How Many Carbs in Beer?

Are you wanting to know what’s in your beer and what you’re actually drinking?

Beer tastes great and makes you feel really good! But unfortunately, it isn’t so great on the waistline.  And part of the reason is because of the carbohydrates in beer. Yup, beer contains a lot of them.

So let’s break down how many carbs in beer there are to help protect that waistline. Or maybe you’re just curious about what you are drinking. Before we get down to business let’s first discuss what carbohydrates are.

Jump to a specific section for quicker answers:
1. What are Carbohydrates?
2. Carbs and the Nutrition Label
3. Understanding the Nutrition Label
4. How Many Carbs in Beer

We know that there are carbohydrates in beer. We know that carbs are important. Everyone talks about carbs in their diet. But why do carbs matter? If we understand these points and what the numbers mean than we can better understand why it’s important to know how many carbs in beer there are. It will also help to know what beer is made of so you can understand where the carbs in beer come from.

What are Carbohydrates?

Before we dive in and answer how many carbs are in beer let’s understand what carbohydrates are. Carbohydrates are an important food group. In fact, if you look at the Standard American Diet (SAD), the food pyramid, you might think that carbs and grains are the most essential food to your survival. Carbohydrates and grains are at the base of the food pyramid. SAD recommends that 45-65% of all your calories come from carbs, mostly gains. Wait, lots of beers are made from grains! So we should be able to drink all the beer we want and everything should be fine, right? Well, not so fast.

Carbs are the most important source of energy for your body. Your digestive system changes carbohydrates into glucose (blood sugar). Your body than uses this sugar as energy for your cells, tissues and organs. It stores any extra sugar in your liver and muscles for when it is needed.

There are many different facets to carbohydrates. Good and bad carbohydrates. Simple and complex carbohydrates. We won’t go into explaining everything because there’s a lot to dive into with all of the details. So you can read more about carbs at Days to Fitness for more of those fine details.

Carbs and the Nutrition Label

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) requires that the packaging of every manufactured food product display certain information.

• Ingredients must be listed in descending order of weight.
• Labeling must also include a Nutrition Facts panel.

When it comes to carbohydrates it’s important to know that all of the facts may not be listed on the label. But once you know the secret to figuring out how many carbs really count, the labels will become easy reading. Knowledge is power!

Understanding the Nutrition Label

These points below are what you should be most concerned about when reading a nutrition label and to understand how many carbs in beer:

• Serving size (if you have more than one serving, be sure to add all the carbs) – Hopefully, you already understand the serving size is how much you should consume at one time.
• Total carbohydrates expressed in grams – this gives you the total number of usable carbs per serving. This number includes starches, complex carbohydrates, dietary fiber, added sugars, and non-digestible additives.
• Amount of dietary fiber expressed in grams (subtract from total number of carbs to get the net carb count). Dietary fiber is indigestible, usually passes through the intestinal tract without being absorbed, doesn’t raise your blood sugar levels, and slows down the impact of the other carbs in a meal. Subtracting the non-impact carbs – the ones that don’t affect blood sugar (fiber and sugar alcohols) from the total carbs gives you the number of net (also called usable or impact) carbs – the ones that do affect your blood sugar.
• Sugars expressed in grams – gives you the total amount of carbohydrate, in grams, from naturally occurring sugars like lactose (milk sugar) and fructose (fruit sugar) PLUS any added sugars like high fructose corn syrup, brown and white sugar, cane juice, etc. Added sugars are the sugars and syrups added to foods during processing or preparation.  They add calories but little or no nutrients.

How Many Carbs in Beer

Now let’s get down to business and show you how many carbs are in beer. Not just carbs are shown, but calories also based on a standard 12 ounce serving size.

