In light of the ‘Mining Mountain Mists for Water’ post a week or so ago… Today we present something a little more urban. Bud Light and the NFL Buffalo Bills made beer from stadium snow! But health and wellness issues lurk…
It sounds like a typical Budweiser promo stunt. Brewing a special, very limited edition quaff from snow gathered inside the Buffalo Bills Highmark Stadium. But it has some hidden drawbacks…
They’re really shovelin’ it…
And we ARE talking about snow. The idea grew out of a Bills fan tradition, with the Bills Mafia shovelling out the stadium following a heavy snowfall before a looming home game.
“It’s no secret Bills Mafia is one of the most passionate fanbases in sports, with fans in Buffalo and beyond who will do anything for their team,” said Todd Allen, SVP of Marketing for Bud Light at Anheuser-Busch. “That dedication is on full display when they show up to Highmark Stadium with shovels in hand, and we couldn’t be more honored to show up for Bills fans by creating a brew that both showcases and celebrates their years of commitment to the team.”
Well… The Bills Crew and the Bud Boys and Girls ‘captured some authentic Highmark snow earlier this season, so the highly anticipated Blizzard Brew could be ready for the Bills’ last regular season home game, January 4. The batch was brewed at Anheiser Busch’s Baldwinsville, NY, facility. And as far as we know, the event went off big-time, as the Bills and Busch hoped…
But…
We can’t help but remind all our faithful readers that there’s a whole slew of issues surrounding the human consumption of precipitation water.
The Centres for Disease Control (CDC) point out that, “Dust, smoke, and other particles in the air can contaminate rainwater before it lands on your roof. […] Dirt and germs from the roof can also wash into the rainwater you collect. For example, bird poop on your roof can end up in your rainwater bar-rel or tank. […] Once rainwater falls, chemicals like asbestos, lead, or copper can get into the water.”
The official caution is, don’t drink ‘precipitation’ water, or use it for cooking or bathing. Not even for washing your hair. But you can use it to water the lawn, wash the car or, pressure-wash stuff…
My take
I doubt that one or even two of the (16 oz / 475 ml) Blizzard Brew tall-boy cans would cause any ser-ious trouble for those who partook of them. The beer-making process involves boiling the basic mix-ture of water, malted barley and other ingredients to release the sugars in the grain. The resulting liquid is left to ferment for up to a month before bottling. But boiling the ‘wort’, as they call it, would only kill bacteria, not denature chemicals.
But drinking beer or any alcoholic beverage made with ‘precipitation’ water over a long haul could well lead to serious health consequences.
You’ve been warned.
Anyway… Cheers!
~ Maggie J.