How to drink all night without getting drunk

Sometimes, there's nothing worse than getting accidentally intoxicated while trying to appear "fun" and "social" at a work mixer (we get it, it's hard to keep track of all that free beer). But what if we told you there was a real, scientific way to drink beer all night and keep your wits about you?

Boston Beer Company co-founder Jim Koch shared his simple secret to successfully staying sober with Esquire's Aaron Goldfarb:

The trick, which Koch learned from late craft-beer legend Joe Owada, works because of a bit of chemistry: Active dry yeast contains an enzyme called alcohol dehydrogenase (ADH). The ADH can break down alcohol into its separate parts, and if it's in your body before you start consuming alcohol, it will help break the alcohol down before it hits your bloodstream and your brain.

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up

That's not to say that you can swallow 12 teaspoons of yeast, drink 12 beers, and remain stone-cold sober, though. "It will mitigate — not eliminate — but mitigate the effects of alcohol," Koch said. Still, the yeast will likely keep you at a light, coherent, and manageable buzz. Goldfarb even tested the trick out on his own, consuming six teaspoons of yeast and a six-pack of beer. "I felt nothing more than a little buzzed," he said.

So there you have it. Our yeasty little secret.