Craft Beer’s sugar content may vary depending on its initial gravity and the type of yeast strain used to ferment it.
Yet, beer manufacturers may include other sugar-containing ingredients in their recipes, such as honey and corn syrup, to give their beer a distinctive flavor.
Nevertheless, labeling regulations for alcoholic beverages in the United States do not require manufacturers to report the sugar content of their products (10, 11).
While some state the carb content, most only disclose their alcohol content. Thus, determining how much sugar your favorite beer contains may be a difficult task.
Still, the following list includes the sugar and carb contents found in 12 ounces (355 ml) of various types of beer, as well as those of some popular brands (12Trusted Source, 13Trusted Source, 14Trusted Source, 15, 16, 17Trusted Source, 18Trusted Source, 19):
Regular beer: 12.8 grams of carbs, 0 grams of sugar
Light beer: 5.9 grams of carbs, 0.3 grams of sugar
Low carb beer: 2.6 grams of carbs, 0 grams of sugar
Non-alcoholic beer: 28.5 grams of carbs, 28.5 grams of sugar
Miller High Life: 12.2 grams of carbs, 0 grams of sugar
Miller Lite: 3.2 grams of carbs, 0 grams of sugar
Coors Banquet: 11.7 grams of carbs, 0 grams of sugar
Coors Light: 5 grams of carbs, 1 gram of sugar
Coors Non-alcoholic: 12.2 grams of carbs, 8 grams of sugar
Heineken: 11.4 grams of carbs, 0 grams of sugar
Budweiser: 10.6 grams of carbs, 0 grams of sugar
Bud Light: 4.6 grams of carbs, 0 grams of sugar
Busch: 6.9 grams of carbs, no sugar reported
Busch Light: 3.2 grams of carbs, no sugar reported
As you can see, light beers are slightly higher in sugar than regular beers. This may be due to differences in their fermentation process.
Light beers are produced by adding glucoamylase to the wort — an enzyme that breaks down residual carbs and transforms them into fermentable sugars. This reduces both the calorie and alcohol contents of the beer (20Trusted Source).
Additionally, since none of the wort’s sugar is converted into alcohol in non-alcoholic beers, these have the highest sugar content.
Keep in mind that while beer’s sugar content may be low, regular beers are still a source of carbs, which may affect your blood sugar levels.
Furthermore, even without any reported sugars, beer’s alcohol content is still a significant source of calories.
