The St. Louis Post Dispatch reports that brewer Anheuser-Busch, concerned about the impact that the low carbohydrate craze could have on long-term beer sales, is running television commercials maintaining that all light beers are low in carbs.
Next week, the paper reports, "shareholders, wholesalers and retailers will find a brochure in their mailboxes, dispelling what A-B says are common errors about beer in popular diet books, such as 'The South Beach Diet' and 'Suzanne Somers' Fast and Easy.'"
The A-B brochure asserts that the low-carb diet books say "beer is high in sugar, particularly maltose," that "beer has a high glycemic index, and foods with high glycemic indexes are not appropriate for low-carb diets," and that "drinking beer will give you a beer belly."
On the contrary, A-B says, "during fermentation, yeast consumes the maltose, converting it into alcohol" and that "beer contains too few carbs to be tested for glycemic index." And it says that too many calories - not too much beer - are what cause a beer belly.
"It's time to clear the air," Bob Lachky, A-B's vice president for brand management, tells the paper. "Beer, in particular Bud Light, needs to be considered part of a low-carb lifestyle."
Ironically, of course, Anheuser-Busch has had success with its Michelob Ultra low-carb beer.
Next week, the paper reports, "shareholders, wholesalers and retailers will find a brochure in their mailboxes, dispelling what A-B says are common errors about beer in popular diet books, such as 'The South Beach Diet' and 'Suzanne Somers' Fast and Easy.'"
The A-B brochure asserts that the low-carb diet books say "beer is high in sugar, particularly maltose," that "beer has a high glycemic index, and foods with high glycemic indexes are not appropriate for low-carb diets," and that "drinking beer will give you a beer belly."
On the contrary, A-B says, "during fermentation, yeast consumes the maltose, converting it into alcohol" and that "beer contains too few carbs to be tested for glycemic index." And it says that too many calories - not too much beer - are what cause a beer belly.
"It's time to clear the air," Bob Lachky, A-B's vice president for brand management, tells the paper. "Beer, in particular Bud Light, needs to be considered part of a low-carb lifestyle."
Ironically, of course, Anheuser-Busch has had success with its Michelob Ultra low-carb beer.
- KC's View:
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We think that this is going to be a tough argument to make to consumers, many of whom are working on the presumption that beer is a product to be avoided if one is trying to be careful with one's diet.
We know that we've had very little beer in the past six months, even though we're not on a low-carb diet. But it seemed like a relatively easy "give up." So we did it.
Convincing folks like us that this is an unnecessary "give up" will be a tough challenge.
One question, apropos of nothing other than the fact that we have a warped sensibility…
Is "Suzanne Somers' Fast and Easy" the title of her new book or a description of her old "Three's Company" character?
