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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?
Koch told me that for years he has swallowed your standard Fleischmann's dry yeast before he drinks, stirring the white powdery substance in with some yogurt to make it more palatable.
"One teaspoon per beer, right before you start drinking." [Esquire]
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.
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Join more than 350,000 subscribers and keep yourself informed with a selection of The Week’s most interesting, enlightening and entertaining stories - plus daily puzzles.
Join more than 350,000 subscribers and keep yourself informed with a selection of The Week’s most interesting, enlightening and entertaining stories - plus daily puzzles.
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.
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Samantha Rollins is TheWeek.com's news editor. She has previously worked for The New York Times and TIME and is a graduate of Northwestern University's Medill School of Journalism.
