The truth about low-carb beer

- Shot of vodka = 15 grams water (0 calories), 15 grams alcohol (105 calories). Total avg 105 calories.

- Glass of wine = 5 grams of carbohydrates (20 calories), 13 grams alcohol (91 calories). Total avg 111 calories.

- Regular beer = 13 grams carbohydrates (52 calories), 14 grams alcohol (98 calories), Total avg 150 calories.

- "Low carb" beer = 3 grams carbohydrates (12 calories), 13 grams alcohol (91 calories), Total avg 110 calories.

Yep, it's actually not low at all. Lower, sure, but not low... and it tastes like arse to-boot!

In fact, regular "light" beers were actually better for your hips, because they typically have less alcohol. Alcohol has about 7 calories for every gram. Cabs have less than half; 4 calories per gram of carbs. Of course, today's "low carb" beers are generally "full strength" or close to. Myth debunked. Thank you, Dr Karl. :D

PS. Chimay is about 170, fyi.

... low carb diets are an effort to avoid carbs, not calories.

Yeah rec why compare apples with oranges? They don't claim to be light in calories do they?

compare the carbs in 'low-carb' beer to normal beer, it has 1/4 the amount of carbs. i'd say that qualifies as comparatively low. what exactly was the myth you were trying to debunk?

also, why are 13 grams of alcohol 91 calories in wine, but 98 calories in low carb beer? what good are statistics riddled with typos?

i think rec did his sums on the hands and feet of the mimes in his avatar, but the ****ers kept moving so he kept losing count =)

Typo was my fault - corrected.

Paladin, Res... do you not understand that calories are made up of caboyhydrates? By saying it's low carb, they essentially mean you'll put on less weight. That means they're suggesting there are less calories (as that's what technically makes you fat, in the end).

And that's the myth - it's widely percieved that it's healthier, that it's not as fattening as other alcoholic beverages. But they're all about the same, and won't make a f*cking shed of difference in small quantities. So drink whatever the hell you want. :)

And FYI, calories also obviously (or not so obviously in your cases) come from fats and proteins (but fermented/distilled alcoholic beverages generally don't contain those).

A Calorie is a mesurment of energy.

A carbohydrate is a sugar essentially.

Like what aegis Apples and Oranges.... Yes they may relate but in a metaphore one may be slightly alergic to apples and more tolerable of oranges...

it's pretty relevant for people on a low-carb diet. and like others said above - they're not claiming to be low calorie.

also Quote:
By saying it's low carb, they essentially mean you'll put on less weight. That means they're suggesting there are less calories (as that's what technically makes you fat, in the end

this is stupid. you are stupid.

Quote from rec;364590:
Typo was my fault - corrected.

Paladin, Res... do you not understand that calories are made up of caboyhydrates? By saying it's low carb, they essentially mean you'll put on less weight. That means they're suggesting there are less calories (as that's what technically makes you fat, in the end).

And that's the myth - it's widely percieved that it's healthier, that it's not as fattening as other alcoholic beverages. But they're all about the same, and won't make a f*cking shed of difference in small quantities. So drink whatever the hell you want. :)

And FYI, calories also obviously (or not so obviously in your cases) come from fats and proteins (but fermented/distilled alcoholic beverages generally don't contain those).

You couldn't be more wrong about everything you just said. Calories are NOT made up of carbohydrates, calories are not made up of anything, it's just a made up word to measure a unit of energy.

Carbohydrates contain X amount of calories per gram, Protein contains Y amount of calories per gram, etc. These are fixed values and you can go google them, I'm not doing it for you.

Carbs are broken down into glucose in the bloodstream, which prompts the release of insulin to maintain blood sugar levels in the non-lethal range. Insulin is used to convert the glucose into a non toxic substance, such as fat.

Additionally, when blood sugar levels are low, a process that is somewhat the reverse of that takes place, where fat cells are broken down for their energy reserves, in order to fuel the body. go google ketosis.

Avoiding carbs in the diet is a method to control the formation of fat cells in the body, and to encourage their transformation into energy, and THAT is why low-carb stuff is preferred by people adhering to an atkins style diet. It is NOT calories that they are avoiding, it is Carbohydrates. re-read that last point until it sinks in.

Additionally, when blood sugar levels are low, a process that is somewhat the reverse of that takes place, where fat cells are broken down for their energy reserves, in order to fuel the body. go google ketosis.

basically, stop talking about this until you've researched a clue.

How about you try and understand what I'm saying, instead of trying to win an argument on semantics?

cal⋅o⋅rie
a. a unit equal to the kilocalorie, used to express the heat output of an organism and the fuel or energy value of food.

As you touched on, different molecules (fats, proteins, carbohydrates) burn at different speeds because of their different structures. Carbohydrates give you 4 calories per gram, and fats about 9.

