Just How Many Calories are in my Beer?!
If you’re anything like me (and you probably are a little bit since you’re on a beer blog), you really love to put some beer back. The problem with beer being a hobby of sorts (don’t tell my mom I called it a hobby) is that there are calories in beer. Several, actually. It’s easy to start packing on pounds if you aren’t careful. Similarly to my affinity to beer, I also love being active; I run, bike, play ice hockey and bar league softball and generally have a hard time sitting still. Despite a high level of activity, I still like to have an idea of how many calories from beer I’m consuming to get a better understanding of how a few pints might fit into my daily or weekly consumption.
The sugar extracted from barley and grains is what causes beer to ferment, which means the more sugar present, the more alcohol there will be — meaning more calories. It all boils down (ha) pretty simply: the higher the ABV the more calories in your beer. For example, a lager weighing in (HA) at 4.5% ABV at 12 oz. will total 135 calories, while something like 12 oz. of a barrel-aged stout at 10.5% will total 315 calories. Find out how to calculate the calories below.
Calculate the calories in a beer
Use this simple formula to quickly calculate the calories in the beer you wish to drink (or have drunk).
ABV% x 2.5 x ounces of beer
For example, if your beer is 16 ounces and 6% ABV it has about 240 calories.
6 x 2.5 x 16 = 240
Save this formula for when you’re on the go or use the beer calorie calculator below for a quick result.
Calories:
Use the chart below to find out how many calories in beer exist for common pour sizes and increments of .5% ABV.
| ABV | 1 oz. | 2 oz. | 6 oz. | 10 oz. | 12 oz. | 16. oz | 22 oz. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5% | 9 | 18 | 53 | 88 | 105 | 140 | 193 |
| 4% | 10 | 20 | 60 | 100 | 120 | 160 | 220 |
| 4.5% | 12 | 23 | 68 | 113 | 135 | 180 | 248 |
| 5% | 13 | 25 | 75 | 125 | 150 | 200 | 275 |
| 5.5% | 14 | 28 | 82 | 138 | 165 | 220 | 303 |
| 6% | 15 | 30 | 90 | 150 | 180 | 240 | 330 |
| 6.5% | 17 | 33 | 98 | 163 | 195 | 260 | 358 |
| 7% | 18 | 35 | 105 | 175 | 210 | 280 | 385 |
| 7.5% | 19 | 38 | 113 | 188 | 225 | 300 | 413 |
| 8% | 20 | 40 | 120 | 200 | 240 | 320 | 440 |
| 8.5% | 22 | 43 | 128 | 213 | 255 | 340 | 468 |
| 9% | 23 | 45 | 135 | 225 | 270 | 360 | 495 |
| 9.5% | 24 | 48 | 143 | 238 | 285 | 380 | 523 |
| 10% | 25 | 50 | 150 | 250 | 300 | 400 | 550 |
| 10.5% | 27 | 53 | 158 | 263 | 315 | 420 | 578 |
| 11% | 28 | 55 | 165 | 275 | 330 | 440 | 605 |
| 11.5% | 29 | 58 | 173 | 288 | 345 | 460 | 633 |
| 12% | 30 | 60 | 180 | 300 | 360 | 480 | 660 |
| 12.5% | 32 | 63 | 188 | 313 | 375 | 500 | 688 |
| 13% | 33 | 65 | 195 | 325 | 390 | 520 | 715 |
| 13.5% | 34 | 68 | 203 | 338 | 405 | 540 | 743 |
| 14% | 35 | 70 | 210 | 350 | 420 | 560 | 770 |
| 14.5% | 37 | 73 | 218 | 363 | 435 | 580 | 798 |
| 15% | 38 | 75 | 225 | 375 | 450 | 600 | 825 |
Barring some major change in my ability to process carbs, it’s highly unlikely I’ll ever give up drinking beer without a damn good reason. Having this information handy to me has been great in figuring out how to still enjoy something I love while not having to sacrifice my health. So if you’re like me and are unwilling to change your drinking habits (or hobby), make small changes to how you drink beer. If you’re about quantity, maybe reach for that lager to get a bigger pour without racking up the calories. If you’re looking more bang for your buck, a smaller pour of a hefty barleywine should do you just fine.
Maybe you’re on a diet, maybe you’re not. Maybe you’re just a geek about numbers and learning things about yourself, maybe you’re not. Either way, using this chart to calculate the calories in beer has been incredibly helpful for me. Whatever reason you have for beginning to track the calories in beer, I hope this has made it a bit easier.