Most calorific beers REVEALED amid calls for nutritional info on beer taps

Most gamblers don’t think about calories when they order a pint in the pub.

But would you reach for a second, third, or fourth pint if you knew how many calories you were knocking back?

Four pints of BrewDog Punk IPA, one of the worst offenders, can provide half a day’s worth of calories.

And just one pint of San Miguel contains about 250 calories – more than a Mars bar (228 cal).

To solve this “major problem” of uncertainty about the caloric value of beer, Shadow Health Minister Liz Kendall suggested that beer pumps should display the number of calories in a pint.

Here, MailOnline gathers the evidence and compares how many calories are in Britain’s favorite pints.

The Labor frontbencher told the BBC Newscast that she ‘would like to know how many calories are in alcohol’.

She said that for her “knowledge is power,” before adding that she’s “not going to tell people what to do.”

But industry leaders say calories on faucets is a bad idea at a time when high street stores are already grappling with a stagnant economy.

This isn’t the first time calories have been suggested on faucets.

In 2021, Tory government health chiefs wanted to force larger chains to disclose the calorie count for every beer, wine and spirits ordered in their bars.

But it was later scrapped due to cost concerns.

Whether you like beer taps with calories on them or not, you might be surprised to learn that some IPAs contain more than double the calories in a packet of Walkers ready-to-eat salted chips (130 cal).

A pint of BrewDog Punk IPA contains 292 calories, making it the worst offender of the 16 beers MailOnline reviewed.

That means just two pints of the IPA contain more than a quarter of a person’s recommended daily calorie intake.

Men should consume about 2,500 calories per day to maintain a healthy weight, while women are advised to stick to 2,000 calories.

Shipyard American Pale Ale (257 cal) and San Miguel (256 cal) are not far behind.

Meanwhile, Kronenbourg (244 cal) contains almost the same number of calories as a three McVitie’s Chocolate Digestive (249).

And punters may be shocked to discover that a pint of Peroni (235 cal) or an Abbot Ale (234 cal) contains almost the same number of calories as a Snickers (245 cal).

In comparison, a pint of Carling is on the lighter side of the scale at 189 calories.

A pint of Foster’s contains 205 calories and a Heineken is 227 calories.

It’s not just beers and larger beers that are high in calories, as wine, cider and spirits are loaded with them.

That’s because many alcoholic beverages are made from natural starch and sugar, which are fermented to produce the alcohol content.

This is why alcohol contains about 7 calories per gram, which is almost as much as a gram of fat, according to the NHS.

While many believe that the darker the beer and the denser the head, the more carbohydrates and calories the drink contains, that myth has been debunked.

Many lagers contain even more calories than a Guinness.

A pint of Budweiser (232 cal), Cobra (228 cal) and Stella Artois (227 cal) all contain more calories.

Higher sugar levels in beers such as Peroni, Kronenbourg, Budweiser, Heineken and Stella Artois could be why they have more calories in each pint than Guinness, says DrinkWell UK.

DO YOU DRINK TOO MUCH ALCOHOL? THE 10 QUESTIONS THAT REVEAL YOUR RISK

A screening tool commonly used by medical professionals is the AUDIT (Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Tests). The 10-question test, developed in conjunction with the World Health Organization, is considered the gold standard for helping determine whether someone is abusing alcohol.

The test is reproduced here with permission from the WHO.

To complete it, answer each question and record the corresponding score.

YOUR SCORE:

0-7: You are within the limits of sensible drinking and have a low risk of alcohol-related problems.

More than 8: Indicate harmful or dangerous drinking.

8-15: Medium risk level. If you drink at your current level, you risk having problems with your health and life in general, such as work and relationships. Consider cutting down (see below for tips).

16-19: Higher risk of complications from alcohol. Cutting back on your own can be difficult at this level as you may be dependent, so you may need professional help from your GP and/or a counselor.

20 and older: Possible dependency. Your drinking is already causing problems and you could very well be dependent. You should definitely consider stopping gradually or at least drinking less. You should seek professional help to determine your dependency and the safest way to stop drinking.

Severe dependence may require medically assisted weaning or detox in a hospital or specialist clinic. This is due to the potential for severe alcohol withdrawal symptoms in the first 48 hours that require specialist treatment.