The latest range of low-calorie beers mean fitness and fun can go hand in hand, so you don’t wreck your New Year’s fitness resolutions. Here’s our pick of the best:
Beer gets a bad rap for derailing best-laid weight-loss plans, but there’s nothing wrong with enjoying the odd drink this new year. We won’t beat ourselves up over not having a particularly dry January, and neither should you.
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, the latest range of low-calorie beers could be the best option for you.
All of our selections contain less than 100 calories per 330ml can or bottle. So if you’re a beer lover who’s looking to shed some excess pounds or maintain a healthy weight, check out our pick of the best low-calorie options available.
Why you can trust Men’s Fitness
We spend hours testing every product or service we review, so you can be sure you’re buying the best.
Find out more about how we test
What are the best low-calorie beers?
- SkinnyBrands Premium Lager – amazon.com
- Tennent’s Light – not available in the US, drinkwelluk.com
- Bud Light Premium Lager – instacart.com / tesco.com
- Brewdog Lightspeed Hazy IPA – brewdog.com
- Drynks Smashed Lager – drynks.store
- Prime Time Classic Lager – not available in the US, primetimelager.com
- Small Beer Session Pale – not available in the US, amazon.com
- Small Beer Hazy IPA – not available in the US, amazon.com
- Adnams Ghost Ship 0.5% – not available in the US, amazon.com
- Marston’s Resolution – not available in the US, amazon.com
- Lucky Saint – not available in the US, amazon.com
- San Miguel 0.0 – not available in the US, tesco.com
- Days Brewing Pale Ale – not available in the US, amazon.co.uk
SkinnyBrands Premium Lager
SQUIRREL_TEXT_12871841
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. If fact a bottle of this fantastic 4% lager comes in at just 89 calories.
Clean, crisp and refreshing, it’s also vegan and gluten-free.
Tennent’s Light
Best low-calorie beer
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.
Bud Light Premium Lager
Buy now from Instacart (US) / Buy now from Tesco (UK)
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
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.
Fast-track your fat loss journey with the best bodyweight exercises
Drynks Smashed Lager
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.
Check out our 6-week fat loss plan
Prime Time Classic Lager
Prime Time Lager 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
SQUIRREL_TEXT_12991974
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
SQUIRREL_TEXT_12991975
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%
SQUIRREL_TEXT_12871845
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
SQUIRREL_TEXT_12871846
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!
Discover the difference between weight loss and fat loss
Lucky Saint 0.5% Lager
SQUIRREL_TEXT_12991977
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
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.
Read our full San Miguel 0.0 review
Days Brewing Pale Ale
Taste: 4/5
Low-kcals: 5/5
OVERALL: 4/5
Days Brewing doesn’t do a huge variety of beers – at the moment it’s just a pale ale and a lager, in fact. But not only are both crisp, tasty and refreshing, they’re also true 0.0% beers. The pale ale has the lowest calories of the pair at just 69, with subtle tropical overtones and hints of a grapefruit finish.
Related content:
