Have you ever wondered whether Guinness is actually good for you? We’ve crunched the numbers to find out everything you need to know about the famous black stuff.
Ireland is famous worldwide for many things, but perhaps our most famous export is Guinness.
Founded in 1759 by Irishman Arthur Guinness, the ‘black stuff’ has gone from a local drink in Dublin to a worldwide premium stout loved by millions worldwide.
With rumours that Ireland’s favourite is actually good for you, we are asking the pressing questions today. How many calories are in Guinness?
Who consumes the most Guinness? – loved around the world
You might be surprised to discover that Ireland doesn’t even consume the most Guinness. It’s actually the UK, then Ireland, followed by Nigeria.
Guinness is brewed in 49 countries and sold in 150 (not bad coming from a once small Dublin brewery). What’s even more impressive is that ten million glasses of Guinness are enjoyed around the world every day.
Now, Guinness has a reputation for being “good for you”, so we decided to find out how many calories are in Guinness. We analyse a bottle, a can, and we’ve thrown in a baby Guinness for good measure.
Is Guinness good for you? – the truth
The famous slogan, “Guinness is good for you”, was a clever marketing strategy thought up in the 1920s. It wasn’t actually based on any scientific facts that proved the stout had actual health benefits.
However, it seems that Guinness is actually one of the healthier alcoholic drinks. Guinness contains more folate than any other beer, an ingredient that is required to make DNA and other genetic material. It also has a level of unmalted barley, giving it a higher fibre level.
A study carried out in Wisconsin, USA, found that a pint of Guinness per day could be as effective as aspirin in reducing blood clots, which can cause heart attacks.
Furthermore, you may think that Guinness would have more calories because of the creamy top; however, the crafty brewers at Guinness use nitrogen instead of carbon dioxide used in most beers.
The smaller bubbles that Guinness is so well-known for are created from nitrogen. Ok, forget the fruit; pour us a pint of Guinness.
How many calories are in Guinness? – the pressing question
Starting off with the king of Guinness drinks: the pint. You can’t beat a perfectly poured pint of Guinness.
There’s something about watching the colour change from brown to the famous black (though, in fact, it’s actually ruby red) and the mouthwatering cream forming on top to finish the pint.
It’s a sight to behold if we do say so ourselves. For any Guinness drinkers out there, you’ll know it takes time to craft a premium pint of Guinness; 119.5 seconds, to be exact.
Now to the numbers. There are 210 calories in a pint of Guinness (568 ml), which, in food terms, is four and a half Jaffa Cakes.
A pint also contains 1.9 grams of protein and 18.2 grams of carbohydrates. There is 4.2% alcohol in Guinness, which is a bit less than most beers.
Compare this to a pint of Heineken with 227 calories, Budweiser with 232, and Peroni with 235; Guinness is definitely the better option regarding calories.
How many calories in a bottle of Guinness? – a slight difference
Not as popular as a pint of Guinness, but still delicious. How many calories are in Guinness by the bottle?
A bottle is 330 ml, just over half of what is in a pint, and has 125 calories. In comparison, a bottle of Budweiser has 145 calories, Corona has 149 calories, and there are 138 calories in a bottle of Becks.
So, if you want to have a cold bottle of beer but want to think of your health at the same time, make sure to pick up a bottle of Guinness. It doesn’t taste too bad either!
A can of Guinness? – what’s the verdict?
If you feel like having a nice draught can of Guinness instead of a bottle, don’t worry.
At 150 calories, it’s still pretty calorie-friendly compared to other cans, such as Carling with 165, Heineken with 200, Coors Light with 160, and Carlsberg with 185.
For us, this backs up the argument even more than Guinness is, in fact, good for you… or maybe just better than Carling or Carlsberg.
Bonus: A baby Guinness? – not so baby calories
Contrary to popular belief, there isn’t actually any Guinness in a baby Guinness.
The famous shot is made up of Tia Maria and Baileys; however, it does look very similar to what a baby pint of Guinness may look like.
Anyone who has been to a bar or nightclub in Ireland has definitely ordered a round (or a few) of these delicious shots.
It hits 2 am, and suddenly baby Guinness shots seem like the best idea you’ve ever had. At 191 calories, however, we’d refrain from drinking too many.
So, to answer the question, yes, Guinness is good for you… well, it’s better than other beers when drank in moderation, of course.
The famous Irish stout does come with some health benefits and has fewer calories in it compared to other beers.
We now know how many calories are in Guinness, but the main thing is that it still tastes good.
