Don't just drink beer, bathe in it - the Czech way

Melbourne, Apr 27 : The Czech adage goes like "where beer is brewed, life is good" and the Chodovar Family Brewery lives by it. Not content simply to drink the stuff, here they also bathe in it.

Klara, a balneologist at the Chodovar Family Brewery, says that while a regular tap pipes in locally sourced Il-Sano mineral water, their tubs also contain 8-10 litres of unpasteurised Chodovar 10, a dark brew that pours rapidly from a brass beer font fixed to the foot of each bath.

Then they add some crushed herbs and dried yeast, mix it all together to create a beer bath, which is excellent for "soothing muscles, warming joints and healing the complexion", according to the brewery.

Most people would think of the practice as a gimmick or a clever trick to lure the beer-loving tourists.

However, according to brewery manager Mojmir Prokes, there is science beneath the froth.

The hop is a bitter plant used in beer production. It has been used since Roman times to treat menopausal conditions and improve digestion. In neighbouring Germany, scientists are busy creating a beer containing high levels of xanthohumol (found in hops), which they say has powerful cancer-fighting properties.

"It is very beneficial for overall health. It increases circulation, decreases blood pressure and purifies the skin because of the proteins, the high vitamin B content and also because of the minerals in the water," Age.com.au quoted Prokes, as saying.

He added that soaking in bee is very relaxing for the mind and good for wellbeing.

ANI