Like India Pale Ale? Here are the lowest calorie choices...
PatanjaliTwist
Posts: 485 Member
If you're like me & an IPA drinker, you'll love the below list of low cal options, especially since most IPAs hover around 250-calories.
Depending upon where one lives, not all can be found in local stores, but many can be ordered online, if so inclined. I've only tried the Ballast Point IPAs & they have excellent flavor... hearty, with a sweet-tangy aftertaste... & I used to live in Pottstown, PA & the Sly Fox beers & ales are aces (although I haven't had this stout). The last on the list, Baba Black Lager is supposed to have a flavor akin to Guinness. Can't wait to sample that one.
If you give any a try, please share your personal reviews. I'm on a mission next week to find a few from the list. Cheers, then...
Bikini Beer, Evil Twin Brewing, Brooklyn, NY (88 cal)
Brooklyn ½ Ale, Brooklyn Brewery, NY (102 cal)
O’Reilly’s Stout, Sly Fox Brewing, Pottstown, PA (108 cal)
Even Keel Session IPA, Ballast Pt, San Diego, CA (114 cal)
Oarsman Ale, Bell’s Brewery, Kalamazoo, MI (120 cal)
Baba Black Lager, Uinta Brewery, SLC, UT (120 cal)
Depending upon where one lives, not all can be found in local stores, but many can be ordered online, if so inclined. I've only tried the Ballast Point IPAs & they have excellent flavor... hearty, with a sweet-tangy aftertaste... & I used to live in Pottstown, PA & the Sly Fox beers & ales are aces (although I haven't had this stout). The last on the list, Baba Black Lager is supposed to have a flavor akin to Guinness. Can't wait to sample that one.
If you give any a try, please share your personal reviews. I'm on a mission next week to find a few from the list. Cheers, then...
Bikini Beer, Evil Twin Brewing, Brooklyn, NY (88 cal)
Brooklyn ½ Ale, Brooklyn Brewery, NY (102 cal)
O’Reilly’s Stout, Sly Fox Brewing, Pottstown, PA (108 cal)
Even Keel Session IPA, Ballast Pt, San Diego, CA (114 cal)
Oarsman Ale, Bell’s Brewery, Kalamazoo, MI (120 cal)
Baba Black Lager, Uinta Brewery, SLC, UT (120 cal)
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Replies
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Great post2
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PatanjaliTwist wrote: »If you're like me & an IPA drinker, you'll love the below list of low cal options, especially since most IPAs hover around 250-calories.
Depending upon where one lives, not all can be found in local stores, but many can be ordered online, if so inclined. I've only tried the Ballast Point IPAs & they have excellent flavor... hearty, with a sweet-tangy aftertaste... & I used to live in Pottstown, PA & the Sly Fox beers & ales are aces (although I haven't had this stout). The last on the list, Baba Black Lager is supposed to have a flavor akin to Guinness. Can't wait to sample that one.
If you give any a try, please share your personal reviews. I'm on a mission next week to find a few from the list. Cheers, then...
Thanks for the post. I'm sure people looking for lower-alcohol beer ideas will find it useful.
Most of these aren't IPAs, though. Baba Black Lager isn't even an ale. The BJCP guidelines for IPA suggest an abv range from 5.5%-7.5%, with broader ranges for "specialty" IPAs. That's going to put calories around 160-230 for a 12 ounce pour.
Looking more closely at your list:
Bikini Beer, Evil Twin Brewing - Evil Twin is known for doing all kinds of interesting things. This one is 2.7% abv!
Brooklyn ½ Ale, Brooklyn Brewery, NY (102 cal) - This is a Saison, not an IPA, and at 3.4% is definitely a "session" Saison
O’Reilly’s Stout, Sly Fox Brewing, Pottstown, PA (108 cal) - This is a stout, at 3.6% abv
Even Keel Session IPA, Ballast Pt, San Diego, CA (114 cal) - This is a "session IPA", at 3.8% abv
Oarsman Ale, Bell’s Brewery, Kalamazoo, MI (120 cal) - This is a sour Berliner Weisse, at 4% abv, which is within the style guidelines for that style
Baba Black Lager, Uinta Brewery, SLC, UT (120 cal) - Lager, 4% abv.
