LOW CARB. BEER CHALLENGE

We all want to have our beer and our body too, but let’s be real… It is tough. The market has been flooded with low carb, low calorie drinks. Many of them have little to no flavor, and are expensive. Many of those overpriced products are only marginally “healthier” than the lower cost, traditional choices. That’s why I have decided to do some “research” in the name of health and fitness. The laboratory for the experiment is warm waters of Dworshak reservoir in our beautiful town or Orofino, and the comforts of the party barge.

The hypotheses is that I can spend a day drinking Busch light, which has slightly more calories, and nearly as low of carbs than its counterpart. Taste is better, price is better, and it could be marketed as “low carb”. I’ve done some of the others. Miller 64 is decent, a little watered down and low alcohol, but it’s drinkable. With 2.4% alcohol it’s only slightly higher than a NA beer, but its low calorie (64), and carb content (2.8) make it a decent choice if you are not looking for any intoxicating factors. The second beer of choice, and much more popular is Michelob ultra. It’s much pricier and holds 95 calories and 2.6 grams of carbs, and 4.2% alcohol. For the purpose of this experiment Michelob Ultra will be the standard for comparison because of its popularity and marketed prowess towards healthful drinkers.

Flavor:

Side by side the two beverages appear very similar. However the flavor difference is significant. Michelob Ultra has a cardboard type finish. What I mean is that if you took a piece of cardboard and licked it you would get a very similar aftertaste as the Ultra. The Busch light however is much smoother and satisfying. Its thirst quenching qualities go well with the glowing sunshine on Dworshak.

Healthy?

Ok, so Ultra contains 95 calories and 2.6 grams of carbs. Busch light on the other hand holds 95 calories and 3.2 grams of carbs. Ultra does have .6 grams of fewer carbs, however I would argue that those extra carbs are well worth the difference in flavor. Let’s think about this, if you drank 10 beers, that would be a difference of 6 grams of carbohydrates. That is the equivalent of one cup of broccoli. I rest my case.

Price

The answer here is obvious. I buy a 30 bomb of Busch Light for $16, while 30 Michelob’s would run you closer to $25!

Final thought

For those of you on either a maintenance program or if you are looking for a cheat day on your weight loss journey, choosing a beverage that is enjoyable, and will limit your temporary derailment is critical. Busch light is an obvious choice. If you put it in a fancy bottle, slap a label on it saying low carb/low cal., double the price and you have a more popular light beer.