How Many Calories Are In Guinness Beer?

Editor’s Note: Get inspired by a weekly roundup on living well, made simple. Sign up for CNN’s Life, But Better newsletter for information and tools designed to improve your well-being. CNN — Guinness, like other Irish stouts, enjoys a seasonal popularity every St.

• Patrick’s Day.
• It has also been touted as being “good for you,” at least by its own advertising posters decades ago.
• But can this creamy, rich and filling beer really be added to a list of healthy beverages? Or is its reputation just good marketing? We researched the beer’s history and talked to brewing experts and break out the good, the not-so-great and the ingenuity of Guinness.

The original Guinness is a type of ale known as stout. It’s made from a grist (grain) that includes a large amount of roasted barley, which gives it its intense burnt flavor and very dark color. And though you wouldn’t rank it as healthful as a vegetable, the stouts in general, as well as other beers, may be justified in at least some of their nutritional bragging rights.

According to Charlie Bamforth, a professor of brewing sciences at the University of California, Davis, most beers contain significant amounts of antioxidants, B vitamins, the mineral silicon (which may help protect against osteoporosis), soluble fiber and prebiotics, which promote the growth of “good” bacteria in your gut.

And Guinness may have a slight edge compared with other brews, even over other stouts. “We showed that Guinness contained the most folate of the imported beers we analyzed,” Bamforth said. Folate is a B vitamin that our bodies need to make DNA and other genetic material; it’s also necessary for cells to divide.

According to his research, stouts on average contain 12.8 micrograms of folate, or 3.2% of the recommended daily allowance. “We showed that Guinness contained the most folate of the imported beers we analyzed,” Bamforth said. Folate is a B vitamin that our bodies need to make DNA and other genetic material.

It’s also necessary for cells to divide. According to his research, stouts on average contain 12.8 micrograms of folate, or 3.2% of the recommended daily allowance. Because Guinness contains a lot of unmalted barley, which contains more fiber than malted grain, it is also one of the beers with the highest levels of fiber, according to Bamforth.

(Note: Though the USDA lists beer as containing zero grams of fiber, Bamforth said his research shows otherwise.) Bamforth researched and co-authored studies recently published in the Journal of the Institute of Brewing and the Journal of the American Society of Brewing Chemists, The Science of Beer.

Here’s more potentially good news about Guinness: Despite its rich flavor and creamy consistency, it’s not the highest in calories compared with other beers. A 12-ounce serving of Guinness Draught has 125 calories. By comparison, the same size serving of Budweiser has 145 calories, a Heineken has 142 calories, and a Samuel Adams Cream Stout has 189 calories.

In the United States, Guinness Extra Stout, by the way, has 149 calories. This makes sense when you consider that alcohol is the main source of calories in beers. Guinness Draught has a lower alcohol content, at 4.2% alcohol by volume (ABV), compared with 5% for Budweiser and Heineken, and 4.9% for the Samuel Adams Cream Stout.

In general, moderate alcohol consumption – defined by the USDA’s dietary guidelines for Americans as no more than two drinks per day for men or one drink per day for women – may protect against heart disease. So you can check off another box. Guinness is still alcohol, and consuming too much can impair judgment and contribute to weight gain.

Heavy drinking (considered more than 15 drinks a week for men or more than eight drinks a week for women) and binge drinking (five or more drinks for men, and four or more for women, in about a two-hour period) are also associated with many health problems, including liver disease, pancreatitis and high blood pressure.

According to the National Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence, “alcohol is the most commonly used addictive substance in the United States: 17.6 million people, or one in every 12 adults, suffer from alcohol abuse or dependence along with several million more who engage in risky, binge drinking patterns that could lead to alcohol problems.” And while moderate consumption of alcohol may have heart benefits for some, consumption of alcohol can also increase a woman’s risk of breast cancer for each drink consumed daily.

Many decades ago, in Ireland, it would not have been uncommon for a doctor to advise pregnant and nursing women to drink Guinness. But today, experts (particularly in the United States) caution of the dangers associated with consuming any alcohol while pregnant. “Alcohol is a teratogen, which is something that causes birth defects.

