2.5 Net: "Labatt's new beer light on carbs"
 

Labatt's new beer light on carbs

Vito Pilieci, The Ottawa Citizen

Tuesday, November 25, 2003

For the health-conscious, Labatt's Sterling beer comes with only 2.5 grams of carbs.

link to article

Labatt Breweries is releasing a beer that it claims will deliver the taste of a light ale, but provide less than half of the carbohydrates.

"This is our early holiday gift to beer drinkers," said Nigel Miller, a spokesman for Labatt Breweries of Canada. "We're launching Labatt Sterling to appeal to the growing number of people who are looking for a beer that fits their lifestyle."

The lifestyle that Miller speaks of is the growing number of Canadians who are adopting new methods of controlling weight gain, such as the popular Atkins diet, the Zone diet or the Sugar Busters diet.

These restrict the amount of carbohydrates that a person eats daily. This means that breads, cereals, certain vegetables, sugar and even beer must be cut back dramatically.

Labatt's new Sterling beer has only 2.5 grams of carbohydrates per bottle, about 75 per cent less than a regular beer and half of those found in a light beer.

Each bottle has 88 calories, as compared to 145 calories in a regular beer and 110 in a light beer.

The company isn't the first to release a carbohydrate conscious brew, Sleeman Breweries Ltd., has been marketing a similar beer called Sleeman Clear which also contains only 2.5 grams of carbohydrates per bottle.

Miller would not say how the carbohydrate level of the beer is lowered. But, he said it is not at the expense of the beer's alcohol content, which is four per cent, the same as a regular light beer.

He said Labatt has been working on the new beer for more than a year.

But Marketa Graham, a dietician in the prevention and rehabilitation centre of the University of Ottawa Heart Institute, said people watching their weight should be wary of the new movement toward low-carbohydrate beers.

"I think it's just a marketing gimmick," she said.

Graham said that while the carbohydrate level may be lower in beers such as Sleeman Clear, or Labatt Sterling, each of the beers still contain about 90 calories per bottle. A regular light beer contains about 110 calories per bottle.

"The [calorie] difference between the two is like eating a quarter of an apple," she said. "If you are trying to watch your weight, you shouldn't be having more than two drinks per day anyways, it's just empty calories."

woooooooohoooooooo
 

WOOOOOHOOOOOOOOO

LOW CARB BEER!!!!
yes yes yes!!!:Party: :dazzle:

Double WOOOHOOO!!!! Sleeman's & Labatts, wonder who the next Canuck brewer will be to fall into line.

Its not a gimmick if I am on a diet that restricts carbs, and I demand that my food and drink suppliers meet my needs to get my money.

Let me decide if those calories and the carb reduction are of value.

brobin

I personally kept Labatt's in business during my pre-Atkins days - I sure hope they decide to export Sterling to the states.

:yay:

I am sick and tired of getting too drunk on Rum or Vodka...damn! 3-4 drinks with my diet soda is way too much for this light weight..I end up going home way too early....at least beer doesn't get me so loaded...I can't wait to have low carb beer. Maybe I will last a 6 pack.

I found some of the low carb Rolling Rock just in time for Thanksgiving, same carbs as Ultra, but actually tastes like beer.

There was also another low-carb beer on the shelves, I didn't catch the name... and it didn't have a carb count on the case, so I passed...

Options are good.

--nw