BeerBorg

Jim Koch presents a new use for all of those Fromundas you didn't use in your Mr. Beer days... How to drink all night without getting drunk

And for all of you that are in the Chem of Beer course, feel free to debate the validity of this theory in relation to ADH...

Maybe not the fromundas, since he states that it's the fleischman's active dry yeast, used for baking. In any case, that's a great trick!

Personally, I think it's a bunch of hooey... especially since we've just finished discussing this very topic in Chem of Beer... And... in the only encounter I had with Jim Koch, he was plenty sloshed (and that seems like the common theme from others who encounter him as well), so I don't know that it's working for him. Yeast will break down pyruvates to H2O and CO2 if oxygen is present, but will it break down ethanol in the fashion he describes? Suspicious... and wondering if all of that yeast in your stomach would cause issues. Yes, indeed it could...

I'm a bit skeptical too. If the yeast would break down the alcohol, why doesn't it do so in the bottle?

Lack of oxygen... anaerobic conditions (in the fermenter, in the bottle) push yeast towards producing ethanol, but aerobic conditions lead to metabolization to CO2 and H2O (which seems to be what they are alluding to in this theory).

This is very interesting to think about.

Good story... I don't believe it's true though. I am also not inclined to do a personal test to prove or disprove it's veracity. Slowing down the absorption of beer; whether it's yogurt or bread, is probably the main factor, not the yeast.

I wonder if it works because it causes one to throw up after each yeast and yogurt cocktail.

I really have to doubt that it would work unless MAYBE you were really pounding them down. I would have to think all the stomach acids would kill the yeasties before they had a chance to wake up and start working. And, if it really did work, then one could just drink the yeast from the bottom of the bottle.

But, I dont know if I would want to be around someone who is in the process of converting all their ethanol to CO2.

I think it has more to do with the bread yeast itself. They must have an added enzyme which breaks down the alcohol, as that is not a desired characteristic in the bread. It's the same family of yeast, but there is more.to the Fleischmanns bread yeast.than the fromunda.

Do I completely believe it? No. Will.I try.it? Maybe.

JimH wrote:I think it has more to do with the bread yeast itself. They must have an added enzyme which breaks down the alcohol, as that is not a desired characteristic in the bread. It's the same family of yeast, but there is more.to the Fleischmanns bread yeast.than the fromunda.

Nah, not unless you buy one of the fancy versions with "dough enhancers" or a quick rise version that might have extra nutrient oomph or something... otherwise it's just dried yeast. You can make beer with regular old Fleischmanns or Red Star yeast, it comes out like a flavorful English strain. Makes alcohol just fine. Just not good for American style beer.

I'll be making a beer with Finnish bakers yeast one of these days (Sahti).

I read somewhere that one of the nutrients that you use up as a result of removing alcohol from the blood is B vitamins. The book further noted that yeast has a lot of B vitamins in it and could help mitigate some of the effects of drinking too much. They also claimed drinking bottle carbed beer with the yeast mixed back into suspension, such as is done with some wheat beers, would provide this benefit.

I believe also that is what the Chaser pills they had were supposed to do as well.

But I can't see it making you undrunkable.