Beer is probably the last thing you would expect to be promoted on a fitness website. It is high in calories, low in nutritional value and does very little for your health. However, that does not change the fact that a lot of people (myself included) enjoy drinking beer. This is especially true over Christmas.
Unfortunately, all this extra beer can quickly lead to festive weight gain. Most cans of premium lager contain over 200 calories which means that just 5 cans can take you over the 1,000 calorie mark. When you combine this with all the treats and 3 course Christmas dinners that are on offer, the impact of beer on your waistline can be quite severe.
The good news is that not all beers are created equal and there are low calorie options available. In this article I am going to be providing you with 3 low calorie beers that you can try this Christmas.
1) BUDWEISER 66
Budweiser 66 is a weaker 4% version of the standard 5% Budweiser lager. In terms of calories it weighs up quite favourably. A 300 millilitre (ml) bottle of Budweiser 66 comes in at just 84 calories and contains 1.3 units of alcohol which equates to just 70 calories per unit.
In terms of taste, Budweiser 66 has mixed reviews. When MSN Him ran a taste test on the lager it got 1 no, 1 maybe and 2 yes’s. The blogger Pete Brown said that “The beer is perfectly pleasant. Just not a lot going on with it.” However, his girlfriend did enjoy it and said she would drink it again.
Personally, I have not yet tried Budweiser 66 although I do quite like the taste of standard Budweiser so I will definitely be testing it in the run up to Christmas.
2) COORS LIGHT
Coors Light is a premium light beer and contains 4.5% alcohol. Due to the increased alcohol content, Coors Light is slightly higher in calories with a standard 330ml bottle containing 106 calories and 1.5 units. However, when you combine the calories and the units it adds up to an impressive 71 calories per unit.
Like with Budweiser 66, the opinions on Coors Light are mixed but generally favourable. It has a score of 3.8 out of 5 on ViewPoints.com with the most favourable review describing it as a “great beer to just cool you down without weighing you down” and the most critical review labelling it as “beer flavoured water”.
I have had Coors quite a few times in the past and I really like it. Whilst it does not have a strong taste it is really light and refreshing. I find when I drink other beers I feel quite bloated and groggy after a few. However, with Coors I never experience this feeling which is a really big plus. I would highly recommend giving it a try this Christmas so long as you can get over the very cheesy Jeane Claude Van Damme adverts.
3) FOSTERS GOLD
Fosters Gold is a surprise addition to this list. It is marketed as a premium version of Fosters lager and contains 4.8% alcohol. The adverts for this lager focus on comedy and do not make any reference to the fact that this is a light beer. However, when researching this article I discovered that a 300ml bottle contains just 102 calories and 1.4 units of alcohol which equates to a notable 73 calories per unit.
I have not tasted Fosters Gold and since it is the newest of the 3 lagers on this list I cannot find much feedback on the Internet. I am not a huge fan of standard Fosters but my experience is that premium lagers generally taste a lot better so I will be checking it out at some point.
SUMMARY
Low calorie beers get a lot of flak and are really unpopular in the UK. In fact I could only find 3 low calorie beers that are on sale in the UK to reference in this article and only 1 of these (Coors Light) is actually marketed as a light beer. However, I strongly advise you to give them a try this Christmas. If you find 1 you like you can cut some serious calories from your beer and reduce the amount of festive calories that you consume.
Now I would like to hear your thoughts. Have you ever tried low calorie beer? Do you love it or hate it? Are there any other low calorie beers available in the UK that are not on this list? Let me know by leaving a comment.
Sources:
Budweiser 66 (Cooking Lager)
Budweiser 66 – Taste Test (MSN Him)
Calories in Lager (Nutracheck)
Coors Light Reviews (Viewpoint)
Food and Calorie Finder (Fat Secret)
Unit Calculator (Drink Aware)