Hard science aside, a "calorie" is a measurement of what makes you fat, in our contemporary health-kick lingo. The higher the calories, the more you have to work out (because what you've just eaten is harder to burn).

The point Dr Karl was trying to make is that "low carb" beer won't help you put on less weight, because of the other factors involved. Most people don't buy "low carb" because they know exactly what a carb is or exactly how it works, or even what the other factors are. They buy low carb beer because the adverts tell them they should, because they think it'll help keep the weight off.

christ. next you'll be saying nuclear power is exactly the same as coal power, and the byproducts are identical.

it's not the calorie count low carb dieters are worried about, it's the calorie SOURCE. different SOURCES are metabolised DIFFERENTLY by the body, and have DIFFERENT byproducts after metabolisation. eating less carbs equates to burning more EXISTING fat cells in order to balance blood sugar levels.

low-carb products are marketed at low-carb dieters, of which there are many, many millions, atkin's diets and other such low-carb diets are hugely popular. the other people that drink low-carb beer because it's less fattening are idiots.

the goal of these diets is to vastly reduce the carb intake and replace it with protein as the major source of calorie intake.

so yes, i dare say most people that buy low-carb beer are buying it because they're avoiding carbohydrates. look around, every time you see someone in the shops examining the labels of an item, they're probably checking its carb count.

I dare say otherwise.

I'd say most people buying low carb beer are women, and they're buying it because they think they'll avoid adding kilos in general.

The people serious about avoiding carbs specifically, or are seriously trying to lose weight in a broader sense... well, they just don't drink beer (or very rarely, at most).

you underestimate how popular low carb dieting is. just listen to the inane chatter of women when they're out on lunch looking for something to eat.

I'll keep my ear out. ;)

yeh,
1. they don't market it against other alcoholic beverages.
2. they market it against others beers as a low carb beer. which it its... ave carbs in beer is like 180ish and in pure blond its 115ish.
3. its just another session beer... so don't get on your high horse about taste.

Pure Blonde

Pure Blonde - the first beer in Australia to be marketed as low-carbohydrate - is full-strength and great tasting, with 70% less carbohydrates than a regular beer. Now the fastest growing packaged regular beer brand in Australia, Pure Blonde is proving to be a big hit with beer lovers, with 94% of people who try Pure Blonde buying it again.

Pure Blonde (4.6% ABV) is a light, crisp, aromatic lager that delivers a superior taste. It has been specially brewed longer to produce a beer that is low in carbohydrates. Pure Blonde's advance brewing techniques and pure ingredients creates a satin smooth finish and it is immensely refreshing served ice cold.

Style: full strength lager
Alcohol: 4.60%
Carbs: 0.9 grams/100mL
Energy: 125 kilojoules/100mL; 30 calories/100mL
Standard drinks: 1.3 per 355ml.
Available: on tap (from September 4), 355mL.

Pure blond is like massive popular now, it used to be called carlton LJ (low joule)... which has been around since like the 70s. they just re badged it, and with **** all cash pumped into marketing it surprisingly took off.

I did some work for CUB other the holidays and they love this beer, make a **** load off it... and people don't buy it for there stomach line, its marketted for taste. as i said, just another session beer man.

extra note... the amount of sugar(s) going into beer and other energies, hell it doesnt matter what the **** you drink, your shoving joules into ya.

pure blonde is awesome, love it, drink it more then anything else at the moment.

Quote from psyave;364599:
yeh,
3. its just another session beer... so don't get on your high horse about taste.

Why would you want to have a "session" of drinking shit beer?

I prefer my drinking sessions to involve nice drinks, nothing worse than forcing your 5th beer down and feeling like you have to vomit due to shit-beer-bloat.

Quote from psyave;364599:
I did some work for CUB other the holidays and they love this beer, make a **** load off it... and people don't buy it for there stomach line, its marketed for taste. as i said, just another session beer man.

extra note... the amount of sugar(s) going into beer and other energies, hell it doesnt matter what the **** you drink, your shoving joules into ya.

That's such utter tripe. Taste? You have to be kidding me. They're making the big dollars with it because millions of image-conscious women and youths all around Australia are buying it instead of the other shitty tasteless beer from CUB. :P

And of course they love it, haha - as you said, they're making a mint taking advantage of the new age "health kick" drive. Boost Joost, Subway etc.

They wouldn't call it low carb if that wasn't a target demographic... Amstel is low carb, you don't see that splattered over the label (still tastes like shit mind you).

I'm with Jimmy.

every single person I know of on some sort of diet is on a low carb diet. A lot more while not on a deit do tend to keep to the lower carb options(no bread ect..)

