Beer calories

One of the hardest things for me to give up is alcohol. I like a glass of wine or a beer (or two), and I know those liquid calories are insidious.

Now that I'm logging everything, I see that different varieties of beer have different amounts of calories. It's interesting to say the least.

Can anyone suggest some of the better tasting beer in bottles on the lower range of the calorie scale (excluding light beers which I detest)?

Replies

  • abrooks54
    abrooks54 Posts: 45 Member
    if you aren't going to go to like a mich ultra, and you can't stop at 1 IPA, your best option is going to be a glass of wine or a vodka on the rocks with splash of water with a lemon.
  • Liftng4Lis
    Liftng4Lis Posts: 15,151 Member
    Stick with hard, it's less of a calorie bomb.
  • WBB55
    WBB55 Posts: 4,131 Member
    If I need a "lower" calorie drink:

    -Homemade shandy made with crystal light and a nice beer
    -Red wine
    -Gin and tonic made with sugar-free tonic

    But, basically, work to fit the good beer calories in, IMHO. I had a 225 calorie pint of Whitsun the other day.
  • spearmintskies
    spearmintskies Posts: 31 Member
    A shandy made with crystal light is a great idea. I work at a bottlestore/taproom (800 bottles of craft beer, 16 taps) and it can be difficult not to come home with beer or have one after every shift. I'll definitely keep the crystal light idea in mind.
  • ercaface
    ercaface Posts: 45 Member
    I'm an IPA addict (and red wine) and refuse to give it up--hence the minimal weightloss. I refuse to drink 'light beer' unless it is the only option. Go here for ideas :)

    http://www.wastedcalories.com/beercalories.html
  • Whittedo
    Whittedo Posts: 352 Member
    As a general rule pilsners and other lagers have slightly lower calories. Because of the higher alcohol content IPAa and other strong beers tend to have higher calorie counts. If you can stand the fruity taste radlers are an excellent option.
  • pmm3437
    pmm3437 Posts: 529 Member
    edited July 2015
    Since you don't want lite versions, cant make any suggestions, its what I drink lately.
    If your willing to reconsider, check out Mike's Hard Lite Black Cherry Lemonade ... love the stuff. In fact, most of the lite versions of Mike's, Smirnoff, etc that I have tried are pretty good, and around the 100-125 cal range.

    Quality over quantity. Should be a universal mantra, but sadly it isn't.

    Fit it into your macros and plan, and enjoy.

    Proost ...
  • amwoidyla
    amwoidyla Posts: 257 Member
    I'm pretty sure the calories depend on the alcohol content. I know it's more fun to have the stout with a 10% abv, but sometimes those 4-5%er's taste just as good!
  • noaddedsugarx
    noaddedsugarx Posts: 169 Member
    Gin and slimlime tonic has been a lifesaver for me!
  • reidhowland
    reidhowland Posts: 3 Member
    Stiegl makes a 2.5%-ish ABV radler that is in the neighborhood of ~35 calories for one of those slightly-sub-12oz. bottles. If you like grapefruit, they're tasty and you can drink them all day long without falling over.
  • kbaker001
    kbaker001 Posts: 61 Member
    Guinness. It has fewer calories than a Budweiser or Miller.
  • dubird
    dubird Posts: 1,849 Member
    Try the skinny lime margerta over at La Hacendia? I dunno, I don't drink beer. But I did find out Mike's Hard Lime has less than 300 calories, though I haven't tried their light versions. Try looking at different drinks like that and see if there's anything that looks tasty to you.
  • Aceydeal
    Aceydeal Posts: 25 Member
    Thanks for all the suggestions! I'm really not a hard alcohol drinker. Don't care for it, and generally go for beer or dry red wines (less sweet).
  • edwardetr
    edwardetr Posts: 140 Member
    Alcohol calories do not get converted to fat. Alcohol gets converted to acetate, which is eliminated by the body. However, it gets done preferentially, so other calories that you consume with alcohol are more likely to be converted to fat while they are waiting in line. Your best bet if you do not like hard liquor is continue with the dry reds and avoid food while drinking.
  • Azexas
    Azexas Posts: 4,334 Member
    Liftng4Lis wrote: »
    Stick with hard, it's less of a calorie bomb.

    Yupp- Hard liquor tends to be lower calorie per serving than beer/ wine.

    You can always look for the "skinny girl" drinks as well.
  • callsitlikeiseeit
    callsitlikeiseeit Posts: 8,626 Member
    i only drink light beer.

    cheap ones, at that. LOL

    for around 100 calories, it isnt bad.
  • ncboiler89
    ncboiler89 Posts: 2,408 Member
    Lower calorie beer is going to have lower alcohol percent meaning you are going to have to drink more in order to make your wife/husband/whatever bearable so it's all a wash. Cut down on food intake to account for the needed alcohol.
  • DuckReconMajor
    DuckReconMajor Posts: 434 Member
    kbaker001 wrote: »
    Guinness. It has fewer calories than a Budweiser or Miller.

    Yes. Gotta love Guinness, 155 calories in one of those tall 14.9 oz cans. Also supposedly it's got more healthy minerals and crap than other beers, according to questionably reliable internet sources.
  • sheldonklein
    sheldonklein Posts: 854 Member
    hefeweizens or kolschs. There are some "session IPAs" that are tolerable calorie-wise.
  • piheart
    piheart Posts: 122 Member
    If you like craft beers, check this list out. Lower ABV = fewer calories. Most IPAs tend to have a higher ABV, so they dont make it on here, but I find this list to have a nice variety anyways.

    http://blog.letspour.com/23-best-low-alcohol-craft-beers/