Calories in Beer: The Numbers You Need to Know

A pint of standard 5% lager contains roughly 240 calories, about the same as a slice of pizza. A pint of Guinness is around 210. Most premium lagers land between 225 and 250, and strong craft IPAs can push close to 300.

Here's the full breakdown by beer, where those calories come from, and what to drink if you want the pint without the damage.

How many calories are in a pint of Guinness?

A pint of Guinness Draught contains approximately 210 calories at 4.2% ABV.

That surprises people, because Guinness looks like it should be the heaviest thing on the bar. It isn't. It's lower in calories than almost every mainstream premium lager, and the reason is simple: calories in beer track alcohol far more closely than colour or texture. Guinness is only 4.2%, while most premium lagers sit at 5% or above.

The creamy body comes from nitrogen in the pour, not from sugar or fat. Guinness carries roughly 10g of carbs per pint, less than many golden lagers, because much of what's left is complex dextrins rather than fermentable sugar.

For other serving sizes: a half pint is around 105 calories, a 440ml can around 163, and a 330ml bottle around 122.

Calories in different beers: pint comparison

All figures are per UK pint (568ml) and approximate, since brands reformulate.

Where do the calories in beer come from?

Two places, and alcohol does most of the work.

Alcohol carries about 7 calories per gram, nearly as much as pure fat. This is why ABV is the single best predictor of how calorific a beer is, and why a 4.2% stout beats a 5.4% IPA despite looking twice as heavy.

Carbohydrates carry about 4 calories per gram. These are the grain sugars left behind when fermentation stops. Beers that finish fermenting more completely leave fewer residual carbs.

Beer contains no fat and negligible protein, so those two account for essentially the whole number.

Calories in beer by style

Rough guide per pint:

• Light lager (3.5%): 100 to 130 kcal
• Stout (4.2%): around 210 kcal
• Standard lager (4.5%): 225 to 240 kcal
• Premium lager (5%): 230 to 250 kcal
• Craft IPA (5.5% and up): 270 to 320 kcal
• Strong ale or imperial stout (8%+): 400 kcal and beyond

How does that add up?

Four pints of premium lager on a Friday is close to 1,000 calories, roughly half a day's intake for most people, and none of it fills you up. Do that twice a week and you're adding around 8,000 calories a month before you've eaten anything.

Switch those four pints to Lean Brew and you save around 280 calories a session. Switch to Tennents Light and you save over 500.

Low calorie beer at DrinkWell

Low calorie beer is not low alcohol beer. Low alcohol cuts the ABV, which cuts the point. Low calorie beer keeps full or near-full strength and instead extends fermentation, converting more grain sugar into alcohol so fewer carbohydrates are left behind.

The full range, per can:

The lowest calorie: Tennents Light

At 84 calories and 0.8g of carbs, this is the lightest beer we stock. Brewed in Glasgow from 100% Scottish cereals and Loch Katrine water, so it drinks like a proper malty lager rather than a diet compromise. Gluten free and vegan.

The best for hop flavour: Lean Brew IPA

DrinkWell's own award-winning IPA, with 32.5 IBU of hop bitterness, comparable to mainstream craft IPAs, at a fraction of the calories of a Punk IPA. Gold at the European Craft Beer Awards 2021. 

The lowest carb: The Löwecal IPA

Under 1g of carbs at 4.4% ABV, the highest strength in the range. If you're counting carbs rather than calories, this is the one.

Shop beer at DrinkWell

• Low calorie beer: the full range, full strength
• Keto beer: lowest carb options
• Gluten-free beer
• Vegan beer

Free delivery on orders over £99. Please drink responsibly. UK guidance is no more than 14 units a week.

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