Sadly, for us beer fans, it can be tough to maintain a svelte figure. A great way to trim the fat is to hold yourself accountable and to count your calories.
I’m not saying you should stop drinking altogether. But knowing how many calories you’re putting into your body can be a great way to start losing weight!
As you might imagine, the calories in a pint of beer will vary, depending on what you’re having. Read on to find out more so counting calories is much easier when you’re drinking!
Check the Label
In general, you can expect each pint to have around 160 to 180 calories.
Of course, one of the quickest and easiest ways to figure out how many calories that pint of beer you’re drinking is to check the label of your beer bottle. Depending on where you live, there may be no law that requires nutrition information to be labelled on alcoholic products, so this might be tough to do. Not to mention, if you’re having a pint pulled at a pub, there won’t be a sticker on your pint glass! So to help you figure it out for yourself, here’s a quick guide to the calories in different types of beer so you have more control over the calories you consume.
Bitters
Bitters are a type of pale ale that can look anything from a light gold colour to a dark amber shade. Most of these beers are low in alcohol volume, ranging from 3% to 5.5%.
In general, beers with lower alcohol percentages will have fewer calories. So a pint of bitter will be around 180 calories. If you opt for a mild bitter, this will jump down to around 140 calories.
Ales
Ales are another favourite and are very similar to bitters. For this reason, the calorie count in these beers is almost identical as well.
For pale ales, expect them to have around 180 calories. It might come as a surprise, but brown ales actually have fewer calories in them! They typically have 160 calories.
Lagers
As a light-tasting beer, lagers are also popular at pubs and restaurants, so you’re probably wondering how much you’re drinking each time you throw back a pint.
The good news is, if you drink the regular stuff, a pint will just be around 170 calories. But if you like drinking premium lagers, then beware! Each pint is almost double the calorie count as regular lager, coming in at around 340 calories!
Stouts and Porters
While most people are into lighter beers, perhaps you have an affinity for the darker ones. You might even drink them all year long, that’s how much you love stouts and porters!
Because they tend to have a higher alcohol volume than other beers, this means they have a higher calorie count too. Expect an ordinary stout to come in at around 210 calories. Those with even higher percentages (such as Russian imperial stouts) will have even more calories in them, so be aware of that.
Ciders
I know that ciders aren’t technically beers, but many beer fans enjoy a drop of it from time to time, so you’re probably wondering about the calorie content here as well!
If you’re a fan of dry ciders, these are the lowest in calories. They come in at just 190 calories a pint. As for sweet ciders, these will put you back around 220 calories.
And if you frequently drink vintage sweet ciders, then I have some bad news. These are very fattening; each pint has 580 calories in them!
Some Lower Calorie Options
Reading about the calorie content of all the beers available might have you feeling sad, especially if you’re a beer enthusiast. If you want to still drink beer but want to cut down on your caloric intake, then you’ll be glad to know that there are some healthier options out there. Of course, they won’t be as tasty as a cold stout, but at least you’ll still get to partake in drinking.
Your first choice is to opt for beers with low alcohol content. Remember, the rule of thumb is this: the higher the alcohol percentage, the more calories the beer will have.
Another choice is non-alcoholic beer. Some can have as little as 50 calories in each pint. Not to mention, some breweries have perfected their techniques so you can’t even tell the difference between their regular and non-alcoholic beers!
If you’re drinking to get drunk (such as at a stag), swap out some pints with shots of hard liquor. For instance, a shot of vodka is just 50 calories and will still have a kick!
Know How Many Calories Are in That Pint of Beer You’re Drinking
As you can see, the calories in a pint of beer can vary drastically, depending on the type of beer you’re having. It’ll also depend on the exact ingredients that breweries put into their drinks, which can be tough to discover sometimes, seeing as every place will have their own secret recipes.
But so long as you have a general idea of how many calories are in each pint you consume, you’ll have a much easier time tracking your calories and sticking to your weight loss plan!
Now that you know how many calories are in the different types of beer, why not check out this blog post on the best glasses for every style of beer?
