How are central Ohio’s breweries adapting now that beer drinkers are increasingly demanding lower calorie and lower carb beers? By altering ingredients while trying to maintain flavor.

Craft beer drinkers are increasingly demanding healthier versions of their favorite drinks, which creates a dilemma for central Ohio’s craft brewers: How do they produce the low-calorie, low-carb and sometimes low-alcohol products customers want without sacrificing taste?

Columbus-area craft brewers say it’s possible to strike the appropriate balance. Unfortunately, the ingredients that give beer its distinctive flavor are often the same ones responsible for a high calorie count, so it takes preparation and some tweaking of classic recipes.

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"You can produce a lower-calorie beer just by reducing the amount of malt," said Dan Shaffer, head brewer for Land-Grant Brewing Company in Franklinton. "But then the beer is very thin and not very satisfying.

"The challenge is to produce something that's flavorful and has some body to it," Shaffer said.

In recent years, brewers have been compelled to find ways to make those beers satisfying, as the market has trended toward lower-calorie and low-carb brews. The low-calorie Michelob Ultra, for example, is now the best-selling Anheuser-Busch product behind the massively popular Bud Light.

"Michelob Ultra has continued to be a very successful brand working with that health and wellness segment," said Matt Kaminske, the head brewer of the Anheuser-Busch brewery on the North Side. "That’s the foundation of what that brand is all about."

Some of the St. Louis-based company’s smaller subsidiaries are following suit. Anheuser-Busch property Goose Island recently introduced So-Lo, which boasts just 98 calories per can.

Local brewers also are getting in on the act. Seventh Son in Italian Village, for example, offers the Miracle Hazy Lite IPA, which has roughly 115 calories and 4 carbs.

"I would say most IPAs come in between 180 and 250 calories," Seventh Son co-founder Collin Castore said. "And the carb level is teens to low 20s."

Central Ohio brewers say they’ve seen a rise in active beer drinkers, who like to drink while playing golf or immediately after a run or yoga class.

"More and more craft beer brands are releasing low-calorie options to capture the health-conscious consumer," said Bob Berley, brand manager for Elevator Brewing Co.

But those consumers don’t necessarily drink beer, Berley said, meaning brewers are branching out.

"Brands are diversifying their portfolios and entering into the craft seltzer, cider, spirit and kombucha markets," he said.

For example, numerous central Ohio breweries recently started offering alcoholic seltzers, which have fewer calories and are fizzy like champagne.

But they also want to give health-conscious beer drinkers the chance to enjoy their favorite beverage.

"You have to consciously think about what you’re losing, and how to make up for that, and the overall flavor spectrum," Castore said.

To compensate for the reduced sugar, beer producers have turned to ingredients such as wheat, rye or oats to provide the flavor customers crave, Shaffer said.

The protein from those ingredients gives the beer a taste that beer lovers are used to, he said.

Craft brewery patrons can expect to see more hoppy beers, said Justin Hemminger, deputy director of the Ohio Craft Brewers Association. When the flavor is derived from hops rather than malt, it’s easier to reduce the calorie count, he said.

However, not all consumers appreciate hoppy beers.

"The problem with the hops is the beer gets a mouth-puckering quality to it," Shaffer said.

Some large brewers have also pumped in the carbonation to make their brews taste more like soda, he said.

pcooley@dispatch.com

@PatrickACooley