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Beer Calorie Information

When having a great time at a party, gathering or otherwise, the last thing on your mind is the calories in your beer. However, many people don't realize that as they are consuming their favorite beverage, they are consuming the caloric equivalent to another full meal. The caloric content of beer varies widely depending on the brand and type.

  1. Why so many calories?

    • While beer has virtually no fat, it has a high carbohydrate content, which is sugars. Beer is produced by the brewing and fermentation of starches that come from grains. So like the high carbohydrate content of bread, there is a high carbohydrate content in beer and hence, a large amount of calories.

    Domestic Beers

    • Compare the breakdown of the calories in a 12-oz. serving of some domestic beers: Bud Ice: 148; Keystone ice: 142; Coors: 149; Busch Ice: 169; Miller High Life: 143; Pabst Blue Ribbon: 153 and Sam Adams Boston Ale: 160.

    Foreign Beers

    • There's a wide range in the caloric content for a 12-oz. serving of a sampling of imported beers: Dos Equis XX: 149; Heineken: 150; Guinness Draught: 126; Red Stripe: 153 and Corona Extra: 148.

    Light Beers

    • While the lowest of the beers, the caloric content in 12-oz. light beers is still high: Bud Light: 110; Miller Lite: 96; Pabst Extra Light Low alcohol: 67; Coors Light: 104 and Keystone Light: 103.

    Sneaky Calories

    • Regardless of make or type, beer is high in calories. Stick with either the light variety while drinking or limit your consumption of beer. Another option is swapping beer for wine, which has fewer calories.

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