Beer - low-carb or low-alcohol?
First came Toohey's Maxim, then Pure Blonde, followed by Hahn Super Dry. These days, it seems the choice of low-carb beers is forever expanding. Health-conscious Australians have taken to these beers with gusto, but the question remains - are low-carb beers any better for your health? Well, like most things in nutrition, it depends on what you are hoping to achieve.
Are you aiming to cut carbs? You consume one-third as much
You drink in only 3 grams of carbohydrate from a 375 mL bottle or can compared to 10 grams from regular beer. So you're drinking in about one-third the carbs of regular beer.
You save 7 grams carbs per bottle or can which is around the carbs in half a slice of bread. Not much of a saving really.
But over an evening of say six beers (not recommended), this would translate to 40 grams less carbs.
Are you aiming to drink less alcohol? You won't save anything!
Low-carb beers have the same alcohol content as full-strength regular beers. They're NOT low-alcohol - which is probably why they appeal as they have a better flavour.
If you like numbers, check the table below. You'll see low carb-beer has around 4.6% alcohol by volume, which is the same as regular beer but more than mid-strength (at 3.4%) or light low-alcohol beers (2.7%).
| Beer | % Alcohol | % Carbs | Kilojoules |
|---|---|---|---|
| Regular full-strength beer | 4.6 | 2.5 - 3.6 | 150 - 180 |
| Low-carb beer | 4.6 | 0.9 | 120 |
| Low-alcohol beer | 2.7 | 3.1 | 120 |
All figures per 100 mL.
Carbs vs alcohol?
Removing EITHER carbohydrate or alcohol from beer means you end up consuming less kilojoules (20 to 33 per cent less depending on the brand), which gives you a good reason to order either if you're after weight loss.
What's interesting though, is both low-carb beer and light beer are similar in kilojoules - around 450 kJ per bottle or 120 kJ per 100 mL.
From a health viewpoint, irrespective of whether you are trying to lose weight or not, it's better to drink less alcohol than take in less carbohydrates.
Therefore, my preference would be a lower-alcohol beer. You cut back on alcohol (which is good news for your liver, blood pressure and cancer risk) AND save on kilojoules.
Low-carb beers by brand (in alphabetical order)
| Brand |
g Carbohydrate
|
% Alcohol |
Kilojoules |
| Bolt | <1.0 | 4.6 | 110 |
| Burleigh Brewing Big Head | <0.1 | 4.2 | 112 |
| Carlton Dry | 1.9 | 4.5 | 139 |
| Coopers Clear | 1.0 | 4.5 | 130 |
| Hahn Super Dry | 0.9 | 4.6 | 126 |
| James Boag Classic Blonde | 1.0 | 4.5 | 125 |
| MAXX Blonde | 1.3 | 4.6 | 129 |
| Peroni Leggera | 2.1 | 3.5 | 117 |
| Platinum Blonde | 1.4 | 4.6 | 138 |
| Pure Blonde Premium Mid | 1.4 | 3.5 | 109 |
| Pure Blond Ultra Low Carb | 0.5 | 4.2 | 109 |
| Summer Bright Lager | 0.8 | 4.2 | 119 |
| Steersman Blonde Low Carb | 0.8 | 4.2 | 150 |
All figures are per 100 mL of beer. Data from Calorie King with thanks.
The bottom line
Compared to soft drink, beer is NOT high in carbohydrate in the first place. Regular beer has 3% carbs while soft drink has 11%. So a 375 mL bottle or can contains about 10 grams of carbs compared with 40 grams for the soft drink.
