The beer is a favorite drink for many of us, especially in the celebrations or even after training, although we must be aware that it is not a good replacement beverage.

Among all the varieties of this drink, many people opt for the versions 0.0%, light or without alcohol to cool off but, do we know what are the differences between these types of beer? We tell you so you can choose the one that best suits you.

How much alcohol does each beer give us?

The percentage of alcohol in volume is the main difference of these beers compared to traditional beers. While “normal” beers typically have between 4.5 and 5% alcohol by volume, depending on their preparation, beers labeled as 0.0% have less than 0.1% alcohol, while without it can reach around 0.6%.

The light beers, a denomination that does not mean it does not contain alcohol but with fewer calories, they also have a smaller volume than traditional alcohol: between 2 and 3%.

AMOUNT OF ALCOHOL PER 100 ML (% VOL) TRADITIONAL BEER BEER 0.0% BEER WITHOUT LIGHT BEER
4.5-5% <0.1% 0.6% 2-3%

And what about calories and nutrients?

If what we want to focus on is the caloric intake of the beer we are drinking (for example, because we are on a hypocaloric diet, although we already know that the best part of a healthy diet is zero alcohol), then any of these varieties of beer can serve us, since its energy contribution is very similar: between 19 and 30 kilocalories per 100 milliliters of beverage, compared to 43 kilocalories per 100 milliliters of traditional beer.

Looking at the calories, the key here would be the amount of beer we consume. As a general rule we do not limit ourselves to 100 milliliters of beer (one cane is 200 milliliters already), so the calories consumed tend to rise like foam, and never better. To this, in addition, we must add the tapas or skewers that often accompany our beer.

KILOCALORIES PER 100 ML TRADITIONAL BEER BEER 0.0% BEER WITHOUT LIGHT BEER
43 kcal 20-24 kcal 15-20 kcal 25-30 kcal

The amount of folic acid in beer

As for the nutrients contained in beer, which is usually referred to is folic acid or vitamin B9, which nevertheless appears in a very small amount **: between five and ten micrograms per 100 milliliters of drink ** . This amount is similar in all types of beer.

To put it in context we must know that the recommended amount of daily folic acid in adults is 400 micrograms per day (600 micrograms in the case of pregnant women and 500 micrograms in the case of women during lactation, who have a greater demand for this nutrient) and, above all, that we can obtain it in larger quantities of other healthier foods, such as beans (390 micrograms per 100 grams of food) or soy (240 micrograms per 100 grams).

In summary: beer always contains alcohol, although in some cases, such as 0.0% or without, it can be in very small quantities. Their calorie intake is quite limited, as well as their contribution of nutrients. With this information, the decision on what to take is in your hands.