It can cause damage to the fetal brain and other organ systems,” said Dr. Erin Tracy, an OB/GYN at Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School assistant professor of obstetrics, gynecology and reproductive gynecology. “We don’t know of any safe dose of alcohol in pregnancy; hence we recommend abstaining entirely during this brief period of time in a woman’s life.” What about beer for breastfeeding? “In Britain, they have it in the culture that drinking Guinness is good for nursing mothers,” said Karl Siebert, professor emeritus of the food science department and previous director of the brewing program at Cornell University.

1. Beer in general has been regarded as a galactagogue, or stimulant of lactation, for much of history.
2. In fact, according to irishtimes.com, breastfeeding women in Ireland were once given a bottle of Guinness a day in maternity hospitals.
3. According to Domhnall Marnell, the Guinness ambassador, Guinness Original (also known as Guinness Extra Stout, depending on where it was sold) debuted in 1821, and for a time, it contained live yeast, which had a high iron content, so it was given to anemic individuals or nursing mothers then, before the effects of alcohol were fully understood.

Some studies have showed evidence that ingredients in beer can increase prolactin, a hormone necessary for milk production; others have showed the opposite. Regardless of the conclusions, the alcohol in beer also appears to counter the benefits associated with increased prolactin secretion.

The problem is that alcohol temporarily inhibits the milk ejection reflex and overall milk supply, especially when ingested in large amounts, and chronic alcohol use lowers milk supply permanently,” said Diana West, co-author of “The Breastfeeding Mother’s Guide to Making More Milk.” “Barley can be eaten directly, or even made from commercial barley drinks, which would be less problematic than drinking beer,” West said.

If you’re still not convinced that beer is detrimental to breastfeeding, consider this fact: A nursing mother drinking any type of alcohol puts her baby in potential danger. “The fetal brain is still developing after birth – and since alcohol passes into breast milk, the baby is still at risk,” Tracy said.

This is something we would not advocate today,” Marnell agreed. “We would not recommend to anyone who is pregnant or breastfeeding to be enjoying our products during this time in their life.” Regarding the old wives’ tale about beer’s effects on breastfeeding, Marnell added, “It’s not something that Guinness has perpetuated and if (people are still saying it), I’d like to say once and for all, it’s not something we support or recommend.” Assuming you are healthy and have the green light to drink beer, you might wonder why Guinness feels like you’ve consumed a meal, despite its lower calorie and alcohol content.

It has to do with the sophistication that goes into producing and pouring Guinness. According to Bamforth, for more than half a century, Guinness has put nitrogen gas into its beer at the packaging stage, which gives smaller, more stable bubbles and delivers a more luscious mouthfeel.

• It also tempers the harsh burnt character coming from the roasted barley.
• Guinness cans, containing a widget to control the pour, also have some nitrogen.
• Guinness is also dispensed through a special tap that uses a mixture of carbon dioxide and nitrogen.
• In Ireland, Guinness had a long history of hiring the best and brightest university graduates regardless of what they were trained in,” Siebert said.

“And they put them to work on things they needed. One was a special tap for dispensing Guinness, which has 11 different nozzles in it, that helps to form the fine-bubbled foam.” The foam is remarkably long-lasting. “After you get a freshly poured Guinness, you can make a face in the foam, and by the time you finish drinking it, the face is still there,” Siebert said.

• The famous advertising Guinness slogans – including “It’s a good day for a Guinness” – started through word of mouth, said Marnell.
• In 1929, when we were about to do our first ad, we asked (ourselves), ‘What stance should we take?’ So we sent around a group of marketers (in Ireland and the UK) to ask Guinness drinkers why they chose Guinness, and nine out of 10 said their belief was that the beer was healthy for them.

We already had this reputation in the bars before we uttered a word about the beer. “That led to the Gilroy ads that were posted,” Marnell explained, referring to the artist John Gilroy, responsible for the Guinness ads from 1928 to the 1960s. “You’ll see the characters representing the Guinness brand – the toucan, the pelican – and slogans like ‘Guinness is good for you’ or ‘Guinness for Strength.’ But those were from the 1920s, ’30s and ‘40s.” Today, he said, the company would not claim any health benefits for its beer.

