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r Beer
(Ale)
Nutritional Profile
Energy value (calories per serving): Low
Protein: Moderate
Fat: None
Saturated fat: None
Cholesterol: None
Carbohydrates: High
Fiber: None
Sodium: Low
Major vitamin contribution: B vitamins
Major mineral contribution: PhosphorusAbout the Nutrients in This Food
Beer and ale are fermented beverages created by yeasts that convert the
sugars in malted barley and grain to ethyl alcohol (a.k.a. “alcohol,” “drink-
ing alcohol”).*
The USDA/Health and Human Services Dietary Guidelines for
Americans defines one drink as 12 ounces of beer, five ounces of wine, or
1.25 ounces of distilled spirits. One 12-ounce glass of beer has 140 calo-
ries, 86 of them (61 percent) from alcohol. But the beverage—sometimes
nicknamed “liquid bread”—is more than empty calories. Like wine, beer
retains small amounts of some nutrients present in the food from which
it was made.* Because yeasts cannot digest the starches in grains, the grains to be used in
making beer and ale are allowed to germinate (“malt”). When it is time to make
the beer or ale, the malted grain is soaked in water, forming a mash in which
the starches are split into simple sugars that can be digested (fermented) by the
yeasts. If undisturbed, the fermentation will continue until all the sugars have
been digested, but it can be halted at any time simply by raising or lowering
the temperature of the liquid. Beer sold in bottles or cans is pasteurized to kill
the yeasts and stop the fermentation. Draft beer is not pasteurized and must be
refrigerated until tapped so that it will not continue to ferment in the container.
The longer the shipping time, the more likely it is that draft beer will be exposed
to temperature variations that may affect its quality—which is why draft beer
almost always tastes best when consumed near the place where it was brewed.