My personal opinions: I don't think I've had a "session IPA" that I particularly enjoyed. My favorite was probably Lagunitas' Daytime Fractional IPA, based on my untappd check-ins. I just think that IPAs need some heft to balance the IBUs and aromas, and lighter bodies just don't do it. I'm looking for lower alcohol options I tend to go to lighter varieties of stout, or gose, or pilsners, for example. I just got my hands on some of the Strawberry Rhubarb from New Glarus. It's pretty darned good, especially at 4% abv.
Don't mean to editorialize - this is just one of my favorite subjects!12 -
bigmuneymfp wrote: »Great post
Cheers, mate. Can't wait for ale shopping... I'm currently imbibing in a 250-cal Cigar Brewing Co. Jai Alai IPA from Tampa, FL. Wonderfully brilliant flavor (& cheerfully designed container), but double & tripple the calories of some on the list. If you try any, I'd love your feedback.
Have a wonderful weekend!1 -
This is a constant issue for me. We have 25 craft breweries within our city limits and I adore craft brew. I have to often search the data bases by 'type' of beer ... porter, kolsch, amber, etc. and I know that this is not the way to go...but it's all I have since breweries don't release this info especially for small batches.0
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PatanjaliTwist wrote: »If you're like me & an IPA drinker, you'll love the below list of low cal options, especially since most IPAs hover around 250-calories.
Depending upon where one lives, not all can be found in local stores, but many can be ordered online, if so inclined. I've only tried the Ballast Point IPAs & they have excellent flavor... hearty, with a sweet-tangy aftertaste... & I used to live in Pottstown, PA & the Sly Fox beers & ales are aces (although I haven't had this stout). The last on the list, Baba Black Lager is supposed to have a flavor akin to Guinness. Can't wait to sample that one.
If you give any a try, please share your personal reviews. I'm on a mission next week to find a few from the list. Cheers, then...
Thanks for the post. I'm sure people looking for lower-alcohol beer ideas will find it useful.
Most of these aren't IPAs, though. Baba Black Lager isn't even an ale. The BJCP guidelines for IPA suggest an abv range from 5.5%-7.5%, with broader ranges for "specialty" IPAs. That's going to put calories around 160-230 for a 12 ounce pour.
Looking more closely at your list:
Bikini Beer, Evil Twin Brewing - Evil Twin is known for doing all kinds of interesting things. This one is 2.7% abv!
Brooklyn ½ Ale, Brooklyn Brewery, NY (102 cal) - This is a Saison, not an IPA, and at 3.4% is definitely a "session" Saison
O’Reilly’s Stout, Sly Fox Brewing, Pottstown, PA (108 cal) - This is a stout, at 3.6% abv
Even Keel Session IPA, Ballast Pt, San Diego, CA (114 cal) - This is a "session IPA", at 3.8% abv
Oarsman Ale, Bell’s Brewery, Kalamazoo, MI (120 cal) - This is a sour Berliner Weisse, at 4% abv, which is within the style guidelines for that style
Baba Black Lager, Uinta Brewery, SLC, UT (120 cal) - Lager, 4% abv.
My personal opinions: I don't think I've had a "session IPA" that I particularly enjoyed. My favorite was probably Lagunitas' Daytime Fractional IPA, based on my untappd check-ins. I just think that IPAs need some heft to balance the IBUs and aromas, and lighter bodies just don't do it. I'm looking for lower alcohol options I tend to go to lighter varieties of stout, or gose, or pilsners, for example. I just got my hands on some of the Strawberry Rhubarb from New Glarus. It's pretty darned good, especially at 4% abv.
