Forget Gatorade. German Olympians prefer (nonalcoholic) beer
It’s got fluids, some electrolytes, and the all-important carbs.
In Germany, beer isn’t just a good drink for watching sports, it’s good for playing them — the nonalcoholic kind, at least.
Germans are all about their beer. They drink more of it per capita than any other nation, and Germany’s Olympians are no exception. The brewery Krombacher has supplied 3,500 liters, equal to about 1,000 gallons, of nonalcoholic beer to the athletes’ village in PyeongChang, according to the New York Times.
(Don’t worry, they sent 11,000 liters of alcoholic beer, too.)
In the United States, nonalcoholic beer is generally marketed as a product for those trying to curb their alcohol intake. That is not the case in Germany, where nonalcoholic beer is seen as a desirable beverage in its own right, and one that can be consumed at any time. It’s even found in the vending machines at Germany’s largest chain of gyms. Germans drink more nonalcoholic beer than any other nation except Iran, according to the Times.
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Beer has several properties that make it a good alternative sports drink to sugary ones such as Gatorade. You may not have known that because, obviously, most beer contains alcohol, and alcohol inhibits muscle recovery.
Take out the alcohol, however, and you’re in business. It’s not clear how large a contributing factor their drinking habits are in this, but Germany is second in the overall medal count at these Olympics with 23 medals, and is tied with Norway for first in the gold-medal count with 11.
And you know they can cheers to that.
