# 12 Most Common Beer Myths Exploded **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** beer\ **Created:** [December 20, 2008, 5:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/12-most-common-beer-myths-exploded/478083 "2008-12-20T17:00:12Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2008, 5:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/12-most-common-beer-myths-exploded/478083/1 "2008-12-20T17:00:12Z")
See them [here](http://legendsofbeer.wordpress.com/2008/12/16/12-most-common-beer-myths-exploded/). #12 is the one I am most delighted about. Apparently drinking beer does NOT kill brain cells. YEE HAH! “Myth #3: Dark beers are stronger in alcohol.” I already knew they weren’t. At one local microbrewery here, the weakest beer is the dark. I never bother with it. ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2008, 5:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/12-most-common-beer-myths-exploded/478083/2 "2008-12-20T17:03:59Z")
Myth #14 - Ben Franklin never said that about beer. He said it about _wine_. Myth #4 is only partially a myth. Corona doesn’t _contain_ urine, it only _tastes_ like urine. ---
**Author:** ![WarmNPrickly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/d78d45/32.png) [@WarmNPrickly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WarmNPrickly)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2008, 5:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/12-most-common-beer-myths-exploded/478083/3 "2008-12-20T17:11:29Z")
Myth #15 - Allowing a cold unopened beer to warm to room room temperature then cooling it down again does no damage to the flavor of the beer. At least it does no more damage than if the beer had been kept at room temperature all along. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2008, 5:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/12-most-common-beer-myths-exploded/478083/4 "2008-12-20T17:34:06Z")
There’s a big beer convention and three beer distributers decide to have lunch together. They get to the restaurant and the waitress asks them what they’d like to drink. The Budweisier distributer says, “I’ll have a Budweiser, America’s favorite.” The Coors distributer says, “I’d like the Rocky Mountain taste of a Coors.” The Guinness distributer says, “I’ll have an iced tea.” The other two look at him in shock, “You’re not going to have a beer?” The Guinness guy answered, “Well, I figured if you two weren’t drinking beer…” ---
**Author:** ![Suburban\_Plankton](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/suburban_plankton/32/219_2.png) [@Suburban\_Plankton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Suburban_Plankton)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2008, 7:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/12-most-common-beer-myths-exploded/478083/5 "2008-12-20T19:04:36Z")
My understanding regarding #1 is simply that Guinness in Ireland is more likely to be served ‘fresh’, rather than having been shipped halfway across the world. That, and the fact that it would be more likely to be served from a keg rather than out of a bottle (which \*does \*make a difference in taste). Of course, the same can be said for just about \*\*\*any \*\*\*beer. ---
**Author:** ![JThunder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e95f7d/32.png) [@JThunder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JThunder)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2008, 7:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/12-most-common-beer-myths-exploded/478083/6 "2008-12-20T19:13:23Z")
> [@Siam\_Sam](#): > > #12 is the one I am most delighted about. Apparently drinking beer does NOT kill brain cells. YEE HAH! I’d like to see the specifics of the study that they cited before jumping to conclusions. Articles like this frequently oversimplify scientific details, and I doubt that the results of this study are as simplistic as saying “Beer doesn’t kill brain cells.” ---
**Author:** ![Tuckerfan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/eada6e/32.png) [@Tuckerfan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tuckerfan)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2008, 7:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/12-most-common-beer-myths-exploded/478083/7 "2008-12-20T19:17:56Z")
Myth 16: Zima was, in fact, not beer. It was filtered zebra urine. ---
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2008, 7:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/12-most-common-beer-myths-exploded/478083/8 "2008-12-20T19:28:59Z")
> [@JThunder](#): > > I’d like to see the specifics of the study that they cited before jumping to conclusions. Articles like this frequently oversimplify scientific details, and I doubt that the results of this study are as simplistic as saying “Beer doesn’t kill brain cells.” No! No! I am _certain_ it does not kill brain cells. It’s something I’ve always felt in the fabric of my very being. ---
**Author:** ![Toxylon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/f05b48/32.png) [@Toxylon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Toxylon)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2008, 8:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/12-most-common-beer-myths-exploded/478083/9 "2008-12-20T20:03:27Z")
Given that I’ve passed out numerous times after drinking nothing but medium-strong beer, I’d say #12 is bullshit. It’s the amount of alcohol in your body that matters, and you can intake massive amounts of alcohol and do some serious damage with 4% beer if you drink enough of it (preferably fast and into a empty stomach, as I used to do in my youth). ---
**Author:** ![Pushkin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ee59a6/32.png) [@Pushkin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pushkin)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2008, 8:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/12-most-common-beer-myths-exploded/478083/10 "2008-12-20T20:18:59Z")
> [@JThunder](#): > > I’d like to see the specifics of the study that they cited before jumping to conclusions The [article](http://www.news.com.au/couriermail/story/0,23739,22048081-23272,00.html) that mentioned the study is in their footnotes. ---
