Session IPAs lower in calories than other sessionable beers?

The calories in a given beer come primarily from the alcohol and residual sugar (protein from the malt also contributes a little). So if you increase the malt bill, but keep the ABV constant, you're left with more residual sugar (higher final gravity) and thus more calories.

This is a little bit of a simplification since you can add things other than malt that will ferment or increase the residual sugar of the beer.

tl;dr: Most likely yes, assuming the malt bill of the IPA is actually less than what you're comparing it to. This is not the case for Left of the Dial when compared to Sam Adams Light.

 

Wachusett light IPA claims 130 per 12 oz portion. Just an FYI.

 

Yeah I'm sure they are lower in calories but if you drink 3 or 4 that's 3 to 4 hundred calories anyway. Gym every other day and a lot of walking will keep it in check. I'm not bragging but as a UPS man no problem here.

 

More ABV=More calories, for various scientific reasons. No need to overcomplicate this.

 

I worked at ups for over a year. Was preload in the beaver ave pittsburgh facility. Ive gained some weight since leaving and ill take the gut over having to show up there every morning!

 

So YOU'RE the guy we keep hearing about with all of those "undeliverable, unsalvagable" boxes... it had to be someone with access (UPS) and knowledge of what they had in their hands (a BA).... I call for a witch hunt for this guy!

 

yes its not a job to enjoy it used to be until corporate took over, now its hell ,good choice getting out of there. the turnover rate inside is still above 50%. Personal recognition and communication are non- existent.

 

Truth be told, I've never had a session IPA. My understanding, however, is that it's usually a pretty simple malt bill and tons of hops, much like a regular IPA, but with less malt. Malt = sugar = alcohol = calories. Contrasted to a traditional session ale which typically derive more flavor from the grist through the use of crystal malts and such. So if you have a session IPA next to a Mild of the same ABV, I'd guess there's a good shot at the IPA having a lower caloric content, largely due to the residual sugars in the Mild.

 

Pale ales, pilsners and lagers come up with similar amounts of calories and have a better approach to the palate in my opinion. Sly fox golden helles lager and pikeland pils list 147 calories, Victory's Headwaters pale ale comes in at 156.

 

^^ this.. its all about the ABV when talking calories, that is all. the low carb beer range is just a marketing gimmick.

 

Most low carb beers have between 95 and 105 calories, 2.6 to 5 carbs, and 4%-5% abv. I am not sure what you mean by "gimmicky" because low carb beers are in fact lower carb than regular or even most light beers.

So the range between all of the low carb beers is quite low. For the most part, the lower the alcohol, the lower the calories.

Here is my source http://www.askmen.com/sports/foodcourt_100/128_eating_well.html

 

The upper limit to what can accurately be considered a session beer is 4% ABV and this corresponds to just about 200 calories per pint.A proper Imperial pint of course, the smallest quanity of a session beer which makes any sense to drink.