busch (light) on balcony

Busch Light was created for the same reason other light beers were; to appeal to the customers who were looking for a beer that tasted less bitter and had fewer calories and carbs. Though Busch Light isn’t Anheuser-Busch’s first venture into the world of light beer, which is proudly Bud Light, it is one of the fastest-growing options. If you are part of the group tracking calorie and carb intake, you’ll find all the information you need here.

Per 12 fl. oz (355 ml), Busch Light has 95 calories, with 3.2 grams of carbs. Per 16 fl. oz can (472 ml), there are 127 calories. This is very similar to its counterparts, with the average for light beer being  3.2 grams of carbs and about 100 calories.

However, that isn’t everything you need to know about Busch Light. If you’re curious about the exact nutrition facts, ingredients, and comparison to other light beers – keep reading. This way, you’ll have all the information you need to make the best choice for you.

How Many Calories In Busch Light (4.1% ABV)? Explained

Busch Light has 95 calories per 12 fl. oz (355 ml), consisting of 3.2 grams of carbohydrates, 0.7 grams of protein, and 0 grams of fat. Per 16 fl. oz (474 ml), this leaves you with 127 calories, 4.3 grams of carbohydrates, 0.9 grams of protein, and still 0 grams of fat.

As Busch Light is an American light lager, it is generally lower in calories than standard beers. If you’re interested in knowing more about this type of beer, and why Busch Light is categorized as such, read this post: What Kind Of Beer Is Busch Light? (Explained)

The ingredients for this beer are water, barley, rice, and hops. This is relatively standard for light beers, although some choose to omit the rice and use a different product to help with fermentation (such as corn syrup). Rice is just a form of sugar that is needed to be converted into alcohol by yeast. It also replaces some barley, leaving you with a lighter-tasting beer.

Additionally, some brands like to use hops extract instead of standard hops to reel in the carbs and add a specific type of bitterness. Clearly, Busch Light prefers the taste of real hops instead.

How Many Calories Compared To Other Light Beers?

When comparing it to other light beers, the calorie and other nutrition facts are about the same as average, although Busch Light is definitely on the lower end of the spectrum. Most Light beers are around 100 calories, with the only slight outlier being Bud Light, which has 110 calories per 12 fl. oz.

Coors Light102 Calories
Miller Light100 Calories
Heineken Light99 Calories
Bud Light110 Calories
Natural Light100 Calories

Interestingly, Busch Light is the lowest when looking at its counterparts from other prominent brands. However, the second-lowest is Heineken Light, with 99 calories but an ABV of 3.3%. Busch Light was able to lower the calories but have the same ABV as its counterparts: around 4.1-4.3%.

How Many Calories In Busch Light Apple (4.1% ABV)?

Busch Light Apple has 139 calories per 12 fl. oz (355 ml), consisting of 11 grams of carbs, about 1 gram of protein, and 0 grams of fat. This results in about 185 calories per 16 fl. oz (474 ml), with about 15 grams of carbs, 1 gram of protein, and 0 grams of fat.

This beer is special for Busch Light, as it never before in its 65-year-long history had this brand released a flavored product. The result is a fall-inspired beer, tasting like a mix of apple cider and beer. Busch’s website describes the flavor as: “a touch of sweet on the front end and a clear, beer finish on the back end.”

With the additional apple flavor also come extra calories and carbs. However, it is still better than just drinking apple cider, which has about 175 calories per 12 fl. oz, with a whopping 43,5 grams of carbs.

How Much Sugar In Busch Light?

Unfortunately, the exact amount of sugar in Busch Light is not reported. However, on average, light beer has 0.3 grams of sugar, with 5.9 grams of carbohydrates. With Busch Light not adding any special ingredients or additional sugars to the end product, we can assume Busch Light is probably around that same mark.

The rice is added before the fermentation and is used to convert it into alcohol.

Is There Fat In Busch Light?

Generally, beer has no fat, especially filtered beer, which takes out the plant membranes. For some beers, a little bit of fat comes through, but as a general rule, beer has no fat. This includes Busch Light; this drink has 0 grams of fat.

Besides, fat is detrimental to the foam head on beer. This is because the foam is made of a protein that naturally binds to lipids. If there were fat floating in beer, it would never have a foam head when poured out. Interestingly, even eating fatty foods or wearing lipstick while drinking beer can ruin the foam head.

Is Busch Light Keto-Friendly / Low Carb?

The answer to this depends on who you ask and which program you follow.

For a diet to be low carb, you would generally eat a maximum of 100-150 grams of carbohydrates per day. With Busch Light having 3.2 grams per 12 fl. oz, you should be able to get away with having one while on this diet. 

However, the answer is entirely different if you’re on a keto diet. Keto is a very low-carb diet, generally going under 50 grams of carbs, sometimes even as low as 20 grams. If you are only eating 20 grams of carbohydrates daily, the 3.2 grams in Busch Light is 16% of your allowed daily intake. If you’re on the higher end and aiming for a maximum of 50 grams, one 12 fl. oz can is 6.5%. Still relatively high if you also want to make room for food.

Most of the calories from beer come from carbohydrates, meaning beer generally isn’t low carb or keto. This is because beer is made from barley, hops, and in Busch Light’s case, rice. These are all high carbohydrate food. However, light beer is your best option if you want to drink a beer while on such a diet.  They generally add less barley and hops, leaving you with a lighter taste and fewer carbohydrates.

However, if you are not set on drinking a Busch Light, another light beer might be even better. For example, Bud Light Next has 0 grams of carbs with an ABV of 4%. Another lower carb option is Miller lite, with 3.2 grams of carbs with an ABV of 4.2%.

Is Busch Light A Healthier Beer?

Again, this entirely depends on what you classify as healthy. Light beers generally have lower carbs, calories, and ABV than original lagers.

If you’re looking for a low-calorie beer, then Busch Light is healthier than the average beer. It is lower than the average light beer, too. Lager generally has 180 calories, and light beer has about 100. Busch Light has 95 calories per 12 fl. oz.

Busch Light is also the better option if you are using a low carb count as your determining factor. Light beer has 5.9 grams of carbs on average, and standard lager has 10-15 grams. Busch Light has 3.2 grams per 12 fl. oz.

Lastly, it is worth looking at the alcohol percentage. Commercial original lagers have about 4 – 7 ABV, whereas light lagers are around 4-4.3%. Busch Light falls into this category too.

Heineken Light will be a better option if you’re looking for a beer with a lower alcohol percentage. This beer has 3.2%.

Some other options in terms of low calorie and carb count would be Bud Light Next (0 grams of carbs, 80 calories, 4% ABV) or Miller Lite (3.2 grams of carbs, 96 calories, 4.1% ABV)

Sources