It is midnight on a Saturday, and UW-Madison students crowd into local bars for the evening's alcohol consumption. While some students continue to pound beer after beer without the slightest notion of the amount of fat they are adding to their bodies, others hesitantly reach for that fourth (or fifth or sixth) beer and justify their decision by claiming they will burn it off at the SERF the following morning.
In an attempt to reduce the hesitancy of these health-conscious beer-drinkers, Anheuser-Busch, Inc., the world's largest brewer, recently released the first major beer to claim it is low in carbohydrates.
To create Michelob Ultra, the Anheuser-Busch brewers lengthen the mashing process. Once it is produced, a 12-oz. serving of Michelob Ultra contains 96 calories, 4.1 percent alcohol by volume and 2.9 grams of carbohydrates. A can of Bud Light, by comparison, has 6.6 grams of carbohydrates.
Anheuser-Busch began developing Michelob Ultra as a result of high consumer demand for a low-carbohydrate beer. Although the company does not intend to target a specific group with the new beer, according to a release, Anheuser-Busch created the product for anyone who has an active lifestyle and who enjoys drinking beer.
Will a low-carbohydrate beer such as Michelob Ultra really affect the amount of weight that is gained from heavy beer-drinking?
Dr. Susan Smith, associate professor of nutritional sciences and alcohol researcher at UW-Madison, said she believes Michelob Ultra is simply a marketing gimmick.
According to Smith, alcohol sales have been flat for several years. \[Alcohol distributors] are looking for new angles and new markets to sell their products,"" she said.
Carbohydrates turn on the hormone insulin which often turns carbohydrates into fat, Smith said.
""That's why guys who drink a lot of beer end up with beer-bellies,"" she said.
While low carbohydrates involve less insulin and therefore less fat, Smith said, the new low-carbohydrate beer will probably not have an impact on weight loss because ""instead of having one beer, people will now drink two.""
Despite claims that Michelob Ultra may not deter weight gain, some still intend to test the new beer.
UW-Madison freshman Tim Swenson remarked upon the benefits of a low-carbohydrate beer by stating that he ""wouldn't gain the 'freshman 15.'""
Other students, like UW-Madison sophomore Jan Dehn, appear more influenced by the taste of a certain brand of beer, regardless of the amount of carbohydrates in it.
""I probably wouldn't go out of my way to buy it,"" she said. ""If somebody had it, I would taste it. If I liked it, I might go and buy it.""
For those interested in Michelob Ultra, some bars in the Madison area will carry the product in the near future. The Nitty Gritty, 223 N. Frances St., is one of these bars.
According to Byron Brown, bar manager of The Nitty Gritty, Michelob Ultra will not cause people to drink more beer than they normally would. ""Not that many people drink Michelob around here anyways,"" Brown said.
Swenson said, however, that he would drink Michelob Ultra ""because it's beer.\
