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Ever wonder how many calories you are drinking when you crack open a bottle of beer? How about a craft beer?
Nutritional information is rarely marked on alcoholic beverages. and for some people, ignorance is bliss.
But a lot of people would like to know how much they’re consuming in a beer or two or three.
When you toss back a brew, these little grains are the calorie culprit.
Malt barley turns into alcohol in the brewing process. According to Niagara College Brewmaster, Jon Downing, the more malt, the higher the sugar and alcohol content: “A higher alcohol beer will have more grain in it and more residual sugar. And it’s that residual sugar and the alcohol which give beer its calories.”
The percentage of alcohol in a beer is directly correlated with calories. Multiply percentage by 2.5, then again by the number of ounces you’re drinking and you’ll have a rough calorie count.
If you’re guessing at alcohol content, don’t assume based on appearances.
The colour of a beer has surprisingly little to do with its alcohol content. If you look at this spread, we’ve got a two point seven percent here on the dark side and an eight per cent beer on the other end.
Low calorie dark beers get their flavour from dark roasted grains. On the flipside, a light coloured beer can be high in alcohol and calories.
Downing says: “Anything with the words double, triple, imperial before it will be stronger.”
If you’re driving, ask about the percentage. Some high alcohol beers can taste deceptively smooth.
Or stick with an ultra light beer. It’s low in both alcohol and calories, though it may not tickle your taste buds.
Downing: “There’s none of that malt character in the beer, so it’s a very light, fairly diluted, watery, low alcohol product.”
Luckily, some craft brews are both flavourful and figure friendly.
A standard 5% bottle of beer is about 150 calories — roughly the same as a glass of wine. A serving of liquor is a bit less, as long as you’re mixing it with diet drinks. So drinking beer doesn’t have to give you a beer belly if you do your homework.