**Author:** ![JThunder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e95f7d/32.png) [@JThunder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JThunder)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2008, 8:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/12-most-common-beer-myths-exploded/478083/11 "2008-12-20T20:20:23Z")
Right, **Toxylon**. That’s why #12 struck me as a gross oversimplification. If you drink enough beer, then you probably WILL kill some brain cells. That is, unless the study in question has uncovered some mysterious secondary effect, which seems doubtful. I just didn’t want to state my opinion as forcefully as you did. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![JThunder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e95f7d/32.png) [@JThunder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JThunder)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2008, 8:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/12-most-common-beer-myths-exploded/478083/12 "2008-12-20T20:22:04Z")
> [@Pushkin](#): > > The [article](http://www.news.com.au/couriermail/story/0,23739,22048081-23272,00.html) that mentioned the study is in their footnotes. Yes, but the study itself wasn’t, and that’s what ultimately counts. ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2008, 8:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/12-most-common-beer-myths-exploded/478083/13 "2008-12-20T20:32:25Z")
> [@JThunder](#): > > I’d like to see the specifics of the study that they cited before jumping to conclusions. Articles like this frequently oversimplify scientific details, and I doubt that the results of this study are as simplistic as saying “Beer doesn’t kill brain cells.” It only kills the _weak_ brain cells. I have a friend who has only one brain cell left, but boy is it a strong sucker. ---
**Author:** ![Hunter\_Hawk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/50afbb/32.png) [@Hunter\_Hawk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hunter_Hawk)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2008, 8:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/12-most-common-beer-myths-exploded/478083/14 "2008-12-20T20:35:07Z")
The entry for #10 is a bit disingenuous - Beer (or other alcohol) doesn’t help raise your cholesterol levels, but it does help raise your triglyceride levels. ---
**Author:** ![Hunter\_Hawk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/50afbb/32.png) [@Hunter\_Hawk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hunter_Hawk)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2008, 8:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/12-most-common-beer-myths-exploded/478083/15 "2008-12-20T20:36:25Z")
> [@Colibri](#): > > It only kills the _weak_ brain cells. I used to work with a guy who genuinely believed this. He thought that the more he drank, the more intelligent he became over time. ---
**Author:** ![CaveMike](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cavemike/32/16379_2.png) [@CaveMike](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CaveMike)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2008, 9:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/12-most-common-beer-myths-exploded/478083/16 "2008-12-20T21:20:11Z")
> [@Hunter\_Hawk](#): > > The entry for #10 is a bit disingenuous - Beer (or other alcohol) doesn’t help raise your cholesterol levels, but it does help raise your triglyceride levels. #8 too: > [@the article](#): > > Myth #8: “Beer before liquor, never sicker - liquor before beer, in the clear” A literal reading of the myth is certainly not true, but one doesn’t have to be a rocket scientist to understand how this is true. ---
**Author:** ![FoieGrasIsEvil](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/foiegrasisevil/32/16638_2.png) [@FoieGrasIsEvil](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FoieGrasIsEvil)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2008, 9:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/12-most-common-beer-myths-exploded/478083/17 "2008-12-20T21:23:44Z")
> [@Colibri](#): > > It only kills the _weak_ brain cells. > > I have a friend who has only one brain cell left, but boy is it a strong sucker. No, no, no! It only kills the brain cells in the portion of the brain that you will never use! Selective brain cell destruction! ---
**Author:** ![CaveMike](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cavemike/32/16379_2.png) [@CaveMike](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CaveMike)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2008, 9:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/12-most-common-beer-myths-exploded/478083/18 "2008-12-20T21:33:01Z")
> [@CaveMike](#): > > #8 too: > A literal reading of the myth is certainly not true, but one doesn’t have to be a rocket scientist to understand how this is true. Crap. A literal reading is certainly TRUE, etc. ---
**Author:** ![Uosdwis\_R.Dewoh](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Uosdwis\_R.Dewoh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Uosdwis_R.Dewoh)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2008, 10:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/12-most-common-beer-myths-exploded/478083/19 "2008-12-20T22:07:00Z")
Beer does not kill braincells. Period. Now lets all go to that building thingy, where all our beds and TV… is. ---
**Author:** ![Gotterfunken](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/58956e/32.png) [@Gotterfunken](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gotterfunken)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2008, 10:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/12-most-common-beer-myths-exploded/478083/20 "2008-12-20T22:30:54Z")
I would quibble with Myth #1, or at least the wording of it. The statement that “The Guinness served in Ireland is different to the rest of the world” may be technically true, in regard to the basic substance of the beer, but I’d argue (based on personal experience) that _the taste_ of Guinness in Ireland is distinctly different from that served anywhere else. I’ve heard this attributed to the pasteurization of exported Guinness. In the past, Guinness in Ireland wasn’t pasteurized; apparently this is no longer the case, since, according to [Michael Jackson](http://www.beerhunter.com/documents/19133-000065.html), today they pasteurize all Guinness, including that brewed for the domestic market. So, maybe the basic content of Irish Guinness is the same as the exported stuff, but there’s still something different about the way Guinness tastes in Ireland–maybe it’s just freshness (as the linked article even admits), maybe it’s the absence of (extensive) pasteurization, whatever… but there’s something that makes it taste different, at least in my experience and that of many other people. Most of the other myths are correctly exploded. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/12-most-common-beer-myths-exploded/478083.md?page=2)