Low Carbs - Premium?

[Ives_MD]

Just wondering on the thoughts of any members, this new low-carb craze that is sweeping through all the cities and towns, does anyone think that they are any better than a regular (high-carb / fattening...)counterpart???

Take for example Pure Blonde, by far the most popular beer for many people at the moment, especially the younger demographic. Its entry price was quite cheap, but once it took off, it has become as expensive as all the "premium" beers. (as according to safeway / coles etc) Whilst it is an enjoyable drop, it doesnt strike me to be as high quality as say James Boag's Premium or Cooper's Pale Ale. From what I'm told the only difference in technique is to ferment the beer longer to reduce the carbs, not exaclty elitist.

Speaking of James Boag's Premium, is anyone else aware of the rumour that they may be experimenting with a low-carb version of the champion beer??? A sure winner one would suggest.

 

[Stuster]

Personally, I think the whole 'lite'/blonde/low cal beer fad is ridiculous. Read this if you want to know why. Marketing is all it is. (see the Hammer and Tongs thread for more fun).

 

[Ives_MD]

A good point, and a good read, although I'm not sure of the claim they make in their figures. (admittedly I am a total amateur, so therefore wouldn't know) but I was under the impression that Guiness is quite a high-calorie beer, however they put it as lighter than Corona, Bud etc.

Am i naive in thinking that the darker the color, the heavier the beer, or is that a fair assupmtion / judgement tool... (that also is a joke - unless somebody claim it as valid!)

Seems to me from my short experience...I signed up today, that marketing plays a bigger part in the scheme of things then taste... I want those big conglomorite companies OUT OF MY HEAD!!!

I think I'll stick to an old favourite next time I'm short on stubbies... good old H'n'T...

 

[Ives_MD]

nave.

Sorry for the typo above. I obviously didn't spellcheck closely enough as the i in naive (nave) actually has two tittles... dots. I apologise and it won't happen agan...

 

[Stuster]

Naive. (How do you get that double dot over the i anyway??? :unsure: )

Dark malts will not contribute a huge (any?) calories or any alcohol. They are used in small amounts anyway. It's the eye of the drinker that deceives (although I guess there could also be something in the darker malts that promotes feelings of fullness, but that's just my little pet theory. I have no idea if it's true.)

H n T's all round then. :lol: h34r:

 

[boingk]

Awesome, awesome article. Always thought that - that if you want a beer with less energy you should drink a light beer, ie: lower alcohol content, not lower carbs. Think I might have actually put it in another post around here...

Love the closing statement as well - people pinning their problems, when will they learn?

Quick edit: Beers with higher gravities [ie: stouts, porters, etc] give feelings of fullness simply because they are heavier in the stomach than ordinary beer, I would assume.

 

[kabooby]

I was under the impression that Guiness is quite a high-calorie beer, however they put it as lighter than Corona, Bud etc.

Guiness is an average calorie beer with 37 cal / 100ml. Corona has 42 cal / 100ml

James Squire Amber Ale is 51 cal / 100ml

A lot of other commercial beers are around the 40 mark.

Kabooby

 

[paul]

I read an article in the paper about these beer last week. It said that drinking five of these beer was the equivalent calories to drinking six normal beers.

Doesnt seem worth the effort to me.

 

[boingk]

Doesnt seem worth the effort to me.

"Effort" is the right phrase...I don't particularly like those 'low carb' beers...and what a gyp if they're actually not better for you, but in actual fact comparable [or worse]!

 

[Tony]

I tried a pure blond (beer) on the weekend

Im drinking a 6.5% full boddies roggenbier ATM and its much nicer. It has taste. Each time i have a mouthfull it makes me think, challenges my sense of smell and taste, makes me want more.

i only had one pure blond !!!!!!!!

cheers

 

[Darren]

I had wondered about the validity of the low carb claims myself.

Are they low-carb because the have a lower FG? (ie less residual sugar)

Anyone know?

cheers

Darren

 

[Tony]

my old man works for a megaswill mob. He keeps poking these low carb beers in fornt of me saying they wony make me fat(er).

I ask him why they wont and i get told that they are low carb.

So i questioned how they make it low carb! why isnt it as fattening as a schooner of new?

i still dont have an answer, even the insiders dont know.

I personaly think its a crock of **** and is a publicity stunt to sell beer to the ****** that wont usually drink itfor fear of a bit of a gut.

Just my opinion, no offiliation, no opinion and all that

cheers

 

[Darren]

I assumed it was because they treat with dry enzyme to lower the final gravity of the beer.

The resulting alcohol would have a slightlylower available calorie than the residual sugar that would be there otherwise.

Funny thing is wine has almost 3x the calorie content than the same amount of beer.

Try telling that to a wine drinker.

I reckon it is dietary intake rather than the calories that makes for a "beer" gut.

cheers

Darren

 

[Tony]

i agree with you there darren.

although yaers back i lost 18kg and was drinking 14+schooners a night 4 nights a week at the pub plus more at home.

It was rough partch in my life and im not proud of it.

the fact is i drank more a week than most drink in 3 months for years but i ate next to nothing, and if i did i made it salad and steak or chicken.

I was loosing a KG a week at one stage. I went form a 86 tubby fella to a ribs and hips 68KG skeleton.

Its also a combination of your diet, your excercise and your metabolism rate. everyones is different.

i was working "HARD", 80+ hours a week + breakdown callins when i was suposed to be sleeping. i think at one stage i had 2 days off work between october and august the next year.

needles to say i got sick, had a nervous breakdown and my imune system shut down leading to months on sick leave with gilangela fever and chicken pocks all at once at the age of 24!

so i quit, left, got a better job, got married, discovered home brew and am now a slightly tubby 78KG (a bit of a gut) but im happy and thats what counts!

sorry for the rave.........but it helps

you cant always blame the beer for the weight is all im saying

cheers

 

[Slurpdog]

My mates drink Pure Blonde because they say it doesn't bloat them as much as the regular commercial beers.
I normally counter this with the analogy of what's the difference between drinking a litre of Pure Blonde (lots of calories) and drinking a litre of water (no calories).
Either way you still have a litre of liquid in your stomach and so one should make you feel as bloated as the other. There shouldn't be any difference!
I've always said that if Cottees start to make a beer flavoured cordial then it would taste like Pure Blonde, so my anology's probably not too far from the truth!