Light beer calories come to 103 for a 12 fl oz can (354 g) and 29 per 100 g. The number that matters is the count of cans, not the label: each one adds roughly the same small amount, so a single beer is light but a night of them is not.
103kcal
1 12 fl oz can · 354 g, regular light beer
13%protein
0.8 gProtein
6 gCarbs
0 gFat
How to burn off 103 kcal
—Walking, brisk
—Jogging
—Cycling, moderate
—Swimming
Skip the math. BodyPal counts these calories from your steps and workouts automatically.
Nutrition facts
Regular light beer · per 354 g
Calories
103 kcal
Protein
0.8 g
Carbohydrate
5.8 g
Fat
0 g
Saturated fat
0 g
Cholesterol
0 mg
Sodium
14 mg
Potassium
74 mg
Iron
0.1 mg
Source: USDA FoodData Central
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Verified nutrition data
Numbers on this page come from USDA FoodData Central, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s food composition database, and from manufacturer labels where a branded product is named. Last verified October 2026. How we verify our data →
Light beer: calories, protein and sodium by serving
Percent of daily value uses the FDA reference of 2,000 kcal a day.
Serving
kcal
Protein
Carbs
Fat
Sodium
% DV kcal
12 fl oz can (354 g)
103
0.8 g
5.8 g
0 g
14 mg
5%
16 fl oz can (480 g)
139
1.2 g
7.9 g
0 g
19 mg
7%
Low carb, 12 fl oz (354 g)
96
0.6 g
2.6 g
0 g
11 mg
5%
100 g
29
0.2 g
1.6 g
0 g
4 mg
1%
3 × 12 fl oz can (354 g)
308
2.5 g
42 mg
5 × 12 fl oz can (354 g)
513
4.2 g
71 mg
Three cans make a 308-calorie evening
A standard 12 fl oz can (354 g) holds 103 calories, about 5% of the daily value. Step up to a 16 fl oz can (480 g) and you get 139 calories, or 7% of the daily value. That bigger can is easy to miss because it looks like one drink, yet it carries about a third more energy than the standard size.
The total climbs in a straight line. Two 12 fl oz cans come to 205 calories, three reach 308, and five land at 513. Nothing else on the label moves much along the way: five cans still bring only 4.2 g of protein and 71 mg of sodium.
So the honest way to read light beer is per evening, not per can. If you count calories, decide on the number of cans before the first one opens, and log each can as it goes. BodyPal can log a can from a photo, which helps when the second and third ones arrive quickly.
Carbs are the only macro worth a mention
Per 100 g, light beer has 0.2 g of protein, 1.6 g of carbs and 0 g of fat. The macro split on the page puts 87% on carbs, 13% on protein and 0% on fat. Saturated fat, fiber and cholesterol all read 0.
At can size, that means 5.8 g of carbs and 0.8 g of protein in a 12 fl oz can, and 7.9 g of carbs with 1.2 g of protein in a 16 fl oz can. Sugar is close to nothing: 0.3 g per standard can and 0.1 g per 100 g.
The takeaway is blunt. Light beer gives you almost no protein, no fat and no fiber, so it does nothing to fill you up. Treat its calories as extras on top of your meals rather than part of them.
The low carb version saves carbs more than calories
The USDA lists a separate low carb light beer. A 12 fl oz serving (354 g) comes to 96 calories, 2.6 g of carbs, 0.6 g of protein and 0 g of sugar. Compare that with the regular light beer can at 103 calories and 5.8 g of carbs.
Carbs drop by more than half, but calories barely move. Both versions sit at 5% of the daily value for calories per can. If you track carbs closely, the low carb pick makes a real difference. If you only track calories, the gap is small enough that the number of cans matters far more than which kind you buy.
Michelob Ultra falls in this low carb group, at 96 calories per 12 fl oz and 0.7 g of carbs per 100 g.
Sodium is a non-issue, so plan around the food instead
Light beer is one of the few drinks where the sodium row is not worth watching. A 12 fl oz can has 14 mg, which is 1% of the daily value, and even five cans total just 71 mg. Potassium is modest too, at 21 mg per 100 g.
What usually changes the day's total is what sits next to the beer. Wings, chips and fries tend to arrive with it, and they carry far more calories and sodium than the can itself. If you are counting, log the snacks with the same care as the drinks.
A practical approach: pick a protein-rich meal before or alongside the beer, since the beer itself brings almost no protein. Keep water on the table between cans. And if a 16 fl oz can is the default at your bar, count it as 139 calories, not 103.
How does light beer compare?
Here is how light beer stacks up against regular beer, Michelob Ultra and natural light, per 100 g and per usual serving.
Verdict: For the fewest calories pick Michelob Ultra at 27 per 100 g or plain light beer and natural light at 29, both well under regular beer at 43. Regular beer carries about 1.5 times the calories of light beer, so switching saves more than choosing between the light options.
Light beer FAQs
How many calories are in a can of light beer?
A 12 fl oz can (354 g) of light beer has about 103 calories, and a 16 fl oz can (480 g) has about 139.
Is light beer good for weight loss?
Light beer has 29 calories per 100 g against 43 for regular beer, so a 12 fl oz can comes to 103 calories with 5.8 g carbs.
Light beer vs regular beer: which has fewer calories?
Light beer has 29 calories per 100 g, or 103 per 12 fl oz can. Regular beer has 43 per 100 g, or about 155 per 12 fl oz can (360 g).
How many carbs are in light beer?
A 12 fl oz can of light beer has 5.8 g carbs and 0.3 g sugar (1.64 g carbs per 100 g). Low carb light beer has 2.6 g carbs per can.
How many calories are in natural light beer?
Natural light has 29 calories per 100 g, the same as generic light beer. Its protein, carbs, fat and sodium per 100 g also match, so a 12 fl oz can sits in the same range as the 103 calories of a standard light beer can.
How many carbs are in natural light beer?
Natural light has 1.6 g of carbs per 100 g, matching generic light beer. For comparison, a 12 fl oz can of light beer holds 5.8 g of carbs, and regular beer runs 3.6 g per 100 g.
What are the nutrition facts for natural light beer?
Per 100 g, natural light has 29 calories, 0.2 g of protein, 1.6 g of carbs, 0 g of fat and 4 mg of sodium. Those figures are identical to generic light beer on this page.
How many calories are in an ultra light beer?
Michelob Ultra has 96 calories per 12 fl oz (354 g), or 27 per 100 g. That is slightly under a regular light beer can at 103 calories, and its carbs are lower at 0.7 g per 100 g.
How many calories are in a 16 oz light beer?
A 16 fl oz can (480 g) of light beer has 139 calories, about 7% of the daily value. It also brings 7.9 g of carbs, 1.2 g of protein and 19 mg of sodium.
