Most gamblers don’t think about calories when ordering a pint at a pub.
But would you reach for a second, third, or fourth pint if you knew how many calories you’re counting?
Four pints of BrewDog Punk IPA, one of the worst offenders, can save half a day’s calories.
And just one pint of San Miguel has about 250 calories—more than a Mars bar (228 calories).
To solve this “big problem” of uncertainty over the caloric range of beer, Shadow Health Secretary Liz Kendall has suggested that beer pumps should display the number of calories in a pint.
Here, MailOnline stacks the evidence and compares just how many calories are in Britain’s favorite pints.
That’s how many calories are in some of Britain’s favorite pints, according to the myfitnesspal database. Ales seem to be more caloric with the Abbot Ale having 234 calories and the Punk IPA having 292 calories. But the Guinness scale of 210 calories is surprisingly lower than the Peroni with 235 calories and the Stella Artois with 227 calories.
The Labor leader told BBC News she would like to “know how many calories are in alcohol”.
She said that “knowledge is power” for her, before adding that she would “never tell people what to do.”
But industry leaders say calories on tap are a bad idea at a time when Main Street is already in a recession.
This isn’t the first time calories have been suggested on taps.
In 2021, the Tory government’s health chiefs wanted to force larger chains to disclose the number of calories per beer, wine and spirits ordered in their pubs.
But it was later dropped due to cost concerns.
Whether or not you use calorie-displaying beer taps, it may surprise you that some IPAs have more than twice as many calories as a can of ready-made salty potato chips (130 calories).
A pint of BrewDog Punk IPA contains 292 calories, making it the worst of the 16 beers MailOnline looked at.
This means that just two scoops of IPA contain more than a quarter of a person’s suggested daily calories.
Men are supposed to consume around 2,500 calories per day to maintain a healthy weight, while women are advised to stick to 2,000 calories.
The American Pale Ale (257 cal) and San Miguel (256 cal) shipyards are not far behind.
Meanwhile, one Kronenburg (244 calories) contains nearly the same number of calories as three McVitie’s Chocolate Digestives (249).
Gamblers may be shocked to discover that a pint of Peroni (235 calories) or Abbott Alley (234 calories) contains roughly the same number of calories as Snickers (245 calories).
By comparison, a pint of Carling’s is on the lighter end with 189 calories.
A pint of Foster’s contains 205 calories and Heineken 227 calories.
It’s not just beer and elderflower that are high in calories, because wine, cider, and spirits are full of them.
This is because many alcoholic beverages are made from natural starches and sugar, which are fermented to produce the alcohol content.
This is why alcohol has approximately 7 calories per gram, which is roughly the same as a gram of fat, according to the NHS.
While many believe that the darker and more head-heavy the beer, the more carbohydrates and calories the drink contains, this myth has been dispelled.
In fact, many beers contain more calories than Guinness.
A pint of Budweiser (232 calories), Cobra (228 calories) and Stella Artois (227 calories) contain more calories.
The higher levels of sugar in beers such as Peroni, Kronenburg, Budweiser, Heineken and Stella Artois may be the reason they contain more calories per pint than Guinness, says Drinkwell UK.
| half liter | Kcal calories |
|---|---|
| Carling | 189 |
| reinforce | 205 |
| Guinness | 210 |
| Dome Sharp Bar | 220 |
| Hope House 13 is bigger | 226 |
| Beck | 226 |
| Heineken | 227 |
| Stella Artois | 227 |
| Cobra | 228 |
| A brand of American beer | 232 |
| Abbot of beer | 234 |
| Peroni | 235 |
| Kronenburg | 244 |
| San Miguel | 256 |
| American Shipyard Pale Ale | 257 |
| BrewDog Punk IPA | 292 |
| source: My Fitness Pal |
Do you drink a lot of alcohol? The ten questions that reveal your responsibility
One widely used screening tool by medical professionals is the AUDIT (Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Tests). The 10-question test was developed in collaboration with the World Health Organization and is considered the gold standard for helping to determine if someone has alcohol use problems.
The test is reproduced here with permission from the World Health Organization.
To complete it, answer each question and note the corresponding result.
Your score:
0-7: You are in the reasonable drinking range and have a low risk of alcohol-related problems.
over 8: Indicate harmful or dangerous drinking.
8-15: Medium level of risk. Drinking at your current level puts you at risk of developing problems with your health and life in general, such as work and relationships. Consider cutting back (see below for tips).
16-19: Higher risk of complications from alcohol. Minimizing your expenses can be challenging at this level, as you may be a dependent, so you may need professional help from your GP and/or counselor.
20 and over: potential dependence. Your drinking is already causing you problems, and you can be very dependent. You should definitely consider stopping gradually or at least reducing your drinking. You should seek professional help to ascertain your level of dependence and the safest way to quit alcohol.
Severe dependence may require medically assisted withdrawal, or detox, in a specialized hospital or clinic. This is due to the potential for severe alcohol withdrawal symptoms in the first 48 hours that require professional treatment.
