Beer: The health benefits

“Recent research has revealed bioactive compounds in beer that battle cancer, boost your metabolism, and more,” said Matt Bean in MensHealth.com. Our panel waded through the studies to “find the best-tasting, healthiest brews available.”

Avery Maharaja Imperial India Pale Ale This smooth, fruity Colorado brew “boasts 80 times the hops of a mass-market lager,” making it a good source of the “cholesterol-lowering, cancer-fighting, and virus-killing compounds called polyphenols.” The hops cut this IPA’s sweetness, helping deliver “a crisp citrus-and-pine kick to the back of your tongue.”

Beamish Irish Stout Low-cal beer typically means tasteless, but there are some traditional brews that “go easy on the waistline without disappointing the palate.” A 12-ounce Beamish has “full flavor and sturdy dark-chocolate notes,” but weighs in at just 130 calories.

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Wolaver’s India Pale Ale The “megabrewery” brews of today are “anything but pure”: A 2003 FDA study found that “27 percent of barley and 32 percent of nonorganic wheat products carried pesticide residues.” This Vermont-made IPA, the best of the organic brews we sampled, is made with wheat from nearby organic farms.