Guinness Draught
Dublin, Ireland
Nitro dry stout at 4.2% ABV. Guinness lists 35 kcal and 3g of carbohydrate per 100ml, about 125 calories and 10.6g of carbs per 12oz. Vegan since isinglass was dropped from filtration.
- Ingredients / botanicals
- water, malted barley, roasted barley, hops, ale yeast
- Congeners
- Moderate
- Histamines
- Moderate
- Polyphenols
- Moderate
- Sulfites
- Low
- Tannins
- Moderate
- Sugar
- Low
- Additives
- Low
- Calories
- 125
- Carbs
- 10.6g
11.8g ethanol at 4.2% ABV. 82 from alcohol, 42 from carbohydrate.
In its favor
- ✓4.2% ABV, low for a stout
- ✓Suitable for vegans per Guinness
- ✓About 125 calories per 12oz, similar to a lager
What to watch
- !Contains gluten from barley malt
- !Roasted barley adds Maillard compounds
- !Ale yeast gives more biogenic amines than lager yeast
Factor by factor
Congeners Moderate ▾
Byproducts of fermentation (methanol, acetaldehyde, fusel alcohols). Strongly linked to hangover severity; darker, less-distilled spirits carry more.
Histamines Moderate ▾
Produced by bacteria during fermentation/aging. Trigger flushing, headaches, congestion in sensitive drinkers. High in red wine, beer, aged spirits.
Polyphenols Moderate ▾
Plant compounds with antioxidant activity. Slightly protective at low doses but at high concentrations may worsen hangover via tannin/quercetin reactions.
Sulfites Low ▾
Preservatives (SO₂) added to wine and some beers. Common trigger of headaches, asthma, and allergic-type reactions.
Tannins Moderate ▾
Astringent polyphenols from skins, seeds, barrels. Bind proteins, slow alcohol clearance, and aggravate dehydration-style symptoms.
Sugar Low ▾
Residual sugar amplifies hangover via blood-sugar swings and dehydration. Liqueurs and cocktails are the main offenders.
Additives Low ▾
Colorants, flavorings, glycerin, propylene glycol, sorbates. Cheap spirits and ready-to-drinks often hide these in trade-secret formulas.
Guinness Draught is the lightest-looking beer that is actually a stout. The brewer’s own figures are 35 kcal and 3g of carbohydrate per 100ml, which scales to about 125 calories per 12oz, and the site’s formula (4.2% ethanol plus 10.6g of carbohydrate) gives the same figure.
That puts it level with many full lagers on calories despite its color: the dark comes from roasted barley, not sugar or alcohol. Guinness says it removed isinglass from filtration, making Draught suitable for vegans, which is why this page differs from the generic stout style. No sugar figure is published, so there is no nutrition table.
Guinness Draught questions
How many calories are in a bottle of Guinness Draught? ▾
About 125 calories in a 12oz bottle at 4.2% ABV. 82 come from the alcohol and 42 from carbohydrate.
How many carbs are in Guinness Draught? ▾
10.6g of carbohydrate per 12oz bottle. The producer does not publish a sugar figure, and in beer most of that carbohydrate is unfermented starch and dextrins rather than sugar.
Is Guinness Draught gluten-free? ▾
No. Guinness Draught is brewed from barley and never distilled, so the gluten stays in the glass. It is not safe for coeliacs; look for a beer brewed from sorghum, rice or millet instead.
Does Guinness Draught give you a bad hangover? ▾
Guinness Draught scores 5/10 on the SpiritFacts Hangover Index, against 6/10 for beer overall. It is low on every hangover factor we track, so most of the morning after comes down to how much ethanol you drink.
Is Guinness Draught vegan? ▾
Yes. Guinness Draught is listed as vegan, with no animal-derived ingredients or fining agents.