Is Liquor More Fattening Than Beer?

When it comes to alcohol, you may be surprised when you step on the scale. Although liquor and beer do not contain fat, they do contain other ingredients that can contribute to weight gain. When deciding between liquor and beer as it relates to which is more fattening, know the facts.

Proof

With alcoholic beverages, the higher the alcohol content, or proof, the more calories the beverage contains. Beer is often associated with the word "fattening," but because the proof of beer is lower than that of hard liquor, it is actually the less fattening of the two. Beer is also less fattening than wine, which has a slightly higher alcohol content.

Calories

A 12-oz. can of beer averaging 5-percent alcohol contains approximately 150 calories, or approximately 12 ½ calories per ounce. A 4-oz. glass of wine contains 12-percent alcohol and 77 calories, which equals approximately 19 calories per ounce -- just slightly more than beer. Hard liquors average between 40- and 50-percent alcohol per ounce. This means that just 1 oz. of hard liquor contains between 64 and 100 calories, making hard liquor the most fattening of all the alcohols per ounce, if counting calories.

Carbs

If you are carbohydrate-conscious, listen up: Hard liquor -- rum, whiskey, gin, vodka and the like -- contain no carbohydrates. A glass of wine contains approximately 3.5 g of carbohydrates and beer approximately 13 g of carbohydrates per can. Hands down, if you are counting carbohydrates, hard liquor wins over beer, and wine is somewhere in the middle. But take heed, adding a mixer or fruit juice to hard liquor increases the carb and calorie count, often surpassing that of beer.

Light Beer

More and more manufacturers are producing light beers that contain only eight calories per ounce, with a carb count that hovers well below 5 g. If you prefer beer over hard liquor and have concerns about both calories and carbohydrates in your daily diet, opt for light beers. This may require testing a few different brands, but once you find one you like, you may never go back to the more fattening varieties.