Beer calories: pint, bottle, can and popular lagers
Short answer: a pint of 4% lager contains around 180 to 190 kcal, and a pint of 5% premium lager up to about 220 kcal, according to the NHS. A 330 ml bottle of 5% lager is around 130 kcal. The stronger the beer, the more calories: a pint of 6.5% IPA is close to 280 kcal, and a 330 ml bottle of an 8% Belgian beer such as La Chouffe around 200. Most of the calories come from the alcohol itself, not the carbs.
Where the calories in beer come from
Beer calories have two sources:
- Alcohol: 7 kcal per gram, almost as much as fat (NHS). A pint of 4% lager contains about 18 g of alcohol, so around 125 kcal from alcohol alone.
- Carbohydrates: the sugars left over from brewing, 4 kcal per gram. Lagers usually contain around 3 g per 100 ml, richer ales and strong Belgian beers more.
That is why strength is the best predictor of calories. Two pints of the same size can differ by 100 kcal just because one is 4% and the other 6.5%.
The table: by size and strength
| Beer | Units | Calories (approx.) |
|---|---|---|
| Half pint of 4% lager | 1.1 | 95 |
| Pint of 3.6% bitter | 2.0 | 180 |
| Pint of 4% lager | 2.3 | 190 |
| Pint of 4.5% cider | 2.6 | 220 |
| Pint of 5% premium lager | 2.8 | 220 |
| Pint of 6.5% IPA | 3.7 | 280 |
| 330 ml bottle, 5% | 1.7 | 130 |
| 440 ml can, 4% | 1.8 | 145 |
| 440 ml can, 5% | 2.2 | 170 |
| 330 ml bottle, 0.5% alcohol-free | 0.2 | 40 |
The pint figures match the NHS, which puts a pint of 5% beer at up to 222 kcal. Sweet ciders and flavoured beers can be higher, as they contain more sugar.
Popular beers: estimated calories
The figures below are our estimates, calculated from each beer’s strength and typical carbohydrate content for its style. Brewers sometimes change recipes and strengths, so the label is always the final word.
| Beer | Strength | Serve | Calories (approx.) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Guinness Draught | 4.2% | Pint | 200 |
| Birra Moretti | 4.6% | 330 ml bottle | 120 |
| Corona Extra | 4.5% | 330 ml bottle | 120 |
| Red Stripe | 4.7% | 330 ml bottle | 125 |
| Kingfisher | 4.8% | 330 ml bottle | 125 |
| Staropramen | 5% | 330 ml bottle | 130 |
| London Pride | 4.1% cask | Pint | 200 |
| BrewDog Punk IPA | 5.6% | 330 ml can | 150 |
| La Chouffe | 8% | 330 ml bottle | 200 |
| Carlsberg Elephant | 7.2% | 500 ml can | 270 |
A few takeaways: Guinness has a reputation as a heavy beer, but at 4.2% a pint has about the same calories as an ordinary lager. Strong Belgian and “special” lagers are the real calorie bombs: one 500 ml can of Carlsberg Elephant is more than a pint of premium lager.
What a week of beer adds up to
Beer calories are easy to forget because they do not feel like food. Some examples:
- 4 pints of 4% lager on a Friday is about 760 kcal, more than a large burger.
- A pint every evening is around 1,300 kcal a week, over 65,000 kcal a year.
- 5 pints of 5.2% lager a week adds up to 57,720 kcal a year, according to the NHS.
And beer tends to come with salty snacks and late-night food, which often matter as much as the beer itself.
How to cut beer calories without giving up beer
- Go lower in strength: switching from a 5% premium lager to a 4% session beer saves around 30 kcal and half a unit of alcohol per pint.
- Choose smaller serves: a half or a 330 ml bottle instead of a pint.
- Alternate with alcohol-free beer: most are about a third of the calories of a regular pint. See our guide to alcohol-free and low-alcohol labels.
- Count your drinks: logging them makes the total visible, which is often enough to cut back. Our UK units table and our cocktail calories table cover other drinks.
FAQ
How many calories are in a pint of lager?
Around 180 to 190 kcal for a 4% lager, and up to about 220 kcal for a 5% premium lager.
Does Guinness have more calories than lager?
No. A pint of Guinness Draught at 4.2% contains around 200 kcal, similar to a pint of standard lager, and fewer than a pint of 5% premium lager.
Is beer more fattening than wine?
Per drink, they are fairly close: a pint of 4% lager contains around 190 kcal and a 175 ml glass of 12% wine up to about 160 kcal. What makes the difference is how many you have, and how strong they are.
How many calories are in alcohol-free beer?
Usually 40 to 80 kcal per 330 ml bottle, depending on the sugar content. That is roughly a third to a half of a regular beer.
Further reading
- How many units in a drink? UK alcohol units table
- Cocktail calories and alcohol content: the full table
- Alcohol-free vs low alcohol: what 0.0%, 0.05% and 0.5% mean