently run, bike and play competitive sports … okay, some of the rugby players are larger than average, but most of those large guys also have some body strength to go along with their size.

I know that there is no statistical validity to my Saturday morning observations and random thoughts.  But the next time you consider this topic, go to your local watering hole and do a bit of recon of your own.  I bet that you will find that most regular beer drinkers do not have beer guts.  My theory is that a true beer gut (whatever that really is) requires more than a couple of beers per day to fully develop.

My biased advice is to enjoy the nice seasonal beers that are offered during this time of year.  And if you want to limit weight gain during the holidays you may want to consider moderating your intake of rich desserts, heaping plates of food and too many of those decadent coffee drinks!