I donno, I don't mind carlton black :)

It just has a tpyical draught taste to it... personally i don't drink it, low carbs makes me fart heap :P

I was under the impression low-carb beers were marketed for people with heart conditions :p

Quote from rec;364594:
Hard science aside, a "calorie" is a measurement of what makes you fat, in our contemporary health-kick lingo. The higher the calories, the more you have to work out (because what you've just eaten is harder to burn).

The point Dr Karl was trying to make is that "low carb" beer won't help you put on less weight, because of the other factors involved. Most people don't buy "low carb" because they know exactly what a carb is or exactly how it works, or even what the other factors are. They buy low carb beer because the adverts tell them they should, because they think it'll help keep the weight off.

You are so far off the mark, I am genuinly shocked in practically all you have said there. I never thought I'd say this but you leaving this great state of SA has its benefits because the mean IQ just went up.

Oh my, never has the fail been so strong within rec.

I really didn't think it was a hard opinion to grasp...

- We're dealing with a flood of outwardly 'low-carb' marketed beer.

- The general population think by drinking low-card beer it will help them keep weight off and/or is healthier than a standard beer.

- That's not true.

They are drinking it as opposed to normal beer because in a low carb style diet it WILL help them keep weight off BETTER than regular beer based on that type of diet.

It's not all about calories in/calories out. A 1200 calorie a day diet of simple carbohydrates will be a LOT different to a 1200 calorie a day diet of complex carbohydrates in terms of weight gain/loss. A diet with next to no carbohydrates but, say, 2000 calories a day would lose you weight faster than a 1200 calorie diet with simple carbs***

This is because without the carbohydrates to break down your body goes to fat cells for energy for any long term supply. If the low carb dieter drank normal beer, their calories might be marginally higher and easily offset but now they have carbs to go to for energy and burn those instead leaving your fat cells right where they are.

***Numbers pulled out of my arse, for example purposes only.

If you're drinking it in conjunction with a specific low-carb diet, there is benefit there.

The argument is that a lot of people are drinking it because they think it'll generally help them keep weight off (how many times do I need to repeat that?).

Besides, alchohol = dense. Hard to burn. Call it 'complex', if that fits into your argument.

that's just what you changed the argument to, something that is entirely conjecture :) please go and conduct a statistically relevant survey of people who drink low carb beer to find out if a) they think the beer and beer alone will help them lose weight, b) they're drinking it because they're on a low carb diet, c) they're drinking it because they like the taste, d) it was on special, e) they heard from mose that those carbs are evil.

No, that's what the point of Dr Karl's talk was about to begin with. It's the reason I posted this in the first place. I didn't bother explaining much in the initial post because I thought people would agree with or at least understand the idea that was being voiced. Clearly more of you give most drinkers more credit than me. It seems the lot of you think they're either on low carb diets, or smart enough to know drinking Pure Blonde alone won't help them stay thin. :P

And that idea, again, was that it's not going to avoid weight gain - that's if you think the demographic that drinks it is the same demographic as I think. He didn't talk about statistics of course (who actually drinks the stuff), but I was in complete agreeance regarding his between-the-lines suggestion that the people who are drinking it aren't doing so intelligently, anyway. They're just taking it at face value because it says 'low carb' on the label, and a lot of people see that as "I'll put on less weight". But they're the same people that aren't on diets and expect it'll help them keep the kilos off.

I could be completely wrong, and you say I underestimate the number of low carb dieters. That may well be the case, but you might just underestimate the number image conscious drinkers that buy it because it's cheap and think they're doing themselves a favour.

i have no clue either way about the subject matter, but i'm sure this applies to one side of the argument or other - i really just wanted to post Deadpool ;P

To bad theres no flame wars forum open.

It's not a flame war until we start talking about Paladin in bed with Harby.

Woops. ;)

Quote from rec;364633:
...or smart enough to know drinking Pure Blonde alone won't help them stay thin.

Take a situation where bob drinks a six pack of your 'regular' beer 4 days a week. His eating habits and normal excersize says the same. He is overweight by about 20-25kg's. Over a 4 month period he never puts on weight but never takes any off. The switch alone to a low carb beer he puts almost 1000 cals less a week. SO In actual fact this may help him loose weight.

Quote from rec;364633:

I could be completely wrong, and you say I underestimate the number of low carb dieters.

according to some numbers google told me, a few years ago 10% of the american population was on a low carb diet.

from that, we can wildly extrapolate that 10% of the western population of the world is on a low carb diet.

australians are notorious for following americans, so given the delay between them doing something, and us adopting it, it could easily be an even higher percentage of australians on a low carb diet.

this is a significant market.

