Surprising BG Numbers After Enjoying A Craft Beer Festival

Over the weekend my new neighborhood celebrated the 20th Anniversary Mesta Festa and craft beer tasting. I rarely drink beer, but when I do, I limit myself to two because my BG roller coaster experiences have kept me skeptical of this frosty beverage. My justification – the $20 beer garden entry fee was going to a good cause and I might meet a cute, craft beer guy. No brainer, right? As I left my house, my BG was 77 so I sipped Perrier with a little blueberry-pomegranite juice en route. I fork over the cash and join my dear friends at the 405 tasting table where I sample their newest brew, the Trae P.A. Delicious!

The small neighborhood block probably featured about 10 local breweries. I had no intention of trying all of them so I set out to hit up the few that were of interest before they ran out.  My list included IPA, Pale Ale, Pilsner, Octoberfest, Brown and a Stout. Before you admit me to rehab, the pours were small, maybe 3 oz. As I consumed my mini pours, I questioned what was going on with my BG, but chose not to test. I guess you could call this theory a blind trial as my body is one BIG science project.

The festival wrapped up and I strolled up the street to grab dinner with 405 brewer and DDG audio engineer, Jonathan. He’s heard us rant about the effects alcohol can have on blood sugar so while waiting to be seated, I challenged him to guess my blood sugar. He guessed 220 and I felt confident it was closer to 387. It was time to test – 247! I was shocked and stoked at the same time and went through a quick checklist in my head:

1. Maybe it’s not high because it started out a little low.
2. I’ve walked a few blocks and just downed some water…
3. It might take awhile for it to slowly creep up.
4. Is my meter messed up?

At the end of the day, I have NO idea why I didn’t experience a higher BG spike. I’ve decided to revisit Podcast #4, a lively discussion with the 405 guys about the fermentation process, the sugar involved and which beers have a higher sugar content. This time I’ll take notes so there won’t be a need for another blind trial.