CRAFT BEER LOVERS: How do you track beer calories?

christinehuds

LOVE craft beer, but I'm never sure how to track the calories -- much less the carbs or other macros.

I don't drink beer often right now because I'm eating at a deficit, so it maybe doesn't matter too much if I'm a bit off. I only have a pint or two about every other week but, I'm never sure how to track it. If I'm deciding to spend my precious calories on beer, I'm certainly drinking an IPA or double IPA because those are my favorites, and I heard my boyfriend mention that higher ABV beers have more calories.

Generally, I use a generic IPA calorie count from the MFP database, and it comes out to around 200 calories per pint. I usually round up just in case, but I was wondering if anyone had any insight to offer here?

How do you track your beer calories? Do you have any counts that might be more accurate than what's in MFP's database. Thanks, guys!

Alyssa_Is_LosingIt

I love craft beer! Definitely not something that I'm willing to give up. I do the same as you if I'm drinking beer from a small brewery that's not in the database. I will usually use the highest-calorie one that I have to be safe with the calorie estimates, especially if I'm drinking a very rich beer.

Just use a similar-sounding IPA, stout, or whatever it is you're drinking. And enjoy!

acheben

I tend to pick a generic calorie count or a count for a similar style beer from a national brand. It isn't exact, but I'm not going to give up beer in the long run, so I need to get used to it now.

glevinso

acheben wrote: »

I tend to pick a generic calorie count or a count for a similar style beer from a national brand. It isn't exact, but I'm not going to give up beer in the long run, so I need to get used to it now.

When I was logging calories this is what I did. Pick something similar and it is probably good enough.

IE - your local brewery has a nice flavorful pale ale that is about 5.5%, log it as Sierra Nevada Pale Ale (or any larger national-brand craft brewery with a similar product). Alternatively I sometimes just figured 200-250cal/pint depending on how heavy it was (300 if a big stout).

christinehuds

glevinso wrote: »

acheben wrote: »

I tend to pick a generic calorie count or a count for a similar style beer from a national brand. It isn't exact, but I'm not going to give up beer in the long run, so I need to get used to it now.

When I was logging calories this is what I did. Pick something similar and it is probably good enough.

IE - your local brewery has a nice flavorful pale ale that is about 5.5%, log it as Sierra Nevada Pale Ale (or any larger national-brand craft brewery with a similar product). Alternatively I sometimes just figured 200-250cal/pint depending on how heavy it was (300 if a big stout).

Yes, wonderful advice. Thank you! I nearly always drink local craft beer, or even homebrew beer, so I'd never thought to search for a national brand. DUH. I'm an idiot. Haha.

groundhawg

Most local craft beers are on MFP any ways now though sometimes you have to tinker with the name to get it to come up (if you get the bottle you can scan the barcode, there have only been a handful of beers I couldnt find this way), but homebrewed beers the packets are also frequently available too.

benjaminhk

I just search for a similar beer in the DB and log that instead.

sevsmom

I haven't been logging in a while, but I usually err on the side of over estimating. I figure 250 per 12 oz. My hubby home brews, so I know the struggle!

JustinAnimal

Yeah, just pick a generic or a similar style. You'll be like, "250 calories for 12 oz., that's *kitten*!" But it's not, it's what you consumed. That or start drinking brands that provide nutrition information. Like a blind man at a nude beach, it ain't hard.

bostonwolf

I've found that most of the beers I've consumed are in the database, if they aren't I search for a similar style (double IPA, stout) and log that.

segacs

This is a brilliant resource for craft beer lovers. It allows you to quickly estimate the calories based on ABV:



beeroftomorrow.com/calories-in-craft-beer/

Speaking of which, I've got a brewery tasting event scheduled for this weekend, a beer and chocolate workshop next week, and of course a bunch of festivals this spring and summer.

Mmmm, craft beer...

kristen6350

I don't pay attention "that much" to carbs - but beer calories are calculated by the ABV%. Here's a link to a chart I have on my fridge at home: http://www.beeroftomorrow.com/calories-in-craft-beer/

Most craft beer have the ABV on the bottle and if it doesn't I depend on Beer Advocate or a site like that to list it.

Sometimes I can't find the actual beer on MFP, but if I can find the ABV, I know the calories are right.

UpEarly

I use this chart: http://simplybeer.com/how-many-calories-are-in-my-beer/

I usually err toward the higher end of the calorie range given. It must be fairly accurate, because my weight has been stable for three years. (I'm on maintenance).

Also - yay craft beer!

ScarletFyre

I've been pretty surprised to find some of the craft beers i drink in here...if i can't then i try to find something similar, and err on the side of higher calories...or i'll try and google the beer and see if i can find the nutritional value and find a beer with at least similar calories

christinehuds

segacs wrote: »

This is a brilliant resource for craft beer lovers. It allows you to quickly estimate the calories based on ABV:



beeroftomorrow.com/calories-in-craft-beer/

Speaking of which, I've got a brewery tasting event scheduled for this weekend, a beer and chocolate workshop next week, and of course a bunch of festivals this spring and summer.

Mmmm, craft beer...

That chart is a great resource! Thank you so much for sharing. And I'm going to a beer fest at a local brewery this weekend too! It's all cask beer! Also, a beer and chocolate workshop sounds like actual heaven.

christinehuds

kristen6350 wrote: »

I don't pay attention "that much" to carbs - but beer calories are calculated by the ABV%. Here's a link to a chart I have on my fridge at home: http://www.beeroftomorrow.com/calories-in-craft-beer/

Most craft beer have the ABV on the bottle and if it doesn't I depend on Beer Advocate or a site like that to list it.

Sometimes I can't find the actual beer on MFP, but if I can find the ABV, I know the calories are right.

