With the summer sports and barbecue season in full swing, lager is top of many shopping lists. But compared with other alcoholic drinks, it’s packed with calories — for example, a bottle of premium lager may contain three times as many calories as a single gin and slimline tonic. Our savvy slimmer puts three brands to the test and finds that you need to sacrifice taste if you want to swap a beer belly for a toned tum.
Woulda...
STELLA ARTOIS
CARBS 9.7g; ALCOHOL 1.7 units per 330ml bottle; PRICE £3.62 for four
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Verdict This has a strong, dry flavour, a pleasant taste and the perfect amount of fizz. But it has no nutrition information. It is, however, the only brand to label alcohol units. Serious lager drinkers will almost certainly prefer this reassuringly tasty lager to the other two, even though it contains the most calories. 149 calories
Coulda ...
COORS
CARBS 9.9g; ALCOHOL 1.7 units per 330ml bottle; PRICE £4.49 for four
Verdict This has a cool, crisp taste, is very fizzy and refreshing, making it easy to drink — dangerous if you’re thirsty. Although it is described as a “light” beer, the “light ” refers to its taste rather than it being a great slimming choice. More likely to be a hit with the ladies than hardcore lager-drinking males. 133 calories
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Shoulda ...
MICHELOB ULTRA
CARBS 3g; ALCOHOL 1.7 units per 330ml bottle; PRICE £3.62 for four
Verdict This doesn’t taste as strong as the other two, has a paler colour and is pleasantly sweet. From a slimming point of view, it’s a clear winner with just 106 calories per bottle — and it has nutrition information on the label. Its low carb content will also make it a hit with Atkins fans. 106 calories