Brand and Beer	ABV – Alcohol % by Volume	Calories per 12 oz. Serving	Carbs per 12 oz. Serving
1554 Enlightened Black Ale	0.056	198	15
Alaskan IPA	0.062	189	16
Alexander Keiths Lager	0.054	168	13.8
Amstel Light	0.054	168	13.8
Bass	0.051	156	12.9
Batch 19	0.055	172	15
Beck’s Octoberfest	0.052	135	9
Becks’s Premier Light	0.023	64	3.9
Beck’s Pilsner	0.05	138	10
Beck’s Sapphire	0.06	162	8.9
Big Flats Lager Beer	0.045	148	13.5
Big Flats Light Beer	0.039	96	6
Bitburger Light	0.028	96	9.05
Blue Moon Belgian White	0.054	164	13
Blue Moon Harvest Moon Pumpkin Ale	0.57	180	14.7
Blue Moon Honey Moon Summer Ale	0.052	157	12.5
Bud American Ale	0.053	182	18.1
Bud Dry	0.05	130	4
Bud Ice	0.055	136	4
Bud Light Golden Wheat	0.041	118	8.3
Bud Light Lime	0.042	116	8
Bud Light Lime-A-Rita 6%	0.06	371	49.05
Bud Light Lime-A-Rita 8%	0.08	495	65.55
Bud Light Platinum	0.06	137	4.4
Bud Light	0.042	110	6.6
Bud Select 55	0.024	55	1.9
Budweiser Black Crown	0.06	165	10.9
Budweiser Select	0.043	99	3.1
Budweiser	0.05	145	10.6
Busch Ice	0.059	171	12.5
Busch Light	0.041	95	3.2
Busch NA	0.004	60	12.9
Busch	0.043	114	6.9
Chelada Bud Light	0.042	151	15.6
Chelada Budweiser	0.05	186	20.6
Coors Banquet	0.05	149	12.2
Coors Extra Gold Lager	0.05	152	12.5
Coors Light	0.042	102	5
Coors Non-Alcoholic	0.005	58	12.1
Corona Light	0.041	99	5
Dos Equis Lager	0.046	142	9
Fat Tire	0.052	160	15
Foster’s	0.05	145	11.2
Fosters Premium Ale	0.055	160	12.5
George Killian’s Irish Red	0.054	162	14.5
Goose Island Honkers Ale	0.043	155	17
Goose Island India Pale Ale	0.059	211	23
Goose Island Nut Brown Ale	0.054	198	22
Goose Island Oktoberfest	0.064	217	22
Goose Island Ten Hills Pale Ale	0.062	203	20
Greens Tripel Blonde Ale	0.085	206	9
Grolsch Amber Ale	0.054	160	12.2
Grolsch Blonde Lager	0.028	120	15.8
Grolsch Premium Lager	0.05	147	10.4
Guinness Black Lager	0.045	131	9.6
Guinness Blonde American Lager	0.05	152	11
Guinness Draught	0.042	128	10.6
Guinness Generous Ale	0.056	162	11.5
Hamm’s	0.047	144	12.1
Harp Lager	0.047	153	13
Heineken Light	0.035	99	6.8
Heineken	0.05	150	11.5
Icehouse	0.055	149	9.8
Keystone Ice	0.059	145	5.9
Keystone Light	0.0413	104	5
Keystone Premium	0.0443	111	5.8
Kirin Light	0.032	95	7.8
Kona Big Wave Golden Ale	0.044	132	17.3
Kona Fire Rock Pale Ale	0.06	186	18
Kona Longboard Island Lager	0.046	144	11.5
Kona Pipeline Porter	0.053	185	18
Kona Wailua Wheat Ale	0.054	155	11
Labatt Blue Light	0.04	108	7.9
Labatt Blue	0.05	135	9.1
Leinenkugel’s Berry Weiss	0.047	207	28
Leinenkugel’s Creamy Dark	0.049	170	16.8
Leinenkugel’s Fireside Nut Brown	0.049	155	13.4
Leinenkugel’s Honey Weiss	0.049	149	12
Leinenkugel’s Light	0.042	109	6
Leinenkugel’s Original Lager	0.047	152	13.9
Leinenkugel’s Red Lager	0.049	166	16.2
Leinenkugel’s Sunset Wheat	0.049	165	16
Magners Golden Draught	0.045	167	12.78
MGD 64 Lemonade	0.028	64	2.4
Michelob AmberBock	0.051	155	11.8
Michelob Light	0.041	123	8.9
Michelob Ultra 19th Hole Light Tea & Lemonade	0.039	140	16.1
Michelob Ultra Amber	0.04	95	3.2
Michelob ULTRA Dragonfruit Peach	0.04	95	5.5