Don't mean to editorialize - this is just one of my favorite subjects!
I came in and expected to call out everything that you just did. I like my IPA with more weight to it than sessions have, and so I tend not to go for those, but most of this list isn't IPA or even similar to an IPA at all, considering that stouts aren't exactly a hop-filled variety, and lagers are not ales.
If I asked for an IPA and a bartender suggested a stout instead I'd probably question whether they should be tending bar. That's not to say that stouts and lower ABV ales are bad, it's just not really a substitute when what you're looking for is the profile of an IPA. It's like if someone asks for a steak and the waiter suggests the chicken as a lower calorie alternative. Sure they're both meat, but that's where the similarity ends.3 -
Did somebody say beer?
I love IPA's and can't get enough of them. The problem is they are not the lightest calorie wise. I usually save the IPA for the weekends or tap rooms. For my daily go to light beer I get Sierra Nevada pale ale at 175 calories. This is as light as I go, if I want water I drink water.2 -
Aww i LOVE my hoppy ipas....unfortunately, i go towards the double ipa or even triple. There's no way to get around those calories unless I don't get the hops.
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pacingoamy wrote: »This is a constant issue for me. We have 25 craft breweries within our city limits and I adore craft brew. I have to often search the data bases by 'type' of beer ... porter, kolsch, amber, etc. and I know that this is not the way to go...but it's all I have since breweries don't release this info especially for small batches.
Most craft breweries will list the ABV % (alcohol by volume) for the particular brew. There are entries in the MFP database for Craft Beer 5%, etc., so try searching with those terms. Again, it's not perfect, but it's a lifesaver as the ABV can vary so widely by style and brewery. A local brewery to me has a session IPA called Six Alberts that's 4.2%, but their standard IPA, Monkeynaut, is 7.25%. Their imperial version, Gorillanaut, is 9%. So that's roughly 180, 310, and 360 calories per pint, respectively, which can make a huge difference, especially if you want more than one!2 -
pacingoamy wrote: »This is a constant issue for me. We have 25 craft breweries within our city limits and I adore craft brew. I have to often search the data bases by 'type' of beer ... porter, kolsch, amber, etc. and I know that this is not the way to go...but it's all I have since breweries don't release this info especially for small batches.
Most craft breweries will list the ABV % (alcohol by volume) for the particular brew. There are entries in the MFP database for Craft Beer 5%, etc., so try searching with those terms. Again, it's not perfect, but it's a lifesaver as the ABV can vary so widely by style and brewery. A local brewery to me has a session IPA called Six Alberts that's 4.2%, but their standard IPA, Monkeynaut, is 7.25%. Their imperial version, Gorillanaut, is 9%. So that's roughly 180, 310, and 360 calories per pint, respectively, which can make a huge difference, especially if you want more than one!
Yes, you are exactly correct. Abv gives a pretty reliable guide to calories. To wit:
Calories per fluid ounce ~= 2.5*abv(%)
So a 12 ounce bottle of 5% abv is 12*2.5*5=150 kcal.
A 16 ounce pour of 9% abv is 16*2.5*9=360 kcal.
Easy peasy.6 -
pacingoamy wrote: »This is a constant issue for me. We have 25 craft breweries within our city limits and I adore craft brew. I have to often search the data bases by 'type' of beer ... porter, kolsch, amber, etc. and I know that this is not the way to go...but it's all I have since breweries don't release this info especially for small batches.
Most craft breweries will list the ABV % (alcohol by volume) for the particular brew. There are entries in the MFP database for Craft Beer 5%, etc., so try searching with those terms. Again, it's not perfect, but it's a lifesaver as the ABV can vary so widely by style and brewery. A local brewery to me has a session IPA called Six Alberts that's 4.2%, but their standard IPA, Monkeynaut, is 7.25%. Their imperial version, Gorillanaut, is 9%. So that's roughly 180, 310, and 360 calories per pint, respectively, which can make a huge difference, especially if you want more than one!
