Actually, most cultures learn to drink ferments pretty quickly -- and early ferments would have been naturally fermented, just from the yeast in the air, so it's entirely possible that they drank fermented fruit juices, root mashes, etc.

This would mean that wine and other natural ferments like hard cider and mead might not be all that far from the paleo tree.

Yeah once in a while.

Drink this:

With this:

Sandwiched between some of this:

Not sure if it's Paleo but it'll keep ya sane!

I haven't changed my drinking habits since I went paleo. I'm an infrequent drinker. I like a good microbrew beer now and then. A glass of wine with a good meal. A shot or two when out with friends. It's all infrequent enough that it doesn't really affect whether I can call myself "paleo" or not, not that I give a flip about having that label.

As for which ones are best. Beer is definitely the "worst" if you're sensitive to gluten and other cereal proteins. Wine might be a bit sugar-y, but I'm not a fan of the anti-carbohydrate paleo method, so it's really not problematic as I see it. Liquor is distilled, so there's really no trace of any gluten or cereal protein left, so again paleo as long as you're not mixing it with nasty sugary crap (or maybe you do if you're not carb-phobic!)

The more I learn about all of the vital functions that my liver performs all day every day, the more I want to send the old boy a thank you note, not an envelope filled with anthrax.

Craft beer is a big part of my 20%. =) For sticking closer to Paleo, I would prefer to drink whiskey or bourbon or any other spirit, but I find craft beer to be infinitely more interesting, both literally and culturally. Doesn't hurt that I live in San Diego and I've got many good breweries just 5-10 minutes' drive from my house. I can't drive a few miles and get a $1 taster of whiskey.

I really enjoy craft beer and the craft beer scene, and I think that happiness personally is worth whatever unhealthiness there might be from imbibing occasionally.

I'm a drinker...bottom line. I love good beer and good whiskey. A dry red is good, but thats just when I'm trying to be paleo-compliant. Beer days are the same as my cheat day so I eat whatever I want on that day.

As for effects, I had no real ailments prior to paleo and am not overweight. I get over my little cheat day pretty easy. I might feel off for a half of a day or so, but nothing painful or debilitating. By the time I get round to working out I'm out of my funk.

I recognize that boozing isn't "optimal", but oh well. Unlike Travis I like to give my liver a good punch once in a while...its like a hepatic HIIT workout!

I enjoy a good drink and while I sometimes think about the Paleo-ness of it, that is really not a major factor in my decision making. I consider being paleo being healthy...I do not consider drinking to be healthy at all (despite claims of wine being healthy).

I don't drink beer because it doesn't taste good.

I don't drink wine because my body doesn't react well to it.

I drink liquor because I enjoy the taste and the buzz...8)

I drink a lot. Paleo has been great for me. I feel great and I've lost a stack of weight. Is it optimal? maybe not. Is it strictly paleo? who cares.

my body rejects alcohol. I've never been a big drinker, but my attempts to socially drink since jumping back on the paleo wagon have ended up with me throwing out the drink before getting down 1/4 of it. I just start to rapidly feel like crap. Probably the blood sugar spike. I've tried consuming hard liquor (rum, vodka) and quality organic red wines on a couple different occasions. Wouldn't try beer since I have a negative response to gluten. It's kind of a bummer when I'm with a group and everyone else is imbibing, but I do appreciate the wisdom of this body trying to keep me from ingesting something that will throw it off balance. small amounts of kombucha are no problem though.

I drink a bit of red wine from time to time, that is all. Fermented foods absolutely would be available to the hunter-gatherer. All you need is a few mashed berries, wrapped in a leaf. My bet is that vinegar and lactic acid would be the preferred product since its a pain to keep an oxygen-free environment.

From an evolutionary perspective, some people can handle their drink better than others. The ability to digest a large amount of alcohol requires a large amount of alcohol dehydrogenase, which was evolutionarily selected for where people drank alcoholic beverages because they needed a source of water not full of bacteria.

Since this mostly happened after the advent of agriculture, alcohol could be compared to dairy in that it probably isn't optimal (or paleo), but some adaptation to it has occurred among certain people and there is likely variation in who should and shouldn't enjoy it as a sensible vice, given its potential benefits.

Personally, I avoid alcohol almost completely because alcoholism runs rampant in my family, which seems like evidence to me that I don't come from a lineage that has evolved to drink.

I drink regularly- sometimes I'll have a drink or two with dinner on the weekend, sometimes I just feel like getting a little crunk. I usually stick with vodka/cranberry/club soda, or a margarita (sometimes NorCal, sometimes the sugary variety); I also like sweet wines like Rieseling & sangria- I wish my palate were more sophisticated because that's the stuff that results in a headache :( I avoid beer because I am gluten intolerant, but other than that I just drink what I'm in the mood for.

If we look at the question of alcohol consumption through the "evolutionary lens", we might see something different than "alcohol is not paleo".

Evolutionary Biologists consider anything that is common to most, if not all human societies (the term "pan-specificity" or "pan-specific" is often used) as having a genetic basis.

Some examples would be the creation of art, language, and the use of fire. (Remember that these traits aren't hard programs, like a spider's web-building, but rather a predisposition to learning a particular behavior). Also on this list, you would find the the preparation and use of alcoholic beverages.

If we accept that salt, sugar, and fat are so appealing because they represented "high energy" foods and therefore conferred a survival advantage to our ancestors (who gradually replaced individuals who did not like sweet, salty, or fatty foods) we should also look to a similar, previously adaptive, mechanism for human alcohol consumption.

One such theory that has been put forth suggests that alcohol, and the other volatile byproducts of fermentation, indicated that a particular fruit was ripe and therefore more likely to contain lots of sugar vs. a less-ripe fruit.

There are also numerous studies that seem to correlate low to moderate alcohol consumption with longevity and a decreased risk for many diseases.

I personally don't consume alcohol frequently, but have no concerns about the occasional beer, glass of wine, or shot of liquor. I avoid sweet drinks, "mixers", and other such additives, but any good quality adult beverage is fair game in my opinion.

The Norcal Margarita has become my drink of choice. It only takes a couple to get a buzz and I get my money's worth.

I sip on cognac if I'm sick, which is better than any cold medication I can think of.

Beer doesn't effect me anymore. I can drink it all night, spend a lot of money, feel like crap and not get a buzz. I will however try a new micro brew if I come across something unusual.

I used to drink a glass or two daily before Paleo. I had a hard time losing weight then ... and finally figured out is was the wine.... duh moment lol. I know it doesn't fit into the paleo philosophy but I find I don't want to give it up completely,so I have limited it to 2 glasses of red wine a week ... either weekends when socialising, or just to relax at home. I would like to turn it into a spritzer ... mixed with soda water ... not sure soda water ok tho?

Hardly drink at all,once in a blue moon these days now im 33. When I was younger I was a typical British lad,getting pissed fri-sun on the pull up town,im sure my liver is happier with my behaviour now .