Low-carb beer: Is it really better for you - and why is it so popular?

Is low-carb beer really a healthier choice? Photo / 123RF

Low-carb beer is more popular than ever, according to New Zealand breweries, as more and more Kiwis look for lighter and healthier options at the liquor store. But it’s not exactly new, so what’s behind the low-carb craze? How different is it from regular beer? And is it really better for your health?

If you’ve strolled through a supermarket or liquor store lately, you’ll have noticed countless “light” or low-carb beers on the shelves.

You’ve likely spotted them nestled in ice in the chilly bin at a family barbecue, or a colleague at the office has informed you they’ve thrown out their home brewing kit and switched to low-carb as part of their most recent health kick.

With a lighter taste and fewer calories, it’s finding an audience with people who aren’t usually fans of beer. It’s also a go-to drink at this time of year, with the warmer weather and New Year’s resolutions still fresh in our minds.

Breweries reveal that low-carb is the fastest-growing product in a category that’s been overshadowed by RTDs and low-alcohol alternatives, while beer sales overall are flat.

But what’s the difference between regular beer and the low-carb variety? And is it really better for you?

Why is low-carb beer so popular?

While it may seem like a sudden hit, sales and awareness of low-carb beer have actually been building steadily for years, explains DB marketing director Fraser Shrimpton.

“Low-carb has been around for a while ... it’s really in the last few years that we’ve really seen it ramp up,” he tells the NZ Herald.

“People aren’t drinking as much as they used to, and when they do choose to drink, they’re looking for slightly better options. So we’ve seen a huge spike in the growth of low-carb.”

Citing a 33 per cent value growth for low-carb products in the last quarter, he adds, “Currently about one in five beers is a low-carb beer. We expect one in four will be low-carb in the next 18 months.”

Shrimpton adds that customers are valuing quality over quantity.

“So while people are drinking less, they are willing to pay a little bit more for something that they see as better.”

And according to Shrimpton, it’s not just because we’re more health-conscious than we used to be — for many of us it simply tastes better.

“Low-carb delivers more light, easy drinking, low bitterness products that better fit with consumers’ changing taste preferences,” he explains. “[They’re] not wanting so much of the heavier, bitter beers and looking for something much lighter and easier to drink.

“I think people are definitely making far more considered choices around alcohol consumption in general, so there’s significant growth in moderation.”

How is low-carb beer made?

DB’s master brewer Dave Eaton explains that the ingredients used in regular and low-carb beer are pretty similar, but the manufacturing process is a little different.

“The main difference is the extra time we allow in both the brewhouse and during the fermentation process to reduce as much of the carbohydrate coming from the malted barley as possible,” he tells the NZ Herald.

“The ‘mashing’ step in the brewhouse is also extended to allow enzymes to break more carbohydrates down to simple sugars than they would when brewing a regular beer. The yeast will then convert all these simple sugars to alcohol, leaving only a small quantity of carbohydrate remaining in the beer.”

Why does low-carb beer taste different?

“The carbohydrates, including simple sugars, are the main contributors to the body of beer,” Eaton explains. “So the beer then tastes lighter on the palate the lower the carb content.”

Garage Project's Good Shout is one example of a low-carb craft beer. Photo / Garage Project.

Shrimpton notes Heineken Silver is “99 per cent carb-free”, with 0.9 grams of carbs per 100ml, compared to regular Heineken beer which contains 3.2g of carbs per 100ml. Tiger’s low-carb offering ULC also has 0.9g of carbs per 100ml, while the original has 3.4g per 100ml.

Export Ultra contains just 0.5g per 100ml, compared to Export Gold’s 2.3g per 100ml.

It’s not just big brands creating low-carb beers - Garage Project does Good Shout, while retailer Beerjerks sells a 12-pack mixed case of low-carb craft beers.

Garage Project’s head of research and development Dr Peter Bircham notes that most beers have 2.5-4g of carbs per 100ml - three or four times less than a soft drink.

“There are usually no simple sugars in beer carbohydrates, unlike soft drinks, hence you’ll usually see breweries talking about carbs rather than sugar.”

But as he points out, “Alcohol, besides any other effects, is high in calories. Hence most low-carb [beers] target a lower ABV [alcohol per volume] range, around 4 per cent.

“True low-carb options are really reducing both carbs and alcohol to significantly lower calories.”

