Beer Cheat Sheet
Article By: Jeffery Lindenmuth
Your typical 12-ounce beer with 5 percent alcohol by volume (ABV) contains 3 POINTS® values.
The typical 16-ounce draft pint contains 4 POINTS values.
Most 12-ounce light beers are about 2 POINTS values.
A 1-pint draft of light beer is 3 POINTS values.
What’ll ya have?
There are thousands of different beers. Here’s a selection of ten popular brews. Some are smarter grabs that save POINTS® values. All are 12-ounces.
Beers with 2 POINTS Values
Amstel Light
Guinness Draft (bottle)
Aspen Edge
Samuel Adams Light
Bud Select
Beers with More POINTS Values
Sierra Nevada Pale Ale
Coors Blue Moon
Red Hook IPA
Kirin
Molson Golden
Beer bellies are B.S. "This is a silly myth," says Charlie Bamforth, PhD, chair and professor, Department of Food Science and Technology, University of California, Davis and author of Beer: Health and Nutrition. "If folks get fat from drinking beer it's because their total calorie intake is too high and they are not working it off."
The Good NewsBeer includes some minerals as well as:
NO cholesterol
NO fat
Very little sugar
The Bad NewsAlcohol is one calorie-dense nectar, packing seven calories per gram. That's almost as much as fat, which has nine calories per gram. Don't blame the malt. "The most significant source of calories in beer is the alcohol itself," says Bamforth, "The stronger the beer, the more calories."
Most 12-ounce beer with 5 percent alcohol by volume contains 3 POINTS values.
The typical 16-ounce draft pint contains 4 POINTS values.
Most 12-ounce "light" beers are 2 POINTS values.
A 1-pint draft of light beer is 3 POINTS values.
A 12-ounce non-alcoholic beer is 1 POINTS value.
Can it improve your health? Some studies show that moderate drinking may help lower risk of heart disease, particularly in men over 45 and women over 55. But what is moderate? For men, it's no more than two drinks per day. For women, it's no more than one. Exceed your quota, and the risk of heart and liver disease, stroke and accidents negate any perks. Don't follow the lite. The terms "light" and "lite" (or any other cutesy variation) have no legal definition. They could mean the beer is light in color or lighter than lead—or anything else the staff at the brewery decided.
Watch your low-carb language. If the labels reads "low carbohydrate," the beer must have no more than 7 grams of carbohydrates per serving. But any beer can tout "reduced carbohydrates" or "lower carbohydrates" on its label, just so long as the brewery makes a more carb-heavy beer. Shifty, eh? Do suds wine-style. A tip that adds civility and can shave POINTS values: "There's nothing wrong with pouring a beer into two glasses at dinner like you would with wine," says George F. Reisch, brewmaster for Anheiser Busch, Inc. Yes, you read correctly. One of the guys who makes Budweiser takes his Bud in a white-wine glass. "I actually think people should share beers more," Reisch adds. "It's smart and your last sip will still be cold."
Nix the nuts. Those robotic grabs of peanuts or cheddar fish can add up to triple the calories and POINTS values than all the beers you down.
Be prepared: Drinking can lead to snacking, so keep the right stuff on hand—or bribe the bartender to stock better choices. Instead of party mix, try:
Crunchers to Complement Your Beer
Unsalted pretzels 1 oz
2 POINTS values
94% fat-free microwave-popped popcorn 5 cups
1 POINTS value
Radishes (a German favorite) 1 cup
0 POINTS values
About the WriterJeffery Lindenmuth is a fine dining writer and lecturer, who has written for Esquire, Wine & Spirits, Men's Health and Cooking Light.
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