So 15% might be on a low carb diet, compared to the far greater percentage that drink and aren't. And the far greater percentage that are overly image conscious but far too lazy or stubborn to do anythink about it, except make what they percieve are better drinking choices. :P

And Lothar; a lot of beer drinkers don't exercise! ;)

I would have thought people would choose a low carb beer on the premise that they would put on less weight than normal beer. As opposed to drinking it to lose weight.

Milenko, that's right. And that's what Dr Karl was saying; it doesn't work (unless you're an exerciser or are on a low-carb diet).

If you drink it and make no other decent effort to minimise weight gain, you're not going to see any real-world difference versus drinking normal beer. Unless you have like 10+ regularly, that is.

Unless you're a regular session drinker, it's a misconception that having a few low carb beers is going to keep you thinner than if you drank wine, spirits or normal beer. And most people will only have a few at any one time, esspecially women.

I'm tired of trying to explain this. Good day, kind sirs. :P

Quote from rec;364643:

I'm tired of trying to explain this. Good day, kind sirs. :P

Or just trying to cover up your massive cock-up of misunderstanding of how food works.

Quote from Jay;364646:
Or just trying to cover up your massive cock-up of misunderstanding of how food works.

still hasnt admitted he's wrong?
cant be bothered reading the middle pages, can i get a round up :P

at some point, the equivalent of this took place:

Quote from rec:

THIS THREAD IS NOW ABOUT MARKETING

How is people buying into shit that's mostly full of shit not about marketing to begin with? ;)

I did a quick servey of pure blonde drinkers.

27% said they drink pure blonde because Quote:
the clean scent of spice and dark fruit
42% said Quote:
The pour appears as if it were cloudy lemon-water
31% said Quote:
The head laces well, but is generally quite shallow.

Although that last one they could have been talking about something unrelated to beer.

I could also just be making shit up.

BTW xxxx gold has low carb on the lable now.

Quote from Milenko;364640:
I would have thought people would choose a low carb beer on the premise that they would put on less weight than normal beer. As opposed to drinking it to lose weight.

I would have thought that people drank beer to get pissed.

At least thats what I do... Works every time too.

Quote from morge;364665:
I did a quick servey of pure blonde drinkers.

27% said they drink pure blonde because
42% said
31% said

Although that last one they could have been talking about something unrelated to beer.

I could also just be making shit up.

BTW xxxx gold has low carb on the lable now.

****, i damn near burst a pooper. funniest thing i've read this year

Isnt the xxxx one something along the lines of "low carb since Insert Date Here"

Having read this thread and been thorougly entertained i would like to put my two cents in.

At home i regularly have two beers a night of Carlton midstrength (i cant find any data anywhere on the can that states its carb value just percent ABV) and its not for the taste, its because it is cold and wet and its there and thats what the other housemate buys without fail every week. I often have large glasses of water in between my two beers to wash the flavour out. I also have in stock atm a decent quantity of home brew beers, mid to high ABV and unknown carb measurements. When i drink them it taste magnificent and a really really enjoy it, but have a glass of water in between each one to space out my limited supply. When i go to the shop i often get a low carb 6 pack of beer (even with mid strengths at home and home brew) and often drink at least 4 in one sitting (in front of the pc) and often without any water in between.
The figures i read on the bottle of low carb beer i compare to just about everything in the house with a similar label, and i find i have just consumed the equivalent of a packet of pizza shapes in 4 beers.

Where am i going with this?
Did i drink the 4 beers not two because i was duped into thinking they are a "lighter" beer and "less bad" than a normal beer? Was it flavour? Or was i just trying something new?

Who really knows
Least of all me

Its cold and wet and has bubbles and occasionally a nice taste with a nice after taste and usually good burping potential.

Figures can be argued over back and forward till the cows come home, but what it all comes down to is this
Moderation
Moderate food intake and have good variety
apply the same to beer
Enjoy life ;)
oh and watch out for ads and sales gimicks promising the world.

Companies making shit up to get people to buy their product?

it'll never happen.

So if I have 50 carbs of steak, how many alcohols of calorie is that? rec?

Quote from Eater_Of_Souls;364691:
"At home i regularly have two beers a night of Carlton midstrength"

sacrilege u feelthy swine... :)

Disappointed I got on board this thread late~! Nothing important to add, just two small observations.

I don't drink beer at all, but a good mate of mine drinks Pure Blond all the time because it's relatively cheap and likes the taste. Once I jokingly tried to pay him out about it during a drinking session and everyone sort of just looked at me like i'd made quite the unfunny. Turns out I had. Apparently a fair few of my friends drink Pure Blond for the same reasons, how was I supposed to know boys drinking supposed girls' drinks wasn't champagne comedy like I thought it was!? ;)

Also in life so far I've found that no matter how smart you are, assuming that other people are stupider than you is an easy way to make yourself look stupid.