Beer Nutrition Facts by Brand

Love to drink beer? If you’re trying to count calories, you may want to keep an eye on your beverage intake. Calories in popular alcoholic drinks have the potential to make or break your diet. Beer is no exception. But the exact number of calories in beer will depend on the brew that you choose and, of course, the amount that you drink.

Beer Nutrition Facts

Checking beer calories can be challenging. Beer makers generally don't provide nutritional information on packages, cans, or bottles. In most cases, you can check beer calories by looking online either at the beer maker's site or on a U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) or nutrition data site.

The following nutrition information is provided by the USDA for one 12-ounce serving (340g) of Budweiser Select light beer.

• Calories: 99.4
• Fat: 0g
• Sodium: 10.6mg
• Carbohydrates: 3g
• Fiber: 0g
• Sugars: 0g
• Protein: 0.7g

Once you know the number of calories in beer, double-check the serving size. If you buy a tall can, you're consuming two servings, not one. Being aware of serving sizes will help you to manage beer calories more effectively.

The lowest calorie beer is Bud Select, with just 55 calories. This is also a lower alcohol beer. Alcohol provides seven calories per gram. So beer that has less alcohol will also have fewer calories. And, in general, darker beers tend to be heavier and provide more calories, but that's not always the case.

Health Benefits

Beer is made from grains. You've heard that grains are healthy. And what about tea beer that is brewed using herbal teas and other health halo foods? Some wonder if that means drinking beer is good for you. Unfortunately, that's not really the case.

It's true that beer is made from some healthy ingredients including brewer's yeast, barley, malt, and hops. It is a good source of folate, niacin, magnesium, potassium, and niacin. But calories from alcohol don't provide the nutrition that your body needs.

There have been some studies that support the health benefits of moderate drinking. Moderate drinking is defined as no more than two drinks per day or 14 drinks per week for men and no more than one drink per day or seven drinks per week for women.

According to the Centers for Disease Control, it is unclear from the studies whether or not health benefits among moderate drinkers are a result of the alcohol or the result of related factors. So, there's no reason to start drinking beer (or more beer) to improve your health.

Beers Under 100 Calories

These are the lightest beers on the market. While they are not particularly beneficial for your diet, they will do less damage than higher-calorie beers. Nutrition facts are listed for a 12-ounce serving unless otherwise indicated.

• Michelob Ultra beer (4.2 ABV) contains 95 calories and 2.6 grams of carbohydrate and 0.6 grams of protein
• Busch Light beer (4.2 ABV) contains 95 calories and 11.2 grams of carbohydrate and 1.7 grams of protein
• Beck's Premier Light beer (2.3 ABV) contains 64 calories and 3.9 grams of carbohydrate and 0.7 grams of protein
• Michelob ULTRA Amber beer (4.0 ABV) contains 89 calories and 3.2 grams of carbohydrate and 0.9 grams of protein
• Miller Light (96 ABV) contains 96 calories and 5 grams of carbohydrate and less than one gram of protein
• Amstel Light (96 ABV) contains 96 calories and 5 grams of carbohydrate and less than one gram of protein

And what about non-alcoholic beers? They do contain a small amount of alcohol, but far fewer calories than an alcoholic brew. A 12-ounce bottle of Beck's NA non-alcoholic beer (0.05 ABV) contains 57 calories and 11 grams of carbohydrate and 1.17 grams of protein.

Beers Under 150 Calories

Most 12-ounce beers provide around 150 calories. 

• Coors Light (4.2 ABV) contains 102 calories and 5 grams of carbohydrate and less than one gram of protein
• Stella Artois (5.0 ABV) contains 141 calories and 10.9 grams of carbohydrate (11.2 ounces)
• Bud Light beer (4.2 ABV) contains 110 calories and 6.6 grams of carbohydrate and 0.9 grams of protein
• Budweiser beer (5.0 ABV) contains 145 calories and 10.6 grams of carbohydrate and 1.3 grams of protein
• Beck's Dark pilsner (5.0 ABV) contains 142 calories and 3.2 grams of carbohydrate and 0.7 grams of protein
• Bud Light Lime beer (4.2 ABV) contains 116 calories and 8 grams of carbohydrate and 0.9 grams of protein
• Hoegaarden (4.9 ABV) contains 44.8 calories and 3.3 grams of carbohydrate (For the very small 3-ounce bottle)
• Michelob Light beer (4.1 ABV) contains 122 calories and 8.9 grams of carbohydrate and 1.2 grams of protein
• Guinness beer (4.2 ABV) contains 125 calories and 10 grams of carbohydrate 
• Beck's beer (5 ABV) contains 146 calories and 10.4 grams of carbohydrate and 1.8 grams of protein

High-Calorie Beers

Many flavored adult beverages, craft, and seasonal beers are higher in alcohol and higher in calories. 

• Michelob lager (4.8 ABV) contains 158 calories and 14.4 grams of carbohydrate and 1.9 grams of protein
• Blue Moon Cappuccino Oatmeal Stout beer (5.9 ABV) contains 196 calories and 19 grams of carbohydrate and 1.6 grams of protein
• Blue Moon Belgian White beer (5.4 ABV) contains 168 calories and 16.3 grams of carbohydrate and 1.9 grams of protein
• Sierra Nevada Pale Ale (5.6 ABV) contains 175 calories and 14 grams of carbohydrate and 1.5 grams of protein
• Beck's Octoberfest beer (5.2 ABV) contains 151 calories and 10.8 grams of carbohydrate and 1.7 grams of protein
• Bass Pale Ale (5.1 ABV) contains 156 calories and 12.4 grams of carbohydrate and 1.8 grams of protein
• Beck's Sapphire pilsner (6.0 ABV) contains 161 calories and 8.9 grams of carbohydrate and 2.4 grams of protein
• Bud Light Lime Lime-A-Rita (8.0 ABV) contains 220 calories and 29 grams of carbohydrate (per 8-ounce can)
• Bud Light Lime Raz-Ber-Rita (8.0 ABV) contains 195 calories and 22.8 grams of carbohydrate (per 8-ounce can)
• Bud Light Lime Water-Melon-Rita (8.0 ABV) contains 294 calories and 34.8 grams of carbohydrate (per 8-ounce can)
• Johnny Appleseed Hard Apple Cider (5.5 ABV) contains 210 calories and 26 grams of carbohydrate 

A Word From Verywell

Many people enjoy a cold beer from time to time. Beer can be part of a healthy diet as long as it is consumed in moderation. If your goal is weight loss, consider cutting back on your booze consumption. Some people even give up alcohol entirely while pursuing their dieting goals and find that they ​lose weight just by drinking less. If you do choose to drink while you're on diet, consider taking advantage of low-calorie drink choices when you're at happy hour or out on the town.