A new range of low-calorie beers mean fitness and fun can go hand in hand – here’s our pick of the best for 2023…
Beer gets a bad rap for derailing best-laid weight-loss plans, but there’s nothing wrong with enjoying the odd drink here and there.
While the world of booze can be tricky to navigate when trying to lead a healthy and active lifestyle, if you want to enjoy the taste of lager or ale, without disrupting your healthy weight-loss goals, a new breed of low-calorie beers could be the best option for you.
If you’re a beer lover who is looking to shed some excess pounds or maintain a healthy weight, check out our pick of the best low-calorie options available for 2023…
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- SkinnyBrands Premium Lager – £15 for 12 (available in the US via Studio Beverage Group)
- Bud Light Premium Lager – $12.27 / £13.99 for 12
- Brewdog Lightspeed Hazy IPA – $10.99 for 6 / £15.95 for 12
- Tennent’s Light – £14 for 12 (not available in the US)
- Drynks Smashed Lager – £24 for 12 (not available in the US)
- Prime Time Craft Lite Lager – £26 for 12 (not available in the US)
- Small Beer Session Pale – £55 for 24 (not available in the US)
- Small Beer Hazy IPA – £14.25 for 6 (not available in the US)
- Adnams Ghost Ship 0.5% – £14.49 for 8 (not available in the US)
- Marston’s Resolution – £21 for 24 (not available in the US)
- Lucky Saint – £26 for 12 (not available in the US)
- San Miguel 0.0 – £4 for 4 (not available in the US)
SkinnyBrands Premium Lager
BUY IT NOW:
£15 for 12 / amazon.co.uk (available in the US via Studio Beverage Group)
Taste: 5/5
Low-kcals: 4/5
OVERALL: 5/5
A rising star in the world of low-calorie beer, SkinnyBrands Lager tastes as good as any regular beer – the only thing missing is the triple-figure calorie count.
Clean, crisp and refreshing, it’s also vegan and gluten-free.
Bud Light Premium Lager
BUY IT NOW:
$12.27 for 12 / walmart.com
£13.99 for 12 / tesco.com
Taste: 4/5
Low-kcals: 4.5/5
OVERALL: 4/5
The product of a beechwood ageing process that delivers a light, smooth taste with a hint of sweetness, Bud Light is a big-name in the low-calorie beer market for a reason: it’s really good.
What’s more, each bottle comes in at just 80 calories.
Brewdog Lightspeed Hazy IPA
BUY IT NOW:
$10.99 for 6 / £15.95 for 12 / brewdog.com
Taste: 4/5
Low-kcals: 3.5/5
OVERALL: 4/5
Lightspeed is a 4% hazy pale ale with just 95 calories per can.
Fruity flavours come to the fore, with floral notes to finish. A lovely drop and a great option if you’re after one of the best low-calorie beers this year.
Best Low-Calorie Beer:
Tennent’s Light
BUY IT NOW:
£14 for 12 / drinkwelluk.com (not available in the US)
Taste: 5/5
Low-kcals: 5/5
OVERALL: 5/5
If you’re looking for the best low-calorie beer in the UK, look no further. Made from Scottish-grown cereals and fresh highland water from Loch Katrine, Tennent’s Light is bright and balanced, with a nice blend of bitter sweetness – and there’s just 60 calories per bottle.
We’ll have five.
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Drynks Smashed Lager
BUY IT NOW:
£24 for 12 / drynks.store (not available in the US)
Taste: 5/5
Low-kcals: 4.5/5
OVERALL: 4.5/5
Drynks is quite a new company which is dedicated exclusively to brewing alcohol-free beers and ciders. Its Smashed AF range includes a 0% pale ale, cider, berry cider and shandy. The lager is our favourite, though, and has one of the most crisp and clean – not to mention convincing – lager tastes of any of the AF beers we’ve tried.
With hints of barley malt, a floral aroma and a mild hoppy bitterness, and just 55 calories per can or bottle, this tastes as good as the real thing. And like the real thing, these low-calorie beers beg to be drunk ice cold too.
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Prime Time Craft Lite Lager
BUY IT NOW:
£26 for 12 / primetimelager.com (not available in the US)
Hampshire brewery Hepworth has created a 95kcal craft lager that’s up there with some of the best tasting premium beers. The taste is so crisp and refreshing, you wouldn’t know you’re drinking a low-calorie lager that has just 4g of carbs per 330ml.
As well as the classic version there’s also a caffeine-infused variety with 50mg of caffeine (equivalent to half a cup of coffee) to give you an early evening pick-me-up. Both are 4.2% ABV and are gluten free and vegan.
Small Beer Session Pale
BUY IT NOW:
£55 for 24 / amazon.co.uk (not available in the US)
Taste: 4.5/5
Low-kcals: 4/5
OVERALL: 4.5/5
A rare pale ale entry – brewed using the historic ‘small beer’ method that was once a staple of British life – the Session Pale comes in at an impressive 85 calories per 350ml bottle, with tropical notes and a hoppy finish.
Small Beer Hazy IPA
BUY IT NOW:
£14.25 for 6 cans / theoriginalsmallbeer.com (not available in the US)
Taste: 4.5/5
Low-kcals: 4/5
OVERALL: 4.5/5
Low in calories and alcohol, but high in flavour, the latest creation from Bermondsey brewers Small Beer ticks a lot of boxes. Each can contains just 95.7 calories, at a very ‘sessionable’ 2.6%.
The flavour is big and fruity, with the apricot and mango notes provided by four types of malt and three different hops. These are also vegan-friendly.
Adnams Ghost Ship 0.5%
BUY IT NOW:
£14.49 for 8 / amazon.co.uk (not available in the US)
Taste: 4.5/5
Low-kcals: 4/5
OVERALL: 4/5
Not to be confused with its 4.5% shipmate (though it’d be quite easy to), Adman’s Ghost Ship 0.5% is a refreshing, tangy citrus ale with all the alcohol smuggled away. It may only come in the larger 500ml bottles, but it still equates to just 70 calories per 330ml.
Marston’s Resolution Premium Beer
BUY IT NOW:
£21 for 24 / amazon.co.uk (not available in the US)
Taste: 4/5
Low-kcals: 4/5
OVERALL: 4/5
At 4.7%, the Resolution packs a punch – the result of a brewing process that converts all the sugar into alcohol. What’s left is the lowest-calorie (88), lowest-carb ale on the market, which is nice and light despite the fairly high ABV. A real winner in the world of low-calorie beers!
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Lucky Saint 0.5% Lager
£26 for 12 / luckysaint.co (not available in the US)
Taste: 4/5
Low-kcals: 4/5
OVERALL: 4/5
Lucky Saint is another alcohol-free lager that comes surprisingly close to the taste of a traditional beer – in this case a German-style pilsner. With a subtly malty taste and satisfying crispness, you’ll be surprised to learn it comes in at just 0.5% ABV and with a paltry 53 calories.
San Miguel 0.0
BUY IT NOW:
£4 for 4 / tesco.com (not available in the US)
Taste: 4/5
Low-kcals: 5/5
OVERALL: 4/5
San Miguel’s 0.0 is one of a handful of true 0.0% lagers and has a crisp, clean finish. It’s the perfect zero percent beer to have ice cold on a hot day. While it has just 79 calories (almost half that of the alcoholic version) it can’t quite match the original for flavour.