There is a handy chart:
I use this for getting a pretty good idea of the calorie count in a beer. I don't know what I'd do if I were faced with a bomber of a 15% beer. It might be worth the calories just to see if I could possibly finish it.
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The above chart -- I think of it as the rule of 30 or 40. If a 12 oz can / bottle, 30*ABV gives a good estimate; if a 16 oz (US) pint, 40*ABV gives a good estimate.2
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I'm from Kalamazoo, MI and really like the Bell's Oarsman Ale. Knowing it's low calorie is a bonus!2
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pacingoamy wrote: »This is a constant issue for me. We have 25 craft breweries within our city limits and I adore craft brew. I have to often search the data bases by 'type' of beer ... porter, kolsch, amber, etc. and I know that this is not the way to go...but it's all I have since breweries don't release this info especially for small batches.
Had no idea Asheville has so many breweries. In 2000, I lived across the street from the Asheville Brewing Co on Merrimon Ave. Neat place with the in-house cinema & very good pizza.
Hope you find some nice tasting alternatives. Please post back if you find any. I'd love to carry a list of low calorie options to my full cal IPAs, even if it's not an IPA.
I'll take any good tasting ale, beer, IPA, stout, whatever... better than having none. And, if I ever found a good tasting non-alcoholic beer, I'd love it. Seems like decaf coffee though... not enough umph to it.0 -
Thanks for the post. I'm sure people looking for lower-alcohol beer ideas will find it useful. Most of these aren't IPAs, though.
I didn't mean to suggest they were IPAs, only low cal alternatives for those of us who'd like to give them a try. My apologies if my post was misleading, but since each name is listed in full I assume most can figure out what's being presented.My personal opinions: I don't think I've had a "session IPA" that I particularly enjoyed. My favorite was probably Lagunitas' Daytime Fractional IPA, based on my untappd check-ins. I just think that IPAs need some heft to balance the IBUs and aromas, and lighter bodies just don't do it. I'm looking for lower alcohol options I tend to go to lighter varieties of stout, or gose, or pilsners, for example. I just got my hands on some of the Strawberry Rhubarb from New Glarus. It's pretty darned good, especially at 4% abv.
Yeah, always hard to recommend as our tastes differ. I thought I'd just post the info as someone will appreciate the info & who knows, maybe there's a good one there for someone. You like Lagunitas & I think they're awful tasting. And, I don't usually enjoy the fruit flavored choices (not sure I'd enjoy strawberry rhubarb anything), although I love the aroma of most IPAs. My faves change all the time, but are always the ones hovering in the $15 range, which annoys me when I see people pay the same for a case of Bud Lite. Regardless, I'd drink it if it tasted good & wouldn't care if it's ale or stout or IPA. IPAs just have the flavor I'm enjoying at the moment. Prior to that, I was on a Guinness jag.Don't mean to editorialize - this is just one of my favorite subjects!
Okay, then. Post away.0 -
Did somebody say beer?
I love IPA's and can't get enough of them. The problem is they are not the lightest calorie wise. I usually save the IPA for the weekends or tap rooms. For my daily go to light beer I get Sierra Nevada pale ale at 175 calories. This is as light as I go, if I want water I drink water.
I love them, too.
But, there's one thing I can't figure out. Some beers/ales give me a monstrous headache (& I'm a 1 pint lass, 2 max on the weekend, so it's not over-imbibing that's the issue) & Sierra Nevada, Fat Tire, Stone & Dale's are companies I have to avoid... I'm always a bit trepidatious with new choices. And, sadly, I love hefeweizens, but just refer to them as a headache in a bottle.
Not sure if others have this issue?0 -
sarahbri923 wrote: »I'm from Kalamazoo, MI and really like the Bell's Oarsman Ale. Knowing it's low calorie is a bonus!
