We all know the term โbeer bellyโ and at approximately 150 calories per alcoholic beer, a session up the pub or a few in front of the TV can soon add up. Obviously as humans we consume calories from many different sources and the alcohol from beer canโt take all the blame. Whatโs undeniable, however, is that when our liver is burning alcohol, itโs not burning fat and that contributes to the good oleโ beer belly.
Based on this, it would be easy to assume that alcohol free beers are a godsend for our waistlines. How wonderful to imagine a scenario where you can throw back a six pack a night and end up looking like Chris Hemsworth.
Haha, noโฆ
Itโs true that in general, due to the lack of alcohol, alcohol free beers are lower in calories compared to their alcoholic counterparts. These non alcoholic beers arenโt always as low calorie as you may think, howeverโฆ
โBut if thereโs basically no alcohol, where are the calories coming from?โ
In a nutshell, if your alcohol free beer is higher in calories, itโs higher in sugar.
โWhere is this sugar coming from?โ
Keep an eye out for alcohol free beers that contain additives such as maltodextrin or lactose, and beers that havenโt been fermented. We wonโt go into too much detail here but in summary, all of these are highly processed, cause higher sugar and therefore calorie content and whatโs worse, evidence suggests that these additives can cause health issues such as disrupted gut bacteria and IBS.
Worry not reader, there is hope yet. Not all alcohol free beers contain maltodextrin, lactose, or tons of sugar. Many non alcoholic beers are significantly lower in sugar and calories, take Drop Bear for example!
Our Tropical IPA and Yuzu Pale Ale are currently the lowest calorie non alcoholic beers on the market at just 21-25 calories and 0.33g of sugar per 330ml bottleโฆnow thatโs low!
โHow so low?!โ
We keep the sugar and calories low by refusing to use additives and ensuring that our beer undergoes a full, traditional brewing and fermentation process. This ensures that we donโt add in any sugar or leave any residual sugars behind.
To conclude, alcohol free beers are generally lower in calories than alcoholic beers, by how much depends on your choice of non alcoholic beer though.
Look, we canโt 100% guarantee that youโll look like Chris Hemsworth, but we can guarantee that if ever there was a beer to give you a fighting chance, this is it!
Now can we get a hell yeah?!
