Beer Myths You Should Stop Believing

The beer culture is alive and well, and this comes with plenty of beer myths. It is important to decipher what facts are true and which are not.

So stop blaming your belly on the beer, and quit trying to order your alcohol consumption based on a silly rhyme. We have come up with ten myths to debunk are all meant to allow you to enjoy beer for the better. If that's not something to raise a glass to, we don't know what is.

Dark Beer = High ABV and More Calories

Many people look at dark beer as being the highest in alcohol by volume, but this is just one of the beer myths you should stop believing about dark beer. In fact, the color has nothing to do with the concentration of alcohol, and a light and airy looking beer could very well have a much stronger percentage.

Plus, dark beer does not always mean it has more calories. Much like the color has nothing to do with the alcohol concentration, it has nothing to do with calorie intake, either. Actually, dark beer can be surprisingly low in calories, and with beer such as these, it will also mean that it has less alcohol. Next time, check the percentage and calories in your favorite dark beer, you might be surprised.

"Beer before liquor, never sicker."

An age-old cautionary tale: "beer before liquor, never sicker, liquor before beer, you're in the clear." No matter how catchy and easy to remember this rhyme is, it is, in fact, one of the top beer myths.

This is because if you are trying to avoid a hangover, you should just avoid mixing alcohol altogether. Plus, if you are drinking enough of either to be wary of a hangover, you should probably be drinking less. It all has to do with the quantity of what you're drinking, not the order.

The beer belly is real.

Though a large intake of anything is high in calories is going to result in weight gain, the beer belly is surprisingly a myth. This is apparent due to research that has concluded that beer consumption is a "relatively poor indicator of weight gain."

So maybe the after-bar snacks and staying up all night during college is more attested to your belly being a little more pouchy. But if your choice of alcohol is beer, and you drink it in moderation, you've got nothing more to worry about than anyone else. Besides the fact that it makes you bloated while drinking, much like carbonated drinks.

You just "don't like beer."

Kind of a bizarre "myth" but people who claim that beer just isn't meant for their taste buds is yet another one of the top beer myths you should stop believing. This is due to the fact that there are beers of all types that will please more people's cravings.

So it is believed that people who say that they can't drink beer because of their preferences simply haven't found their favorite brand, type, or flavor yet. Not everyone's choice is an almost black beer, so give them some time to figure out what works for them.

Beer should be served ice cold.

A nice cold beer is something that we all have craved on a warm summer afternoon. However, what you might think you know about beer temperature is a myth. Beer actually tastes best between 40 and 55 degrees, contrary to popular belief.

The ice-cold beer falsehood can be attested to macrobreweries, and how they serve. This isn't the correct way to serve a beer because it will actually numb your palate, which impacts the flavor, reducing the taste. You don't want to be tasting a glass of water when you're drinking a beer. Instead, keep it to a nice 45 degrees to be safe.

All dark beer tastes the same.

This might be true to someone who does not like a dark beer, but believe it or not, all dark beer does not taste the same. It might tell you that the flavor will be similar, but dark beers have a large range of flavors.

As one of the biggest beer myths, many beer fanatics will cringe at this myth. Of course, they don't all taste the same. They can range from hops character, alcohol percentage, sweetness, or bitterness.

Beer has zero nutrients.

While beer is certainly not healthy, many people think that there are absolutely no nutrients in a beer.

And as a great reason to crack one open, this is definitely a myth. Though you would never drink a beer just to receive its nutrients, hops are a source a flavonoid, the antioxidant xanthohumol. And as an antioxidant, this can help reduce inflammation.

There is no such thing as a gluten-free beer.

If you are on a gluten-free diet, this is going to be the best of our beer myths you're about to hear. Not all beer has gluten in it.

With gluten allergies in mind, a new of beers are being produced that include millet, corn, and sorghum as ingredients, no barley or wheat in sight. Some of these beers include Harvester Fresh Hop IPA, Dogfish Head Tweason’Ale, Epic Glutenator, Omission Pale Ale, and Celia Saison.

Some people don't get drunk off of beer.

A myth that people might use to try and impress you with, being immune to a beer's alcohol is not possible. Like any type of alcohol, depending on people's tolerance to the drink, they will either be intoxicated after a few sips, or a few bottles.

There are many people who have been drinking beer for years to the point that a few of them do not affect them. This doesn't mean that they are immune to the alcohol, but instead, they have built up a higher tolerance. It just means that they will need a few extra bottles for them to feel the effects.

Bottled beer tastes better than canned beer.

Last, but not least, on our list of the beer myths you should stop believing, is that bottled beer is better than canned beer. What used to be a trend to show privilege, drinking beer in a bottle used to be solely for the rich. Today, this is changing, and drinking beer in a can has nothing to do with the quality of the drink.

If bottles are your preference, all power to you, but it has nothing to do with the taste. It's the same beer and the same flavor. However, tap versus canned is a whole different story.