I'll give it a try. Thank you.0 -
pacingoamy wrote: »This is a constant issue for me. We have 25 craft breweries within our city limits and I adore craft brew. I have to often search the data bases by 'type' of beer ... porter, kolsch, amber, etc. and I know that this is not the way to go...but it's all I have since breweries don't release this info especially for small batches.
Most craft breweries will list the ABV % (alcohol by volume) for the particular brew. There are entries in the MFP database for Craft Beer 5%, etc., so try searching with those terms. Again, it's not perfect, but it's a lifesaver as the ABV can vary so widely by style and brewery. A local brewery to me has a session IPA called Six Alberts that's 4.2%, but their standard IPA, Monkeynaut, is 7.25%. Their imperial version, Gorillanaut, is 9%. So that's roughly 180, 310, and 360 calories per pint, respectively, which can make a huge difference, especially if you want more than one!
I didn't know any of this, so thank you for the info.0 -
heiliskrimsli wrote: »There is a handy chart... I use this for getting a pretty good idea of the calorie count in a beer. I don't know what I'd do if I were faced with a bomber of a 15% beer. It might be worth the calories just to see if I could possibly finish it.
Very handy, thank you very much.0 -
I prefer IPAs when available and always go for the highest alcohol (cal count) content when it's known.
So, no low alcohol beer for me. If you have to worry about it why bother?
When I needed to worry about it b4, I drank O'Doul's and I never want to do THAT again Plain water is better and cheaper.1 -
I prefer IPAs when available and always go for the highest alcohol (cal count) content when it's known.
Why? Does higher alcohol content generally mean more intense flavor... or whatever proper wording won't upset the nitpickers?
As to "why bother"... it's temporary, at least for me. In weight reduction phase, I'd still like to have something.0 -
@heiliskrimsli wrote: »
...
There is a handy chart:
I use this for getting a pretty good idea of the calorie count in a beer. I don't know what I'd do if I were faced with a bomber of a 15% beer. It might be worth the calories just to see if I could possibly finish it.
Love the chart. Thanks for sharing!
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PatanjaliTwist wrote: »Why? Does higher alcohol content generally mean more intense flavor... or whatever proper wording won't upset the nitpickers?
As to "why bother"... it's temporary, at least for me. In weight reduction phase, I'd still like to have something.
In general, I do find beers with higher alcohol content has more "flavor" -- at least for IPAs. They taste more hoppy/bitter to me, which I like. I also like Islay single malt scotch which has a distinct peaty flavor. So, it's that flavor connection for me.
As for "why bother," if you need to watch your beer cals, so be it but I don't drink enough beer anymore for it to matter to me. Only 1-2 beers every weekend or so now.
But, if you're drinking 3-6 (and sometimes even more) beers a day, like I was at one point in time -- which is why I tried O'Doul's for awhile -- then it would definitely matter.
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PatanjaliTwist wrote: »I prefer IPAs when available and always go for the highest alcohol (cal count) content when it's known.
Why? Does higher alcohol content generally mean more intense flavor... or whatever proper wording won't upset the nitpickers?
As to "why bother"... it's temporary, at least for me. In weight reduction phase, I'd still like to have something.
There are very different flavors for different styles of beer which don't really exist in low ABV beer. You're not going to find a 3% ABV beer that tastes like an 8% IPA at 90 IBUs. It's a very different flavor when you're at the range of 10 IBUs. The closest you get are session that's IPA style or an XPA - and they don't taste the same as IPAs. Even an APA isn't going to give someone who really likes hops what they're looking for.
The difficulty is that while the bitter hops are what people who love IPAs, Imperial or Double IPAs, are looking for the bitter flavor has to be properly balanced - which means using the right malt proportions and getting the fermentation working - which raises the ABV.
To create a beer with the flavor of IPA and the ABV of a light beer would be a whole new category of beer.1 -
There is certainly a fashion among craft beer enthusiasts for the most massive offerings available - look at the trend toward "imperial" everything. What are people waiting in line for? Big offerings like Dark Lord, or Pliny the Elder, or Darkness. I just had Boulevard's Imperial Pils at 7.5% abv, and it was pretty good too. I've got a Belgian Quad aging on my shelf at 16% abv! I even had an Imperial Milk Stout recently.
