Nutritional Information

When the major brewers decided it was time to battle for the love of the health conscious American, I scoffed at the idea.  Michelob Ultra and the introduction of light beer as a diet concept was something that was laughable moreso than laudable.  My first encounter with Michelob Ultra ironically occurred at about the same time I started on a rigorous workout regimen.  The joke of course, was that my gym had a bar right above it and on Tuesdays it was $1 taco night and my friend and I would wash down our meal with some good old Michelob Ultra since we were dieting after all.

Diet friendly beers could have been big beers way to market the drink to ladies always concerned with figure.  However, the lot of commercials that played on a loop were geared toward the men in the crowd.  Ever fearful that spirits, like always diet friendly vodka, were starting to chip aware at market share, big beer needed to reel in the key demographic.  So we get our favorite beers manipulated into MGD 64, Budweiser Select 55, etc.

I always joked, "Hey, if you are worried about how many calories are in your beer, you probably shouldn't be drinking beer."  But how could I argue with the calorie minded folks who enjoy an ice cold lager or ale?  With the major brands, it actually is easy to find calorie and carb content.  As I've ventured into the world of craft beer brought out by microbrews, it's harder to track that information down.  Mostly this is because the small brewers probably do not take the time to measure the information, even if they knew how.

Here are some quick tips to keep in mind when consuming beer:

• Generally, the higher the alcohol content, the higher the calories.  This is why Mich Ultra, Select 55, and MGD 64 taste an awful lot like water left to bake in the sun and then rechilled.

• Darker beers have higher calories (alcohol content) and more carbs.  This is based in part by the malts used to produce the beer.  That chocolatey undertone comes with chocolatey carbs.

• If your beer has an alcohol content between 4-5% you can probably expect anywhere from 100 - 150 calories depending on the style.  For example, a pale ale with that alcohol content might be on the low end of that spectrum whereas a stout with the same alcohol content would be on the high end.

• If your beer has an alcohol content between 8-10% you can probably expect anywhere from 250-400 calories depending once again on style.

As with any food or drink you enjoy while dieting it is best in moderation.  96 calorie Miller Lite adds up quickly when the company and conversation goes on for hours and you drink a steak's worth of beer.  Don't let that get you down though.  If you want to go for another brew just remember 3 miles on the treadmill and it will easily melt away.