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Is There Salt In Beer?

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Salt is a seasoning that is often used in cooking to help balance flavors. When added to foods it can help reduce bitterness while enhancing the sweetness and sourness in the dish.

These same rules apply when salt is added to drinks, like beer.

When it comes to beer, it’s not necessarily a beverage that you think contains a lot of salt, since most beers don’t have any inherent salty flavor to them.

However, you might be wondering whether there is any hidden salt in the beer-making process!

So, is there salt in beer? Yes, the average beer has about 14 milligrams of salt per 12-ounce bottle or can. There are some beers that contain a little more or a little less salt, depending on the brand, but in general, the amount of salt in beer is pretty low.

Read on to discover more about whether there is salt in beer, which beers have the most or least salt, why some people add salt to beer, and more!

How Much Salt Is In Popular Beer Brands?

While no beers have a huge amount of salt compared to their serving size, some beers have more salt than others. Below I will list some of the most popular beers that have the highest amount of salt.

There are other brands that have no salt, but I will list them in a separate section.

  • Regular Budweiser: 20 milligrams of salt per bottle
  • Budweiser Ice Light Beer: 20 milligrams of salt per bottle
  • Pabst Blue Ribbon: 15 milligrams of salt per bottle
  • Modelo Especial: 15 milligrams of salt per bottle
  • Coors Light: 13 milligrams of salt per bottle
  • Coors Original: 12 milligrams of salt per bottle
  • Bud Light: 10 milligrams of salt per bottle
  • Coors Dry: 10 milligrams of salt per bottle
  • Dos Equis: 10 milligrams of salt per bottle
  • Heineken: 8 milligrams of salt per bottle
  • Miller Genuine Draft: 7 milligrams of salt per bottle
  • Miller High Life: 7 milligrams of salt per bottle
  • Molson Canadian Lager: 5 milligrams of salt per bottle

What Brands Of Beer Have No Salt?

Lots of beers don’t contain any salt. However, there are so many brands of beer in the US that it’s impossible to include them all.

Plus, craft breweries have flourished in the last decade or so. Many craft brews won’t contain salt (or contain very little), but if you’re concerned about the sodium content, then you should check with your favorite brewery.

Below is a list of popular beer brands that have 0 milligrams of sodium per serving:

  • Red Stripe
  • Miller Lite
  • Michelob Ultra
  • Amstel Lite
  • Corona Extra
  • Stella Artois
  • Sol Cerveza
  • Busch Light
  • Tecate Original Cerveza
  • Lucky Buddha
  • Yuengling Traditional Lager
  • Yuengling Porter Ale
  • Yuengling Light Lager 99
  • Yuengling Light Beer
  • Yuengling Premium Beer
  • Yuengling Black And Tan
  • Grolsch

What Beers Are Brewed With Salt?

Most beers don’t actually include a lot of sodium in the brewing process, but there are some breweries that are starting to brew their beers with salt.

Typically, the salt is added when the brewers are making the malt, which combines the two flavors together really beautifully.

Two beers that have salt added during the brewing process include:

  1. Gose: Adding salt to the brewing process is nothing new for this beer. It is a famously salty beer that has been brewed since the 13th century.
  2. ZeLUS: This brand uses salt to create unique flavor profiles for all of its beers. From IPAs to lagers to witbiers, pale ales, and porters they all have salt added during the brewing process.

There are also lots of craft beers that make flavors that highlight salt, especially if there are caramel or chocolate notes in the mix.

Why Do People Add Salt To Their Beer?

There are several reasons that people may add some salt to their beer. I’m going to list a few of them out below. If you’ve never added salt to your beer, it might be something worth trying!

1. To Enhance The Flavor

Salt is a seasoning that can reduce the bitter flavor in whatever it is added to.

Since many beers contain hops, which are naturally quite bitter (especially IPAs!), adding a little pinch of salt can help enhance the natural malty-sweet or sour flavor of the beer, while reducing the bitterness.

Adding salt can help a lower-quality beer taste a bit better.

2. To Add More Foam To Their Beer

Adding salt to your beer can give more of a foamy head to your brew.

So if that’s what you’re looking for, add a little pinch!

3. Because They Like Salty Beer

Some people just love the flavor of salt in everything, so they enjoy adding a little pinch or two to their favorite brew (this is my favorite salt when I’m just adding a pinch to something).

4. To Make Them Thirstier So They Drink More

Adding salt to beer was something pub masters did in the past to make their patrons thirsty (salty foods and drinks make us want more liquid!) so they would end up consuming more beer.

Should You Add Salt To Your Beer?

When it comes to whether or not you should add salt to your beer, it’s really a personal preference. Some beers, like Corona Extra or Dos Equis, are often served with lime and a bit of salt.

Adding a pinch or two of salt is also a great way to make a flavorless, cheap beer a little more appetizing.

There is no real downside to adding salt to your beer and you may find that you really enjoy the flavor. So if you’re interested in trying it, you can add a little pinch the next time you’re having a beer and see what you think.

I will say that there really is no need to add salt to a high-quality beer since the flavors have all been expertly developed by a master brewer.

Though if you do happen to order an exceptionally hoppy IPA and the bitterness is getting you down, a little pinch of salt could do the trick to balance out the flavor.

If you’re interested in making your OWN beer and controlling the flavors even more, check out this great tutorial from Joshua Weissman on how to do so!

Up Next: Can You Freeze Kiwi?

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