Low-carb beer is made by lengthening the mashing and fermentation processes. Photo / 123rf

Is low-carb beer really better for you?

So, while the “low-carb” label looks and sounds great, and might make us feel better about reaching for a bottle, is it really a healthier choice?

Nutritionist Claire Turnbull says that while low-carb beer is slightly lower in calories than regular beer, there isn’t a huge difference in carb content between the two.

“Standard beers are not that high in carbohydrates anyway,” she says.

“The challenge that I have with it is the perception, because there’s nothing wrong with low-carb beers per se, but the perception is that they are the healthier choice. And if something is a healthier choice, do people drink less of it? No, they don’t.”

The problem with beer isn’t actually the carbohydrates, she says — it’s the alcohol, which has been proven to increase the risk of cancer.

“My advice to people overall is if you’re wanting to make a healthier choice when it comes to beer, go for a lower-alcohol beer, rather than a low-carb beer, because alcohol, number one, is linked to cancer. Number two, is much higher in calories than carbohydrate.”

Low-alcohol beers are also growing in popularity, from Heineken’s low-alcohol lager to Garage Project’s non-alcoholic Tiny, which made it into the top three in the Hottest 100 Kiwi Craft Beer poll in 2023.

Carbs are four calories per gram, while a gram of alcohol is seven calories - so Turnbull advises, “If you want to choose a low-carb beer, go ahead, but don’t drink more than you normally would just because it’s a low-carb beer.”

Low-carb beers might not make much of a difference to your health, according to nutritionists.

“People are frightened of carbohydrates”

Specialist dietitian MaryRose Spence agrees.

“When people choose low-carb, if they’re choosing it for lower calories, it is lower in calories — but possibly not by as much as they would think. If people choose low alcohol, it’s significantly lower in calories,” she tells the NZ Herald.

But that’s not to discourage people from opting for low-carb drinks. “Good on them for trying to have a healthier lifestyle — in lower-carb beer, they’re definitely choosing a lower-calorie option.”

However, there are some misconceptions around carbohydrates themselves, she adds.

“When it comes to food choices, people are always talking about the carbs and taking carbs off the plate at night, but the densest calories by double are the fat component.

“Oils, seeds, avocados, are much higher in calories than the bread or the potato — so it’s a misunderstanding.”

Spence adds that what people often don’t realise is that there are two sources of calories in alcohol. “There’s a carbohydrate source and there’s an alcohol source. The alcohol source of calories is higher than the carbohydrate source.

“People are frightened of carbohydrates — I think that even when they go for a low-carb beer, they don’t really know exactly what they’re doing.”

Does the labelling need to change?

There’s no legal requirement to put nutritional information on beer bottle labels unless the product is making a nutrient claim such as “low-carb”, according to the Health Promotion Agency.

And as Spence points out, the labels still don’t have to give a breakdown of the calories from the alcohol.

In October 2023, the Guardian reported on health organisations calling for “low-carb” and “low-sugar” labels on alcoholic drinks to be removed.

Food Standards Australia New Zealand announced it was reviewing sugar claims on alcohol labels, due to concerns over potentially “misleading” information.

Alcoholic drinks are not required to have nutrition information on the label unless it's making a specific health claim such as "low-carb". Photo / Greg Bowker

The Cancer Council is among the organisations claiming that these labels should be scrapped because they give the impression that a product is “healthier” than it is.

Its submission to FSANZ, seen by the Australian edition of the Guardian, opposes the permission of nutrition claims about sugar and carbohydrates on alcohol.

“All alcohol products increase the risk of cancer, regardless of their sugar or carbohydrate content,” the statement reads.

“Any marketing and promotion of alcohol products in a way that implies a product is ‘healthier’ must not be permitted, with the exception of appropriately identifying zero- or low- alcohol products.”

As Garage Project’s Dr Peter Bircham notes, “Low-carb beers can be better for you, but you need to pay attention to what the differences are.

“Care needs to be taken when making any health claims around alcohol. We’re confident saying that low-carb beers can be significantly lower in carbs and calories than a normal beer.”

Bethany Reitsma is an Auckland-based journalist covering lifestyle and entertainment stories, who joined the Herald in 2019. She specialises in telling Kiwis’ real-life stories, money-saving hacks and anything even remotely related to coffee.