• If anyone is under the impression that there are health benefits to drinking Guinness, then unfortunately, I’m the bearer of bad news.
• Guinness is not going to build muscle or cure you of influenza.” In fact, Guinness’ parent company, Diageo, spends a lot of effort supporting responsible drinking initiatives and educating consumers about alcohol’s effects.

Its DrinkIQ page offers information such as calories in alcohol, how your body processes it and when alcohol can be dangerous, including during pregnancy. “One of the main things we focus on is that while we would love people to enjoy our beer, we want to make sure they do so as responsibly as possible,” Marnell said.

Is Guinness lowest calorie beer?

I reland, four-leaf clovers, and the color green probably come to mind when you think of St. Patrick’s Day. Oh, and beer. Lots and lots of beer. And since Guinness is perhaps the most popular Irish beer brand in the world, chances are your local watering hole will be offering specials on it come March 17.

Want to impress your friends? Buy them a round, and then set them straight on these common myths about the black brew. Myth: It’s black In fact, Guinness, a stout beer, is neither black nor dark brown. If you look closely and in the right light you can see that it’s really a very dark red that is the result of things that happen to the grains during processing.

Myth: Guinness is high in alcohol Guinness isn’t boozier than most other beers. In fact, it contains less alcohol by volume than a typical draught. An average beer contains 5% ABV, while Guinness clocks in at just 4.2%. So this St. Paddy’s Day, Guinness is a smart choice if you’re feeling festive but you want to take it easy (the holiday does fall on Monday, after all).

Health.com: 7 Ways to Keep Alcohol from Ruining Your Diet Myth: Guinness is high in calories Guinness, a stout-style brew, is known for its creamy texture, dark color, and rich, caramel-tinged flavor. That means it must be high in calories, right? Not so fast. A 12-ounce serving of Guinness sets you back 125 calories—just 15 more than the same serving of Bud Light.

Alcohol is beer’s main calorie source, and since Guinness is just 4.2% ABV, it’s relatively low in calories. The dark color and sweetness come from small amounts of roasted barley used in the brewing process. And that thick, creamy texture? Most beers are carbonated with carbon dioxide, but Guinness uses a mix of CO2 and nitrogen.

Nitrogen bubbles are smaller than CO2 bubbles, which produces a smoother “mouthfeel,” as beer nerds call it. Health.com: The 18 Best Snacks for Weight Loss Myth: “Guinness is Good for You” This one’s more of a half-myth. “Guinness is Good for You” was born as a catchy marketing slogan in the late 1920s, and wasn’t based on any scientific proof that drinking beer actually had any health benefits.

Today, some experts actually do believe that moderate alcohol consumption (including beer, wine, and spirits) could be good for you. Dozens of studies have shown an association between moderate drinking—that’s one drink a day for women, two for men—and a reduction in the risk of heart attack or dying of cardiovascular disease.

1. And other research suggests that light drinkers gain less weight in middle age than those who abstain.
2. At the same time, however, other studies have shown a correlation between moderate alcohol consumption and increased risk of breast cancer.
3. And of course, excessive drinking causes a slew of other health problems including liver damage, several types of cancer, and decreased brain function.

Bottom line : Go ahead and have a Guinness or two. But if you want to improve your health, you’d probably be better off eating something green, like kale or spinach, rather than downing a few too many pints. This article originally appeared on Health.com.

How many calories are in a Guinness pint?

How Many Calories Are There In A Pint of Beer? – The number of calories in a pint varies considerably between different types of beer. The prevailing opinion is generally that the darker the beer and the denser the head, the more carbs and calories it contains.

By using higher levels of sugar, the likes of Peroni, Kronenbourg, Budweiser, Heineken, and Stella Artois are in fact delivering a significantly higher number of calories to their consumers – even higher than Guinness. There appears a misperception, then, that lager is the better option for anyone wanting to watch their calorie intake from beer.

Is Guinness OK to drink on a diet?

How does Guinness compare to other beers? – While there’s obviously no ‘good’ amount of alcohol, steadily sipping a lower ABV beer is one of the more responsible approaches to drinking. Ranging from 4.1% to 4.3% ABV (alcohol by volume, if you’re wondering), Guinness has a lower alcohol content than many of the other beers and ales at the bar.

