It is known that the content of niacin, pantothenic acid, and biotin in pilsner-style beers is higher than in other alcoholic beverages. However, there have been few observations on the content of water-soluble vitamins in other styles of beers. We measured the contents of niacin, pantothenic acid, and biotin in 89 kinds of beers to evaluate their nutritional ability. We observed significant differences in the water-soluble vitamin content of these various beers. The average niacin content of pilsner-style beers produced by major brewers and craft beers produced by microbreweries was 7.63mg/ℓ and 12.06mg/ℓ, respectively (p＜0.01). The niacin content was higher in IPAs, barley wines, and imperial stouts than in the other beer-styles (p＜0.01). The average value of pantothenic acid content in pilsner-style beers produced by major brewers and craft beers produced by microbreweries was 0.84mg/ℓ and 1.30mg/ℓ, respectively (p＜0.01). Weizenbiers, IPAs, and barley wines showed higher pantothenic acid content than the other beer-styles (p＜0.01). The average value of biotin content in IPAs, barley wines, and imperial stouts was significantly higher than that in pilsner-style beers produced by major brewers (p＜0.01). These results suggest that craft beers can serve as an ancillary source of vitamins.