Michelob Ultra Light Cider	0.04	120	10
Michelob ULTRA Lime Cactus	0.04	95	5.5
Michelob ULTRA Pomegranate Raspberry	0.04	95	5.5
Michelob Ultra	0.042	95	2.6
Michelob	0.048	158	14.4
Mickey’s Ice	0.058	157	11.8
Mike’s Hard Lemonade	0.05	235	35.35
Mike’s Lite Hard Lemonade	0.032	117	15
Miller Chill	0.042	100	4
Miller Fortune	0.069	186	12
Miller Genuine Draft Light	0.042	110	2
Miller Genuine Draft	0.046	143	13.1
Miller High Life Light	0.041	110	7
Miller High Life	0.046	143	13.1
Miller Icehouse Light	0.0413	103	3.2
Miller Lite	0.042	96	3.2
Miller64	0.028	64	2.4
Milwaukee’s Best Ice	0.059	144	7.3
Milwaukee’s Best Light	0.041	98	3.5
Milwaukee’s Best Premium	0.043	128	11.4
Modelo Especial	0.044	145	4
Molson Canadian 67	0.03	67	2
Molson Canadian Light	0.039	120	9.6
Molson Canadian	0.05	148	11.1
Molson Golden	0.05	151	12.2
Molson Ice	0.056	169	13.9
Molson XXX	0.073	201	15.7
Murphys Irish Stout	0.04	124	9.2
Natty Daddy	0.08	181	5
Natural Ice	0.059	130	4
Natural Light	0.042	95	3.2
Negra Modelo	0.054	170	14
Newcastle Brown Ale	0.047	138	9.6
NIXE Extra Dry	0.049	114	2.49
O’Doul’s	0.004	65	13.3
O’Douls Amber	0.004	90	18
Old Milwaukee Beer	0.045	146	14.8
Old Milwaukee Light	0.038	114	8
Olde English 800	0.059	160	10.5
Olde English High Gravity 800	0.08	220	14.6
Pabst Blue Ribbon Light	0.0419	113	8.3
Pabst Blue Ribbon	0.0474	144	12.8
Peroni Nastro Azzurro	0.051	150	11.4
Pig’s Eye Lean Light	0.042	95	2.6
Pilsner Urquell	0.044	156	16
Pyramid Hefeweizen	0.052	168	17.5
Pyramid ThunderHead IPA	0.067	217	22.5
Red Bridge Beer	0.04	127	12.3
Red Dog	0.048	147	11.5
Red Hook IPA	0.065	188	13
Red Stripe Light	0.036	124	11.5
Red Stripe	0.047	151	12.8
Rolling Rock Extra Pale	0.045	132	10
Sam Adams Light	0.04	119	7.71
Samuel Adams Boston Ale	0.054	177	18.4
Samuel Adams Boston Lager	0.049	175	17.2
Samuel Adams Cherry Wheat	0.053	176	15.8
Samuel Adams Chocolate Bock	0.058	230	28
Samuel Adams Cream Stout	0.049	190	19.6
Samuel Adams Double Bock	0.095	323	27.2
Samuel Adams Noble Pils	0.049	169	14
Samuel Adams Pale Ale	0.054	160	12.2
Samuel Adams Winter Lager	0.056	193	17.7
Sapporo Premium Light	0.039	119	8.5
Sapporo Premium	0.049	140	10.3
Schlitz Beer	0.047	146	11.9
Schlitz Light	0.042	110	4
Sharp’s	0.004	58	12.1
Shiner Bock	0.044	142	12.8
Shiner Light Blonde	0.042	99	3.8
Shock Top Belgian White	0.052	167	14.6
Shock Top Pumpkin	0.052	162	13.6
Shock Top Rasberry Wheat	0.052	179	17.5
Sierra Nevada Bigfoot	0.096	330	32.1
Sierra Nevada Celebration Ale	0.068	214	19.4
Sierra Nevada Hoptimum	0.104	314	24.4
Sierra Nevada Pale Ale	0.056	175	14.1
Sierra Nevada Summerfest Beer	0.05	158	13.7
Sierra Nevada Torpedo	0.02	236	20.6
Smirnoff Ice Light	0.032	99	8.5
Smithwicks Draught	0.045	128	7.1
Sparks Lemonade	0.08	262	26.6
Sparks Light	0.06	133	3.3
St. Pauli Girl – Lager	0.049	148	8.7
Stella Artois	0.052	153	12.8
Tecate	0.0425	138	12
Tsingtao	0.048	157	12
Yuengling Black & Tan	0.048	158	15
Yuengling Chesterfield Ale	0.052	185	10.5
Yuengling Lager	0.046	142	12
Yuengling Light Lager	0.035	99	8.8
Yuengling Porter	0.048	162	15
Yuengling Premium	0.046	142	12