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While the sad truth is that beer just simply isn't health food, it doesn't have to be dessert level calories. At the same time, keeping those frosty carbs down doesn't mean that you have to put flavor out to sea. It is worth mentioning that the key mechanism driving the calories in a beer is alcohol by volume. Each gram of ethanol contains around 7 calories per gram, almost double that of other carbohydrates and protein. Other residual sugars do still contribute to the beer as any sugars not converted to alcohol remain from the original malt bill. Big beautiful beers often have both high ABV and residual sugar levels, but some "smaller" beers still manage to have good flavor. I've pulled together my list of brews that pack decent flavor without blowing up your diet.
Low Calorie Beers with Alcohol
- Guinness - Crushing the myth that dark beers are higher in calories, Guinness has an iconic creamy feel due to the nitrogenating widget in each can. With 125 calories per 12oz. serving, it delivers full flavor with less of a blow to your gut than a Bud Light! This is primarily due to the fact that Guinness comes in at a moderate 4.2% ABV, perfect for sandbagging at a work function.
- Dogfish Head Slightly Mighty - With only 95 calories, this Light India Pale Ale uses monk fruit sweetening to build the beer's body without adding any calories. It packs 30 IBUs and an ABV of 4.0% with flavors like pineapple, coconut, and mango.
- Lagunitas Daytime IPA - A similar session IPA competitor, Daytime has 98 calories also at 4% ABV and 30 IBUs. It tracks closer to a standard IPA flavor profile than the fruity Slightly Mighty.
- New Belgium Mural Agua Fresca - Fruit forward with Watermelon, Lime, Hibiscus, and Agave, this Agua Fresca styles beer is a collaboration between New Belgium and Cerveceria Primus in Mexico. It is yum yum delicious with only 110 calories, 11 IBUs, and 4% ABV.
- Michelob Ultra Pure Gold - Outstripping it's flagship sibling in our Light Beer Tier List, Ultra Pure Gold is certified organic (rice and barley) and brewed with 100% solar energy (via renewable energy certificates and AB's Solar Farm). It tastes eerily crisp and clean with a slight honey sweetness, managed with only 85 calories at a plucky 3.5% ABV.
- Heineken Light - My personal favorite light beer, Heineken Light was released in 2005 with 90 calories and a tiny 3.3% ABV. It manages 12 IBUs of balanced and mild hop flavor. Due to the low alcohol content, they are "poundable", though maybe tone it down from your college days. Heineken often has pretty good rebates too, making it an affordable option.
Low Calorie Non-Alcoholic Beers
Non-Alcoholic beers have long had a reputation of being outright terrible, but in recent years the number of options in the space has exploded as has their popularity. While some alcohol free version of major brands are still quite questionable, there are a number of great, guilt-free, beer flavored options that just don't suck.
- Guinness 0 - Potentially the best no-alcohol copy of a flagship beer on the market, Guinness 0 almost exactly replicates the smooth and balanced taste of regular Guinness but with only 60 calories per 12oz. serving. Remarkable. It loses very little in the way of flavor or feel.
- Athletic Upside Down Golden Ale - While other may also enjoy their Free Wave Haze or Run Wild IPAs, I think this golden ale is their best recurring edition. The Golden Ale style doesn't loose much for the lack of alcohol mouthfeel and is very clean and refreshing at only 50 calories and 15 IBUs. Holds up well even if not ice cold.
- Athletic Free Wave - The agreed-upon standard for Non-Alcoholic IPAs. Many other brewers have put out NA IPAs, but Free Wave still has the most body and closest proximity to a full-alcohol IPA.
- Weihenstephaner NA Wheat Beer - Germany has been doing NA beer longer than most and this wheat beer is packed with flavor. They use falling film evaporation to extract the alcohol from an honest-to-god traditional beer. It is sweet with honey, banana, and only 75 calories per .5 liter.
- Heineken 0.0 - To my palate, it tastes a good bit different from the regular Heineken but it still retains a lovely beery character at a nice 69 calories. My wife greatly enjoyed these during her pregnancy and we tried a good number of other contenders.
Outro
As evidenced by continued growth in the session and non-alcoholic categories, low calorie beers are continuing to become more prevalent in the market. With this consumer force, we'll continue to see more and better offerings within the category and for that I am very excited. Cheers!