Magnesium in Beer and Wine
I sent a can of Budweiser to a licensed laboratory for
analysis of magnesium content; it tested at 34 mg/L magnesium
content. Other American mega-brews are likely to be about the
same, since they all have the same thin flavor and lack of body
compared to many European brews and the micro-brews. Some
American mega-brews even brag about their "pure" mountain water
sources from snow-melt springs, which would have virtually no
magnesium.
In European beers the situation is interesting. According to
Briggs, Hough, Stevens, and Young, "Malting and Brewing Science",
Vol II, p 779, British beers have magnesium levels ranging from
60 - 200 mg/l (no mean given), German beers from 75 - 250 with a
mean of 114, and "Lagers" 34 - 162 with a mean of 82.
Wine appears to have a mean magnesium content of about 114
mg/l. Two papers have been written on this:
1. Mineral Contents of Some Souther Italian Wines, by
Francesco S. Interesse et al, Z Lebenam Upscro (sp?) Forsch
(1985) 181:470-474.
2. Metal Content of California Wine, by C. S. Ough et al,
(1982), Journal of Food Science, Vol 47, 825-828. This paper
found that the range for Mg in wine was 32 - 245 mg/l with an
average value of 114 mg/l. (Courtesy of Christian Butzke at U. C.
Davis).
Alcohol causes a rapid loss of magnesium, so beer and wine are
not the recommended way of getting Mg; none-the-less, beverages
containing more Mg are healthier than beverages containing less
Mg.
Dave Radzanowski, Vice President of the Siebel Institute of
Brewing Technology, was quoted in Beverage Industry, May 1995,
"Most brewers try to limit magnesium in their water sources
because, combined with sulphates in beer, it tends to have a
laxative effect." Heavy drinkers comprise a large market for
mega-brewers, who may not wish to induce diarrhea in customers
who drink 24 beers or more at a sitting. Mega-brewers aren't
likely to increase Mg content until they have to. Some
micro-brewers with beers rich in natural vitamins and minerals
have complained to me that they are FORBIDDEN by the FDA from
labelling their bottles with accurate nutritional information; I
have never seen a nutrition panel on a bottle of beer or wine.
The FDA should correct this immediately by requiring the same
nutrition panels on beer and wine as on other foods.
This page was first uploaded to The Magnesium Web Site on
October 14, 1995
http://www.mgwater.com/
Healthy Water
Association--USA