Why do we love beer?

The taste of beer releases a chemical in the brain which makes people want to drink more, research published today claims.

Beer’s taste – without even any effect from alcohol – can trigger the production of dopamine in the brain, the study by researchers from Indiana University found.

People with a family history of alcoholism also showed even higher levels of dopamine – a neurotransmitter associated with the brain’s reward and pleasure centres.

Dr David Kareken, deputy director of the Indiana Alcohol Research Center, said: 'We believe this is the first experiment in humans to show that the taste of an alcoholic drink alone, without any intoxicating effect from the alcohol, can elicit this dopamine activity in the brain’s reward centres.'

The study scanned the brains of 49 men after drinking beer and after tasting Gatorade, a sports drink.

Results revealed significantly more dopamine activity following the taste of beer than Gatorade.