Typically the more massive beers do offer a greater variety of flavors, as there's more depth to play with. You can mix in barrel aging, adjuncts like maple or chocolate, funky yeast strains, multiple hop additions, and so on. The higher alcohols can stress the yeasts and make more esters and side flavors.
It's just much more difficult to do this with lower alcohol beers. Not to say you can't get good flavor, because you certainly can. You can make a good argument that the more modest beers offer less room to hide behind and are better examples of the brewer's craft. That's why a true pilsener is so hard to pull off - you've got to get water chemistry, mash, hops, and yeast all right to pull it off. Likewise, a properly mashed decoction bock is a rare find and a huge treat.
But poorly made lower alcohol brews are common, and they can be just awful if done wrong. There's a reason that "small beer" is an epithet.2 -
I will have to show this to my husband. He is a HUGE IPA fan (me, not so much) and is just finishing off his Hopslam haul from this past January.
It took him all last year to work off his Hopslam gut, so he was smarter about it this year and limited his consumption to only a couple a week. He is running low now though, and probably planning a memorial for his last can, but I am sure he will be looking for something to fill the gap until next year.0 -
Sgt, Heilis & Jruzer... Amazing info, thank you! I'm going to intuit that I'm not going to enjoy non-IPAs because they just have the best flavor to me. I was a Guinness drinker for years, but suddenly tired of the taste. As an experiment, I'll still give one of the low cals a test... I'm just curious.
Thanks everyone for all the info you've taken the time to post! I'm sure it's helpful to many.1 -
@heiliskrimsli wrote: »
...
There is a handy chart:
I use this for getting a pretty good idea of the calorie count in a beer. I don't know what I'd do if I were faced with a bomber of a 15% beer. It might be worth the calories just to see if I could possibly finish it.
Love the chart. Thanks for sharing!
Oh very interesting! I'll have to use this when I go out for beer because I can never find local craft beers on the mfp food data. Thanks for this little chart lifesaver!0 -
I know this struggle well as a homebrewer and a craft beer fan ( I have three friends who all work at different breweries). Have you tried Sour beers at all? Some of them are much lower in calories and alchohol but have very interesting flavor profiles. Berliner weiss is one of my favorite summer beer styles and is light (usually around 3% abv) but has a tart taste kind of like lemonade and really works in the heat. There is really no substitute for an IPA (Jai Alai is awesome, my favorite right now is Molotov Lite) but mixing it up with styles can help. Even some lagers are actually quite hoppy.2
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I've tried all of these and they aren't IPAS with the exception of the Ballast Point and the Evil Twin. I rated them accordingly.
Bikini Beer, Evil Twin Brewing, Brooklyn, NY (88 cal) - meh and it's super bitter
Brooklyn ½ Ale, Brooklyn Brewery, NY (102 cal) - I generally love Brooklyn, but again this was not a good full calorie beer replacement. Besides, Brooklyn makes my favorite Saison with their Sorachi Ace. I rather go for a run and drink the sorachi.
O’Reilly’s Stout, Sly Fox Brewing, Pottstown, PA (108 cal) -okay, but there are much better stouts for like 40 more calories. Like Lancaster Milk Stout. It's 158 calories if memory serves and is much yummier. It's also from PA.
Even Keel Session IPA, Ballast Pt, San Diego, CA (114 cal) - Decent for a session. I'm just not a huge fan of sessions or APA's in general.
Oarsman Ale, Bell’s Brewery, Kalamazoo, MI (120 cal) - crisp with a nice sour at the end, but this tastes more like a witbier. It's particularly good on a very hot day.
Baba Black Lager, Uinta Brewery, SLC, UT (120 cal) I know this is weird, but I've never had any beers from Uinta that I loved.
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