How many calories in a 330ml bottle of Guinness?

So it turns out that Guinness wasn’t lying to you with its famous “Guinness is good for you” signs and adverts! While most health nuts search for a “light” beer at the bar you can indulge in a nice Guinness Extra Stout consuming just slightly more than you would by drinking a Miller Lite.

Totally worth it right? So let’s break it down. A pint of Guinness has 210 calories, a bottle just 125. That’s compared to Bud Light at 110 and Miller Lite at 96. Surprising right! According to Men’s Fitness “Guinness has fewer calories than the most popular non-light beers on the market Guinness also has the second to lowest carbs and the lowest alcohol.” Most people think that because Guinness is a darker beer it will be “heavier” but Guinness beer’s rich color comes from the fact that the grains used are heavily roasted.

This roasting also adds those delicious chocolate and coffee notes to the beer. You might think that Guinness is calorific because of its creamy text but that’s down to the fact that those crafty brewers use nitrogen rather than carbon dioxide in the beer.

Is Guinness healthier than normal beer?

The INSIDER Summary: –

The slogan “Guinness is Good for You” may actually have some truth to it. Guinness contains 20 more calories than a can of Bud Light, but it is made up of more healthy complex carbohydrates. The dark beer also contains more folate and fiber. The lower alcohol content in Guinness can spare your metabolism some trouble.

Beers marked “light” and “low carb” often taste empty, bland, and (let’s face it) sad. There’s nothing more depressing than watching your friends down thick, rich brews of their favorite beers while you’re silently sipping a watery can of diet-friendly Bud Light.

• Bud Light, often touted as the cheap beer of choice for avoiding a beer gut while you watch the big game, has around 145 calories per pint and an impressively low 6 grams of carbs.
• It’s made primarily from barley and rice and, to everyone’s dismay, tastes mildly awful ( an opinion shared by most beer-reviewing experts ),

But thankfully, healthy drinking doesn’t have to taste so bad, Your quest for healthier beer was just misled somewhere along the way, and it took you far down a road of lower calorie and less delicious brews. Meanwhile flavorful and robust Guinness Draught was waiting on tap for you — health benefits and all — the whole time.

• The classic slogan, “Guinness is Good for You” might actually have some truth to it, after all.
• You see, Guinness contains approximately 166 calories per pint.
• That’s 20 measly calories more than the empty-tasting swill of light beer.
• Sure, the can contains 10 grams of carbs as opposed to the six in Bud Light beer, but that’s largely due to the heavy concentration of roasted barley used in its brewing process.

Less water and more healthy complex carbohydrates are in this dark Irish concoction than the simple-carbohydrate-packed, rice-infused Bud Light. And as a result, more nutritional benefit is waiting inside of each serving, too. The nutrients provided by Guinness Draught don’t end at complex carbs.

It also contains more folate, a nutrient we need to make DNA and other genetic material, than any other beer. Additionally, like Charlie Bamforth, a professor of brewing sciences at the University of California, told CNN, “Because Guinness contains a lot of unmalted barley, which contains more fiber than malted grain, it is also one of the beers with the highest levels of fiber.” Bud Light and most other light beers, however, don’t contain any.

The alcohol content is lower in Guinness Draught than in many other beers — but that makes it healthier, too. Alcohol has the potential to lower your metabolism by up to 73 percent. So by drinking a beer with lower alcohol by volume, you’re sparing your metabolism some struggle. Sign up for notifications from Insider! Stay up to date with what you want to know. Subscribe to push notifications Read the original article on The Daily Meal, Copyright 2017. Follow The Daily Meal on Twitter, Read next Loading Something is loading. Thanks for signing up! Access your favorite topics in a personalized feed while you’re on the go. Contributor Food Beer More.

Is Guinness less fattening than wine?

Conclusion – Unfortunately for beer drinkers, beer does tend to come out on top when it comes to calorie content – giving some truth to the expression ‘beer belly’! On average, a pint of beer has 50% more energy content than a small glass of wine, which will cause you to pile on the pounds if not enjoyed in moderation.

