The anti-ageing beer

[movieguy]

The anti-ageing beer

By Suzy Austin, Metro

Fed up of being told drinking will make you old before your time?

Well, you may not have heard that there is an answer to your prayers - anti-ageing beer. The lager, featured in Metro in November, tops a list of bizarre products launched in the past year.

Others include water with a hint of beef, onion juice, a cocktail to make cheeks rosy and chocolates with sweet potato filling.

The 'miracle' beer has hit supermarket shelves in Germany. Brewer Neuzeller Kloster claims it contains iron, vitamins Aand D and a protein-rich algae, all said to make the skin look younger, and chemicals to enhance skin elasticity.

The Germans are also responsible for tobacco-flavoured sweets, which smokers can enjoy in non-smoking bars or clubs.

Taiwanese women who crave rosy cheeks can try Pink Lady - a mix of rose, marigold, jasmine, camomile and peppermint meant to bring a glow to the face.

Onion juice has been developed in South Korea as a hangover cure, while the must-have after dinner treats across Asia are sweet potato chocolates from a company called Meito Sangyo.

David Jago, director of consumer analysts Mintel, said: 'The beer makes an interesting claim considering drinking alcohol is often associated with premature ageing and the idea of tobacco sweets is certainly unique, as many would not consider the flavour of cigarettes to be a particularly appetising prospect.

'Also, chocolate products in Asia frequently use a variety of ingredients that are distinctly unusual in the West.'

Mintel trawled through product launches to find the most oddball examples.

In America, the latest alcoholic craze is Suck & Blow, a jelly shooter in a tube. One person blows the jelly from one end while another sucks it in.

Some of the most inventive products are not even meant for humans, but for pets, such as ranges of flavoured waters.

The K9 range, designed for spoilt dogs, boasts bottled waters delicately flavoured with beef, chicken, liver or lamb.

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