WASHINGTON — Instead of giving up one thing for Lent, Chris Schryer is giving up everything — except beer, writes the Toronto National Post.
Schryer, 33, of Toronto, began his all-beer diet on March 5, and it includes a 10.8 ounce beer for breakfast, another for lunch and then a 22 ounce beer for dinner.
For a midday “snack,” he drinks another beer. He reviews this beer on his blog.
Schryer swore off solid food, dairy and smoothies for the full 40 days, the paper reports. But he supplements his diet with multivitamins and a scheduled intake of teas, and watered-down juices.
“Without being dramatic, it definitely is not fun; it’s challenging. Every meal time there’s challenge,” Schryer told the National Post.
Besides the “work” beer, the majority of Schryer’s intake comes from a 100 liter batch of Dopplebock — a little less than two keg’s worth — a German lager deliberately chosen for its large caloric count and just enough nutritious value to prevent starvation.
The beer was specially prepared at Toronto’s Amsterdam Brewing Company and in the spirit of Lent, it was blessed by Rev. Lucy Reid at a Anglican church in Toronto, Church of St. Aidan.
Schryer describes the taste as “sweet and malty, with caramel, biscuit and a bit of oats,” on his blog.
He estimates the calorie count to be around 2,000 per day which is just below the 2,350 to 2,600 calories that Health Canada recommends, according to the National Post.
However, because the beer has almost no fat or protein, Schryer could not survive on it much longer after Lent.
“I look pretty healthy now, but by the end of the 40 days my wife figures I’ll look like a castaway on account of my bushy beard,” he told the National Post.
Follow @WTOP on Twitter and on the WTOP Facebook page.