Is two pints of Guinness a day too much?

The Bottom Line – There is plenty of contradicting research out there regarding alcohol consumption and health. Some research, like the 2021 review in Nutrients supports moderate alcohol intake for cardiovascular and bone health. But there is also research that warns about the increase in certain cancers due to alcohol use, like the 2018 study in PLOS Medicine,

1. It’s important to note Guinness does not make any health claims about its beer.
2. Most health organizations, like the American Heart Association (AHA), say that moderate alcohol consumption—one drink a day for females and two for males—is safe.
3. However, these organizations also advise you not to start drinking alcohol if you currently abstain.

In other words, light to moderate drinking likely won’t harm your health, but you shouldn’t imbibe for the sake of longevity.

Is Guinness high in fat?

Nutrition facts – It’s estimated that a 12-ounce (355-ml) serving of Guinness Original Stout provides ( 4 ):

Calories: 125 Carbs: 10 grams Protein: 1 gram Fat: 0 grams Alcohol by volume (ABV): 4.2% Alcohol: 11.2 grams

Given that beer is made from grains, it’s naturally rich in carbs, However, many of its calories also come from its alcohol content since alcohol provides 7 calories per gram ( 5 ). In this case, the 11.2 grams of alcohol in 12 ounces (355 ml) of Guinness contribute 78 calories, which accounts for roughly 62% of its total calorie content.

1. Thus, the calorie count for various types of Guinness is highly influenced by their alcohol content, as well as their particular recipe.
2. Summary Guinness beers are made from malted and roasted barley, hops, Guinness yeast, and nitrogen.
3. Their nutritional value varies according to the specific recipe and alcohol content.

Alcohol by volume (ABV) is a standard measure used around the world to determine the amount of alcohol in an alcoholic beverage. It is expressed as a volume percent and represents the milliliters (ml) of pure alcohol in 100 ml of the beverage. The U.S.

Dietary Guidelines urge consumers to limit their alcohol intake to two drinks per day for men and one for women ( 6 ). One standard drink equivalent is defined as providing 0.6 ounces (14 grams) of pure alcohol ( 6 ). For example, a 12-ounce (355-ml) Guinness Original Stout at 4.2% ABV corresponds to 0.84 standard drinks.

Note that drink equivalents take into account the volume of the beverage. Therefore, if you have a larger or smaller serving, it will vary accordingly. Since one drink equivalent contains 14 grams of alcohol, and each gram provides 7 calories, each drink equivalent would contribute 98 calories from alcohol alone to the beverage.

• Summary The ABV tells you how much alcohol is in an alcoholic beverage.
• It’s also used to determine drink equivalents, which may help estimate the calories from alcohol in a drink.
• There are seven types of Guinness beers available in the United States ( 7 ).
• The following table offers a brief overview of each, along with their ABVs, standard drink equivalents for a 12-ounce (355-ml) serving, and calories from alcohol for the same serving size.

In addition to these varieties, Guinness has created many types of beers over the years. Some of them are sold only in certain countries, while others have been limited editions. The seven sold in the United States are outlined below.

What beer has the highest calories?

Bud Light’s Lime-A-Rita – With 495 calories per 12 ounces, Bud Light Lime-A-Rita from Budweiser is by far the most caloric beer on the market. Also, only 30.80% of the calories in these cans come from alcohol. Each serving also has 65.55 carbs and a lot of sugar. A tasty summer treat that is just the right size.

Why is Guinness like a meal?

Nutritional Value of Guinness – With its rich and distinctive flavor, Guinness beer boasts a unique nutritional composition that sets it apart from other brews. A 12-ounce serving of Guinness Original Stout has approximately:

Calories: 125 Carbs: 10 grams Protein: 1 gram Fat: 0 grams Alcohol by volume (ABV): 4.2% Alcohol: 11.2 grams

This stout beer is notably lower in alcohol content than many other beers, with an average ABV (alcohol by volume) of around 4.2%. With no fat, low carbs, and a gram of protein, it may seem like Guinness is a mini meal in a glass. To top it off, Guinness contains essential micronutrients, including small amounts of iron, folate, and B vitamins.

Is Guinness zero calories?

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