When it comes to producing a beer with a difference, we don’t do things by half. Low calorie? Tick? Vegan? That too. Gluten free? Absolutely. This is the sort of beer even Novak Djokovic could drink.
If that wasn’t enough - and we would never think so - we have also added vitamin B6 and vitamin B12 as well to offer vital extra supplements.
The benefits of various vitamins are not generally well understood. Many people have a vague idea that they are good for you, and that vitamin C can help boost your immune system, although some get carried away and claim it could somehow make you immune to Covid when it can’t even stop you getting a cold.
In many ways, they can be seen as ‘nice to have’ rather than essential elements of diets. However, that approach would be a mistake. Vitamins are not there to make someone in decent heath into a super-fit athlete ready to run a marathon. They actually help meet basic needs and a lack of them can have serious health consequences.
This is certainly true with B vitamins, and vegetarians and vegans can struggle to get enough B12, known as the energy vitamin, as it is mostly found in animal products such as meat and dairy. This is why we put it in our beer.
Vitamin B12 helps your body produce red blood cells, make healthy keratin (the stuff your hair and nails is made of) and keeps your cardiovascular system working well. By contrast, Vitamin B 12 deficiency manifests in the form of anaemia, heart problems, poor memory, muscular numbness and tingling and poor body co-ordination.
Another common mistake is to imagine vitamins can just be listed by single letters - A, B, C, D and so on. But Vitamin B6 has different qualities and benefits from B12, which is why it is important to get plenty of both.
Vitamin B6 shares with B12 a role in red blood cell formation, but also help with the production of antibodies, which as we all now know are crucial in the function of the immune system. It helps with brain development in the womb and in the early years of life, and is involved in over 100 enzyme processes in the body. It also has antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties.
Although rare, vitamin B6 deficiency can have serious consequences ranging from anaemia to low energy, skin rashes to poor immune system function. Severe issues include liver disease and seizures, and possibly even Alzheimer’s disease.
Vitamin B6 is not just available through animal products. You can get it from fruit and vegetables too. Non-citrus vegetables provide it, especially bananas, while starchy vegetables such as potatoes are also a common source. But, let’s face it, beer is the nicest way to consume it.
Indeed, as you enjoy a lovely cool glass of gluten free vegan beer, it can be reassuring to know that you are not just drinking a toast to “good health”, but boosting it by upping your intake of essential vitamins to keep you looking good, feeling good and full of energy.