How Many Calories Are in Non-Alcoholic Beer?

By our estimates, SOMA's Lager has 63 kcal per 500ml can, the IPA has 92, the Belgian Wit has 98, and each of the two stouts has 99. A regular 5% lager of the same size typically has roughly 210 to 270 kcal, as our numbers page sets out. The rest of this post explains why.

Where beer calories come from

A beer has two main sources of calories: alcohol and carbohydrates. Alcohol has 7 kcal per gram, which is nearly double the 4 kcal per gram in carbohydrates. In a regular lager, alcohol alone provides well over half of the calories, and alcohol is the one source that SOMA barely makes. SOMA is fermented with a maltose-negative yeast that cannot eat maltose, so the alcohol stays under 0.5% ABV, and most of the calories that alcohol would bring are never there. SOMA does not use sweeteners to get these numbers.

The SOMA numbers, style by style

These figures are per 500ml can, and they are indicative. We calculated them from the recipe, and they have not been lab-tested yet. The alcohol is a different matter, because every batch is lab-tested to confirm that it is under 0.5% ABV. Sundowner, our crisp lager, has 63 kcal and 11g of carbohydrates. Sunday Wit, our Belgian wit, has 98 kcal and 14g of carbohydrates. Juice Riot, our hazy IPA, has 92 kcal and 17g of carbohydrates, because the oats and wheat that give it a soft body add carbohydrates too. Dark Arts, our stout, has 99 kcal and 20g of carbohydrates. Dark Arts Espresso, our caffeinated stout, also has 99 kcal. Our two stouts are the darkest and richest beers we make, and they still have fewer calories than half a 500ml can of regular lager.

How the numbers compare

At an estimated 63 kcal, a 500ml can of Sundowner has fewer calories than a 300ml cola, which has roughly 120 to 140 kcal in a smaller serving. It also has fewer calories than a typical 200ml glass of fruit juice, at about 90 to 100 kcal. It is in the same range as many kombuchas, and it has less than a third of the calories of a regular strong lager. If you drink a second can over an evening, it adds about as many calories as a banana.

Why non-alcoholic beer still has calories

The calories that remain come from the beer itself: the carbohydrates from the malt, which give the beer its body and much of its flavour. A beer with no calories would be sparkling water flavoured with hops, which is a different drink. To see where a beer's calories come from, read its ingredient list. A brewed beer gets its carbohydrates from malted grain, while a drink that lists sugar or syrup is closer to a soft drink than to a beer.

What these numbers do not mean

This is not a weight-loss pitch, and beer, including ours, is not a health food. Calories are one fact about a drink, and they do not make a drink good or bad. Our claim is narrower. If you want the ritual, the flavour and the food pairings of a real craft beer, with fewer calories than a regular lager and no hangover, SOMA offers that, and you can pre-order it now.

The numbers in brief

SOMA's five beers have an estimated 63 to 99 kcal per 500ml, and a regular lager has roughly 210 to 270 kcal. In a regular lager, most of those calories come from the alcohol. A beer that is fermented to stay under 0.5% ABV keeps its flavour without most of the calories that alcohol adds. SOMA has calories, but it does not give you a hangover.

All five beers cost ₹149 for a 500ml can or ₹99 for a 250ml can at launch, and all of them are under 0.5% ABV. Every label will carry the full nutrition figures, which are on our nutrition page now. SOMA is taking pre-orders. Production starts after December 2026, and nothing ships before then. India is our first market, and delivery will be in Bangalore only for now.