Just because you enjoy long hikes in the woods, epic, day-long bike rides, and an overall healthy lifestyle, that doesn’t mean you don’t want to drink a beer every now and again. That said, you’re not likely to want to finish off an active day or work out, cycling, hiking, or swimming with high-ABV, high-caloric heavy beers.
In my experience, the best beers to drink after a busy day (especially if it’s a hot, sunny day) are sessionable, lower in calories, and carbs. You can go fully non-alcoholic or even opt for a hop water, but I prefer lighter, yet still balanced and refreshing beers.
Active lifestyle beers
When it comes to active lifestyle beers, I mentioned the fact that they should be low-calorie and low-alcohol above all else. In a perfect world, that would mean a beer that’s under 5% ABV and at or under 100 calories. Obviously,, a little more in each category is possible if you’re looking for something with more overall flavor.
You’re probably not going to want to drink a barrel-aged stout. This type of beer certainly doesn’t scream “healthy lifestyle”. It’s probably going to be upwards of 12-13% ABV and over 300 calories per bottle (and beyond). As a comparison, a classic, crisp European-style lager is usually just a hair over 100 calories. Great choice includes light lagers, gose beers, wheat beers, pilsners, session IPAs, and all manner of light beers.
The best beers for an active lifestyle
Now that you’ve learned about what makes a “healthy” beer and good styles to choose from, it’s time to actually find some beers to add to your fridge to enjoy after an active day. Since I wouldn’t want you to get tired of one singular style, I added sessions, IPAs, light lagers, and even blonde ales.
How I pick my active lifestyle beer
As I mentioned earlier, a great active-lifestyle beer should be low-ABV, low-calorie, and, ideally, low-carb. But, even if you have all of those characteristics, the beer still needs to taste good. After you tick those initial boxes, I also require these beers to be balanced, flavorful, and memorable. Now that we have that behind us, below you’ll find my list of the best beers for drinkers with an active lifestyle.
Dogfish Head Slightly Mighty Light IPA
The name Dogfish Head Slightly Mighty Light IPA does a pretty good job explaining exactly what’s inside this can. First released in 2018, this low-calorie IPA is brewed with locally sourced barley and select hops, and gets its sweetness from monk fruit extract. The result is a thirst-quenching, light
Oskar Blues Dale’s American Light Lager
Oskar Blues Dale’s Pale Ale is a staple of the American pale ale landscape. If you love this beer, but you’re looking for something a little lighter to pair with your next hiking excursion, opt for Oskar Blues Dale’s American Light Lager. Brewed with simple ingredients like malt, grain, and floral, earthy hops, it’s known for its flavor profile of biscuit-like malt, honey, lemon, fresh cut grass, and floral, lightly piney hops at the finish. To add to that, it’s only 95 calories per 12-ounce can.
Bell’s Light Hearted IPA
This is the session IPA version of Bell’s popular Two Hearted
Kona Light Blonde Ale
If blonde ales are more your thing, crack open a can or bottle of Kona Light Blonde Ale to get some much-needed refreshment after a long bike ride. This 4.2% ABV, sessionable blonde ale is brewed with Pale malt and Caramel malt. It gets its hop aroma and flavor from the addition of Millenium, Mosaic, and Amarillo hops. This creates a refreshing, light-bodied beer loaded with flavors like bready malts, clover honey, citrus peels, and floral, lightly piney hops. To add to that, it’s only 99 calories per 12-ounce can.
Lagunitas Daytime IPA
Lagunitas makes one of the most well-known and beloved West Coast IPAs of all time. Its light IPA version is the perfect choice for a beer drinker with an active lifestyle. This 4% session
