In South Africa, we recognise the ‘beer boep‘ as the product of one too many brewskies at one too many braais.

In the wild, you’ll usually find the ‘beer boep’ peeking out from beneath some two-tone khaki outfits, obscuring the owner’s view of his knee-high socks and veldskoen.

I’ve seen some impressive ones in my time. I’m sure you have as well, especially when travelling north of Cape Town.

Nothing, however, can compare to the findings of a study in America, published in the British Medical Journal, that looked into the unfortunate case of a 46-year-old man who was pulled over for drunk driving, having consumed zero alcohol.

Over to the Telegraph for his story:

The man, an unnamed construction worker, refused to take a breathalyser test and was subsequently arrested and hospitalised.

Tests showed he had a blood alcohol level of 200 mg/dL, equivalent to consuming around 10 alcoholic drinks.

The hospital staff refused to believe him when he said that not only had he not had a drink, but had been teetotalling for a while following a series of unexplainable symptoms that left him depressed and confused.

The symptoms had started after a course of antibiotics, which, they later discovered had caused a rare condition called auto-brewery syndrome (ABS).

After being discharged from hospital, (the man) first sought treatment at an Ohio clinic where a stool sample revealed the presence of Saccharomyces cerevisiae (also known as brewer’s yeast) and a related fungus in his system.

The yeast is instrumental in beer brewing, winemaking and baking, as it helps ferment carbohydrates and produces alcohol.

To confirm the ABS diagnosis, the Ohio clinic gave him a carbohydrate meal and monitored his blood alcohol levels. After eight hours, his blood alcohol level had risen to 57 mg/dL.

Despite being treated for the condition, it flared up again.

This guy had taken ‘beer boep’ to new heights. He was brewing his own beer in his gut.

After much research, his condition was managed through a course of medication and dietary changes.

While it might sound rad to brew your own beer in your gut (it certainly cuts out the middle man), it can’t be fun to feel constantly drunk.

Lucky for most of us, ABS is extremely rare. Instead, we get to enjoy beer in the way that it’s supposed to be enjoyed – with the freedom to decide when, where and what, and how much we consume – responsibly, of course.

I also prefer to stay out of the brewing process, rather entrusting it to the people who know best.

Take Sol for example. In 1899, in a brewery near Pico de Orizaba, the highest peak in Mexico, a brewer created a light, refreshing beer made from the water closest to the sun.

The story goes that, as the brewer held up the beer, a ray of sun peeped through a hole in the roof onto the transparent bottle and, in honour of the sun, inspired the name Sol.

What this tells us is that Sol’s brewing methods have stood the test of time, which is why it’s South Africa’s favourite expression of passion, playfulness, vitality and independence.

Did I mention that it tastes great? It’s something that we shouldn’t take for granted. I can’t imagine ‘stomach beer’ is going to win any awards.

Crack open a cold one, and thank your lucky stars you’re ‘beer boep’ free.

[source:telegraph]