Low-Cal Beers

Every year millions of Americans make weight loss or being healthier their New Year’s Resolution (I’m one of them), yet only a small percentage of them actually stick to it by the end of the year or even a few months in (so, by now most everyone has given up). One of the biggest reasons people give up on their health goals is because they think of being healthy as a chore instead of a lifestyle change, with eating and drinking habits being the hardest to change. When we drink, we rarely question have many calories per pint and even if we wanted to know, that information isn’t always readily available. So, what can we, as consumers, do be healthier and enjoy social (and responsible) drinking?

Healthy Drinking Tips:

1. Avoid sweet drinks especially for mixed cocktails. It should be pretty obvious but the sweeter the drink, the more sugar and carbs it has.
2. Look for lower alcohol content. The myth is darker drinks mean more calories but that’s not exactly true. Higher alcohol content means more calories and darker drinks like Porters or IPA tend to have more alcohol than a Lager.
3. Drink slowly. Taking small sips instead of chugging down that beer means the drink will last longer and you’re less likely to order another. As a plus you’re going to notice the flavor of the beverage more.
4. Volunteer to be the designated driver. Maybe you have pushy friends or really weak self-control, but no one can argue with safe driving.

Now I know what you’re thinking “low cal drinks taste BAD, they taste watered down!” but hear me out. It’s true that a low calorie beer is not going to have the same full bodied taste as its original counterpart but that doesn’t that they’re bad. In fact, the list we put together is down right delicious!

Low-Cal Beers from CSB:

Leinenkugel Spritzen – 93 calories, 2.2g carbs

Saint Archer Gold – 95 calories, 2.6g carbs

Blue Moon Light Sky – 95 calories, 3.6 carbs

Dogfish Head Slightly Mighty IPA – 95 calories, 3.6g carbs

Miller Lite – 96 calories, 3.2g carbs

Lagunitas Day Time IPA 4 percent ABV – 98 calories, 3g carbs

Vizzy – 100 calories, 1g sugar

White Claw Seltzer – 100 calories, 2g carbs

Truly Lemonade Seltzer – 100 calories, 3g carbs

Deschutes Wowza – 100 calories, 4g carbs

Ballast Point Lager – 99 calories, 3.5g carbs

Deschutes Da Shootz – 99 calories, 4.2g carbs

Corona Light – 99 calories, 5g carbs

New Belgium Mural Agua Fresca Cerveza – 110 calories, 9g carbs

Guinness Draught – 125 calories, 10g carbs (see? You can have a low cal dark beer!)

Bonus category: non alcoholic beers!

Heineken 0.0 non alc – 69 calories, 4.8g carbs

Coors edge NA – 41 calories, 8g carbs

Clausthaler – Dry Hopped Lager – 86 calories, 18.5g carbs

*The list is based on 12oz servings. For reference, 1.5oz shot of spirits and 5oz serving of most wine is between 100-125 calories.

Happy drinking!

Written by Jan Fogg

Purchasing Assistant