Known for its impactful green bottle, red star and crisp taste; Heineken has grown over the years to become one of the world’s most popular lager brands. A pale lager with deep and refreshing notes throughout, Heineken is altogether clean, slightly bitter and refreshing when enjoyed on a warm, summer’s day.
Heineken has built up its reputation since it was first brewed in 1873, often seen featured at global sporting events such as the UEFA Champions League and a long-standing brand relationship with the James Bond series. However, despite this reputation, research conducted by SkinnyBrands into the most commonly sold lagers in the UK, found Heineken to be one of the highest calorie-containing beers.
There are approximately 236 calories in a pint of Heineken and 17.6g of carbohydrates. This equals out to around 137 calories per 330ml bottle. This number nearly doubles for a large (650ml) bottle of Heineken at just over 270 calories per serving. This high-calorie content is due to the relatively high carbohydrate content present in the lager from the traditional brewing methods. These traditional methods also contribute towards the lager’s gluten content, and vegan status, too.
Let’s take a deeper look to see how Heineken as a brand compares to Skinny Lager, one of the lowest-calorie lagers available to buy here in the UK. We’ll also review how each brand stacks up against the other for other dietary requirements.
How Many Calories Are in a Pint of Heineken?
There are 236 calories in a pint of Heineken. According to our research, this is a little over the average calorie content for a lager sold here in the UK. However, the average calorie content for a lager is relatively high. Coca-Cola has approximately 215 calories per pint, for reference.
Many drinkers may be unaware of just how many calories they are drinking unnecessarily every time they order a Heineken from a pub, or bar or purchase from a supermarket. With a pint of Heineken averaging between 9.4% and 11.8% of your recommended daily calorie intake, this can quickly start to add up. Regularly consuming excess calories can contribute towards negative health effects.
How Many Calories in a Bottle of Heineken?
There are 137 calories in a 330ml bottle of Heineken. This is approximately equivalent to 5.5% of your recommended daily calorie intake for men, and as much as 6.9% for women.
Of course, one or two beers on a weekend isn’t going to negatively impact your health too much. However, Skinny Lager has revolutionised brewing methods to reduce the calories in lager, producing a truly unique full-flavoured lager that meets a whole host of dietary requirements.
During the brewing process, Skinny Lager removes residual carbohydrates and gluten, meaning the full-flavour premium lager has the correct balance of hops, malt and bitterness. This reduced-calorie gluten-free and vegan lager means you can still enjoy your weekly drinks without the extra calories.
Heineken Nutritional Facts
Typical of premium lagers, Heineken contains a high number of calories per serving that can easily lead to exceeding your recommended calorie intake.
In this section, let’s look at some other nutritional facts surrounding Heineken. This includes sugar content, gluten content and Vegan Society certification.
Skinny Lager contains only 89 calories per 330ml bottle and is also gluten-free certified and Vegan Society certified.
Is Heineken Gluten-Free Certified?
No, Heineken is not gluten-free certified. Heineken contains malted barley as an ingredient. As of 2024, they haven’t indicated that they intend to create a gluten-free version, either.
Free-from pioneer Skinny Lager led the way in producing a truly gluten-free lager, completely removing all gluten particles from the production process. This way, we can brew a lager using traditional methods and completely remove the gluten to levels where they can be enjoyed by those with even coeliac disease.
We also created Skinny IPA which goes through the same rigorous process. The taste remains the same, but you won’t experience any unpleasant after-effects, such as bloating, blotches, or stomach cramps, due to the absence of gluten in all of our products.
Is Heineken Vegan Society-Certified?
No, Heineken is not Vegan Society-certified. Becoming Vegan-Certified is only possible by meeting the strict criteria outlined by the Vegan Society.
Certification is crucial for alcoholic products like beer or lager as some countries including the UK don’t mandate brands to specify their ingredients on the packaging.
To become certified, products have to undergo rigorous testing and use specially developed ingredients to ensure a vegan end product. Since Heineken hasn’t undergone this certification process, unfortunately, they cannot claim to be certified vegan.
Our products Skinny Lager, Skinny IPA, and Skinny Fruit Cider have been approved by the Vegan Society after a thorough review of every aspect of our production facility and brewing processes.
How Many Carbs Are in a Pint of Heineken?
According to independent third-party research, Heineken has 17.6g of carbohydrates per pint. This equates to around 10.2g of carbs per 330ml bottle. Skinny Lager has only 3.0g of carbs per 330ml bottle or 5.1g of carbs per pint.
Heineken Vs. Skinny Lager
| Skinny Lager
(per 330ml) |
Heineken
(per 330ml) |
|
| Calories | 89 | 137 |
| Carbohydrates (g) | 3.0 | 10.2 |
| ABV (%) | 4.0 | 5.0 |
| Certified Gluten Free? | ✔ | ✕ |
| Certified Vegan? | ✔ | ✕ |
Not only does Skinny Lager contain fewer calories per pint and bottle than Heineken, but it also contains fewer carbohydrates, too.
Considering Heineken contains over 3 times the carbohydrates of Skinny Lager, the latter is the clear choice for anyone looking to reduce their carbohydrate intake without removing lager from their diet completely. Skinny Lager is the only one that is also fully certified as gluten-free and vegan, it is the clear choice for premium lager.
A Crisp Lager Which Doesn’t Compromise on Taste
At Skinny Brands, we believe that managing your dietary requirements shouldn’t mean giving up on enjoying a drink or two. We offer a range of beverages, including Skinny Lager, Skinny IPA, and our latest addition, Skinny Fruit Cider.
Our entire range of drinks is brewed with the finest ingredients here in the UK and contains only 89 calories per can or bottle.
You can check out our online store to find out more about our products or head over to our FAQ page to learn more about how we brew our drinks.
