On a keto diet or looking to lower your carb intake? Think you can’t drink beer anymore? Well that’s just not true! While the average carb count in a single 12 oz. mass produced lager is around 11 grams, lucky for you lots of low carb and lower calorie beers exist.
There’s this pervasive beer myth that beer is fattening and will make you have a beer belly. Beer has no cholesterol and no grams of fat per serving but what it does have is calories and carbs. Moderation in drinking (and anything really) is the key to a healthy lifestyle.
Beer also isn’t just light lagers and IPAs; there are hundreds of beer styles brewed around the world to satisfy any craving and some of these can be low carb and/or low calorie. Here are some suggestions.
NEW YORK – OCTOBER 18: A bottle of Michelob’s new Ultra beer is shown October 18, 2002 in New York … [+]
American Light Lagers Are The Answer
Miller Lite, the first modern American light lager was actually invented by a different brewery: Rheingold. Rheingold biochemist Dr. Joseph L. Owades created the recipe for a diet beer in 1967. The recipe was then sold to Miller in the early 1970’s. Miller took this and marketed its new “Lite” brand as “great taste, less filling” and thus the light lager boom began. So if you are looking to carve out carbs, any American light lager will do the trick and many of these are now brewed by local craft breweries if you are keen on supporting local or small businesses.
Session IPAs Are Worth Seeking Out
In the mid 2010’s, a trend of “session IPA”- hoppy sub 5% ABV beers with lots of hop flavor and aroma, flooded the market. They are still here in most respects but some have been renamed and tweaked as “low calorie IPAs.” These beers will have great hoppy flavor (think citrus and tropical fruit) but less carbs and calories due to their lower ABV and grain makeup. Beers like Dogfish Head Slightly Mighty (3.6g carbs) and Lagunitas DayTime (3g carbs) are easy to find in most places around America.
Singlecut’s new brand of hard seltzer, Trip Hard Seltzer at Singlecut Beersmiths on Wednesday, June … [+]
Want To Support Local Or Small Businesses? Check Out Your Brewery’s Hard Seltzer Selection
Gluten free hard seltzers are very popular and some are being made by your local craft brewery. These will usually be 2-3g carb and usually under 100 calories depending on the alcohol and sugar content. Big brands like Boston Beer Company owned Truly (2-3g carbs) are great and easy to find but many small breweries are getting into the game to appeal to those looking for low carb alcoholic options or have issues digesting wheat/barley.
Dark Beers Can Also Be Low Carb
Think you can’t drink dark beers styles because they are too heavy? This is another beer myth. The British style called dark mild is becoming more popular in craft beer bars settings and can have under 5g carbs per serving (along with a very sessionable ABV of under 4%!).
Moderation Is Key
If you still want to drink your favorite beer styles but are looking for low carb and low calorie options, perhaps share your favorite pint can with a friend or if you are visiting a brewery, many breweries do smaller pours so you can have a few different beers but only have one pint. Remember to enjoy beer responsibly with those you care about. Cheers!