7625 Appling Center Dr. Memphis, TN 38133 (901) 272-9648 |
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The Not-So-Light Side of Light BeerAre you a light beer drinker? Well, let us clue you in to some of the more insidious things about light beer that you may not know…How Light Really Is Light Beer? If you’re looking to save calories with light beer, you might be a little disappointed with the actual savings. Let’s take an average megabrewer light beer. Megabrew Light weighs in between 110 and 96 calories. Not too shabby. And it’s lower alcohol, too. But how does that stack up against a regular lager? The regular Megabrew has 145. Which is actually more than a Guiness Stout at 126 calories! And that Sierra Nevada you’ve been eyeing weighs in at 175 calories. That’ll really pork you up, won’t it? Sorry to burst your bubble, but no, it won’t really make that big a difference if you choose a tasty craft beer over your near-water light beer. Let’s look at calories and beer and how they really stack up. The calorie count for an average man is 2700 calories, and 2000 for women. Let’s split the difference and work with 2200 calories as our guide. 55% of your calories should come from carbs, so that’s about 1200 calories of pure carbs. So that one light beer of yours represents close to 10% of your carb intake. Light Beer @ 100 calories = 8.3% of 1200 calories. Guiness Stout @ 126 calories = 10.5% of 1200 calories. Anchor Steam @ 153 calories = 12.75% of 1200 calories. Sierra Nevada @ 175 calories = 14.5% of 1200 calories. All that math making your head spin? Just remember this: one beer is almost one-tenth of what you consume in carbs. The difference between “heavy” beers and “light” beers is negligible. So choose wisely – instead of a tasteless “light” beer choose a craft beer that is fuller in flavor and body. The Not-So-Light Body of Light Beer Have you ever noticed how easy it is to drink a lot of light beers, where it’s difficult to drink as many heavier, more flavorful beers? There are a couple of reasons for this that we need to cover, but first the word of the day: Dextrin. Without getting too scientific, beer is made by taking malted (sprouted) barley and immersing it in hot water to steep, like a tea. The hot water causes the natural starches in the malt to convert to sugars and dissolve into what is known as a wort. The wort is boiled, hops are added, liquid is cooled, yeast added, yeast eats the sugars and cause fermentation, liquid is bottled and in time becomes your favorite beer. Some of the natural sugars in the wort are called dextrin, and these are unfermentable, meaning the yeast won’t consume them and produce alcohol by fermentation. The leftover dextrin stays in the liquid and gives it a mouthfeel, causing the beer to taste thicker. The more natural sugars in the beer, the more mouthfeel you might have. This is why some stouts taste “thicker” than their lighter ale cousins. So how does this apply to light beers? They’re not thick. No, they’re not thick because light beers are the Frankensteins of the beer world, a product of chemicals. Light beer wort is “injected” with an enzyme called amylase before yeast is introduced into the beer. Amylase converts dextrins into fermentable sugars so the yeast can consume almost all of the sugars, and leave very little body. The upside to this is LOTS of alcohol! But alcohol means carbs, so the wort is diluted. If you didn’t dilute the wort you’d be left with a special type of malt beverage you know as Malt Liquor. By now you’ve figured it out – light beer isn’t really beer at all, it’s watered down Malt Liquor. We’ll leave the nastier parts of light beer out – like how corn grits, rice and other fermentable grains are used to produce more dextrins, and then more alcohol before dilution. Nasty stuff that no self-respecting craft beer would do. And one last note, because the light beer is so light-bodied, you can drink more of it, and the alcohol, although not much, can get into your bloodstream and get converted to fat quicker. Bottom line, you’ll usually end up drinking more light beer and consuming more calories than if you’d stuck to a quality craft beer and had one less. Did we mention the dextrins in craft beers slow down the digestion process so that caloric burn is more for regular beers than light beers? Enough science, here’s the takeaway: there is no point to sacrificing flavor for the illusion of saving a few calories. Watery light beer is nothing more than malt liquor. And consuming more light beers vs. less quality beers means you lose on the calorie count every time. And drinking light beer won’t help you get or stay in shape. Enjoy craft beer and don’t sweat the minor calorie difference. Cheers! |
| Memphis Beers and Wines | Southwestern Distributing | 7625 Appling Center Dr. | Memphis, TN 38133 | (901) 272-9648 |