Drinking alcohol without getting drunk: Dry yeast breaking down alcohol molecules

Even those with the highest tolerances for alcohol will admit to a time or two where they had one too many drinks and lost their sense of judgment, causing them to stumble, yell, or even get into an alcohol-induced fight. Although we cannot go back in time and stop ourselves from becoming excessively drunk, we may be able to drink all night without getting drunk. Sam Adams founder and Boston Beer Chairman Jim Koch says he has a trick up his sleeve for not getting drunk: active dry yeast, yogurt, and of course, alcohol, The Medical Daily reported.

"You wanna know my secret? How I can drink beer all night long and never get drunk?" Koch told Esquire magazine’s Aaron Goldfarb in an interview. “Active yeast. Like you get at the grocery store.” Koch admitted for years he has swallowed the standard Fleischmann’s dry yeast before he drinks, stirring the substance in with some yogurt to make it more appetizing. Simply one teaspoon per beer right before you start drinking will make you almost invincible to getting drunk, which has kept Koch’s beer consumption in check.

The unusual and unpleasant taste trick has allowed Koch to drink a total of 21,000 beers in his lifetime.” Although he is known for consuming a lot of beer, he is also known for his high alcohol tolerance. His secret for staying in control while drinking came from his good friend “Dr. Joe,” also known as the late Joseph Owades, a craft beer legend.

However, Koch cautions lovers of the bottle, arguing "it will mitigate — not eliminate — but mitigate the effects of alcohol!” The bizarre method does not eliminate the effects of drinking completely, as alcohol affects everyone differently, and it may not prevent someone from feeling drunk. This suggests there is no magic cure for inebriation.

If Koch’s trick does work, there could be some side effects to the consumption of active dry yeast — says the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism.

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