Oh, thanks for the link! I've got it bookmarked now

ZombieKillaPrincess

I usually do what you do and estimate or log it as a Stone IPA since I mostly drink IPAs. If I drink something else, I'm try to find something in the database that is the closest to it.

PRMinx

segacs wrote: »

This is a brilliant resource for craft beer lovers. It allows you to quickly estimate the calories based on ABV:



beeroftomorrow.com/calories-in-craft-beer/

Speaking of which, I've got a brewery tasting event scheduled for this weekend, a beer and chocolate workshop next week, and of course a bunch of festivals this spring and summer.

Mmmm, craft beer...

This is amazing. Thank you for sharing.

segacs

christinehuds wrote: »

That chart is a great resource! Thank you so much for sharing. And I'm going to a beer fest at a local brewery this weekend too! It's all cask beer! Also, a beer and chocolate workshop sounds like actual heaven.

You're welcome. And yep, beer festivals are great!

My festival strategy is to pre-log and say, okay, I'm going to allow myself 20 tastings of 2oz each of an average of 7% ABV beer. That's 40oz or approximately 700 calories. I'll bank those calories and set them aside for the festival.

Then at the festival, I'll use a tasting glass with markings for the size of the pour, so I know how much of each beer I drink. I use an app called Untappd to log and rate the beers I taste. Untappd will give me a log I can refer to after the fact to see what I tasted and what the ABV was for each, and I can simply multiply out the calories to see how many actual beer calories I consumed, and log those.

I do a simplified version of the same thing if I go to a brewpub. Works for me.

And yep, craft beer + single-origin chocolate = deliciousness!

Jruzer

Easy rule which matches the table shown above:

For a 12 ounce pour, calories=30*abv%

For a larger or smaller pour, scale up or down appropriately. ABV% is readily available online or via untappd.

kimberlynicole79

segacs wrote: »

This is a brilliant resource for craft beer lovers. It allows you to quickly estimate the calories based on ABV:



beeroftomorrow.com/calories-in-craft-beer/

Speaking of which, I've got a brewery tasting event scheduled for this weekend, a beer and chocolate workshop next week, and of course a bunch of festivals this spring and summer.

Mmmm, craft beer...

Im going to save this! thanks

christinehuds

segacs wrote: »

christinehuds wrote: »

That chart is a great resource! Thank you so much for sharing. And I'm going to a beer fest at a local brewery this weekend too! It's all cask beer! Also, a beer and chocolate workshop sounds like actual heaven.

You're welcome. And yep, beer festivals are great!

My festival strategy is to pre-log and say, okay, I'm going to allow myself 20 tastings of 2oz each of an average of 7% ABV beer. That's 40oz or approximately 700 calories. I'll bank those calories and set them aside for the festival.

Then at the festival, I'll use a tasting glass with markings for the size of the pour, so I know how much of each beer I drink. I use an app called Untappd to log and rate the beers I taste. Untappd will give me a log I can refer to after the fact to see what I tasted and what the ABV was for each, and I can simply multiply out the calories to see how many actual beer calories I consumed, and log those.

I do a simplified version of the same thing if I go to a brewpub. Works for me.

And yep, craft beer + single-origin chocolate = deliciousness!

Very smart! Thank you so much for sharing and have fun at your festivals!

auddii

segacs wrote: »

This is a brilliant resource for craft beer lovers. It allows you to quickly estimate the calories based on ABV:



beeroftomorrow.com/calories-in-craft-beer/

Speaking of which, I've got a brewery tasting event scheduled for this weekend, a beer and chocolate workshop next week, and of course a bunch of festivals this spring and summer.

Mmmm, craft beer...

Boo, the chart doesn't go up to 18%. It would have failed me last week. I use ratebeer or pick a similar beer with a higher calorie listing. I like erring on the side of caution.

glevinso

You have to be a little careful with that chart as an Imperial Stout at 9% will have more calories than a Double IPA at 9%. But in general - yea calories in beer pretty much correlate directly to ABV

kbmnurse

I don't bother. I drink beer once a week. I will have several enough to get a buzz. LOL

HopHead28

I am an avid homebrewer and when I started using MFP I took some time to calculate the calories for each beer I make (20+ at the time)... it was eye opening to say the least.

The calculator that I used was this one - http://www.homebrewdad.com/beer_calorie_calculator.php

You can punch in the ABV into that field and make sure to put in volume of beer. Its going to give you a range since ABV doesn't paint the best picture for calorie count.

If that doesn't satisfy your need and you want a more solid number feel free to DM me and I can give you a far more cumbersome way to figure out your calories to a T.

Cheers

AnnaNutBread89

I work in the craft beer industry and have always been interested in ways to track the calories

segacs

glevinso wrote: »

You have to be a little careful with that chart as an Imperial Stout at 9% will have more calories than a Double IPA at 9%. But in general - yea calories in beer pretty much correlate directly to ABV

Yeah, if you click on the link and read the preamble and mathematical formulas, it explains all that. The chart is a handy one if you drink a variety of different beers. It's more or less accurate to +-15% or so, but of course it's not perfect. If you drink a lot of heavy stouts or beers with high sugar content, you may want to err on the high side of this. I personally prefer pale ales, IPAs and dry, hoppy beers, so it's not much of an issue for me.

JGonzo82

acheben wrote: »

I tend to pick a generic calorie count or a count for a similar style beer from a national brand. It isn't exact, but I'm not going to give up beer in the long run, so I need to get used to it now.

^^^ this is what I do

aeromunch

The site ratebeer.com includes a "calories" listing for each beer (it's calculating a 12oz serving) but it is using the same formulas as the chart and the ABV/Calorie calculators above. For me I just google "ratebeer <beer name>" and use their calorie count for 12oz but it might be easier for others to use the table or ABV calculator websites.

vfit10

Too many empty Cals