Beer

Why beer is rated low

Beer lands in the low range at about 1 can (380mL). No single FODMAP group stands out in beer, so there is no one carbohydrate driving the load, and what builds with more glasses is the overall FODMAP load. What the rating does not cover is a second or third can, a pint glass poured larger than a can, or a fruit or honey flavoured brew that brings ingredients of its own. Treat that can as the cap rather than a starting point.

What changes your risk

• The size of the pour The low verdict is attached to about 1 can (380mL). Draught glasses, steins and pitchers are poured to house sizes that can run well past that, so a canned or bottled serving is the easiest amount to keep track of.
• What is on the plate beside it Beer has no single standout FODMAP group, so stacking here is about the total FODMAP load of the whole sitting. A can alongside garlic bread, onion rings, a creamy dip and a wheat bun is an evening where everything else is doing the work.
• Fruit, honey and spiced brews Beers brewed or finished with fruit or honey are a different product from a plain lager or ale. Read the label for apple, pear, mango or honey, none of which belong in a low FODMAP glass.
• Shandies and soft drink tops Topping beer with fruit juice adds whatever the juice carries, and juice packs the sugars of several pieces of fruit into one glass while leaving the fibre behind. Sugar-free mixers are worth a label check for sugar alcohol sweeteners such as xylitol, maltitol and isomalt.
• Spacing the night out One can with a meal is a very different total from three cans in an hour. Spreading drinks across the evening and alternating with water keeps the amount closer to the low serve. Separate from FODMAPs, alcohol itself sits badly with some people, and that is a matter of individual tolerance.

What else works

For a plain drink, a plain lager or ale at about 1 can (380mL) is the version this page describes, and gin, vodka and whiskey each come in low at a single shot on their own pages if you would rather have a spirit with soda water and a squeeze of lime. The drinks people treat as interchangeable with beer are not: cider is pressed apple, fruit beers are built on pear, mango or berry syrups, honey-sweetened ales carry honey, and premixed alcopops are often sweetened with corn syrup. None of those are covered by the beer serving. Gluten free beer is a gluten question rather than a FODMAP rating, so it does not change what the can says.

How to keep it low

Buying cans or bottles rather than ordering from the tap is the easiest way to keep the amount matched to about 1 can (380mL), because the volume is printed on the container and a bar glass is whatever size the venue stocks. If you are out, ask for a bottled beer and drink it from the bottle or pour it yourself so the measure stays honest. Keep plain lager or ale as the default and save the label reading for anything described as fruit, sour, spiced, honey or dessert style. Having the drink with food rather than on an empty stomach, and putting a glass of water between rounds, keeps the evening tidy.

Common questions

how much beer is low fodmap

About 1 can (380mL) comes in low. That can is the figure to work from rather than a starting point, since more cans add to the overall FODMAP load.

can i drink beer during the elimination phase

Beer is low at about 1 can (380mL), so it fits at that serving. Tolerance is individual, and alcohol itself can be unsettling for some people regardless of FODMAP content.

is cider low fodmap like beer

No. Cider is pressed from apples, which are not low FODMAP, so it is not a substitute for a can of beer.

what about fruit beer or a shandy

Both add ingredients a plain beer does not include. Fruit beers are built on fruit syrups, and a shandy adds juice or soft drink, so the beer serving no longer describes what is in the glass.