ENERGY BOOSTERS

Staying hydrated while working out is, of course, a no brainer. Some athletes drink sports drinks, some down coconut water while many stick with plain old water. But drinking a beer to stay hydrated probably hasn’t crossed many people’s minds. Until now. A Bavarian brew meister is promoting its no-alcohol beer as the latest sport drink for athletes, handing it out at the finish line of sporting events and touting its regenerative benefits. The N/A brew, Erdinger Alkoholfrei, is served up with a frothy head. And it comes in one color, a golden hue, unlike the rainbow colors of available sport drinks. Several top athletes from Europe sampled the beverage from giant mugs on the podium of the World Cup biathlons held in February in northern Maine. The company touts the product as an isotonic, vitamin-rich, no-additive beverage with natural regenerative powers that help athletes recover from a workout. In other words, it’s a carbohydrate-loaded beverage without the alcoholic buzz of beer or the jitters caused by some energy drinks. Something about cracking a beer, even a non-alcoholic one, before working out somehow seems counter–productive. Even N/A beer can give you a beer belly!