Beers may offer nutrition info alongside ingredient details

Michael Jacobson, president of the Center for Science in the Public Interest, an advocacy group, said the absence of calorie labeling on cans and bottles has helped obscure what a major of calories alcohol can be, and the beer companies should go further.

The group says it has been working separately with the Food and Drug Administration and the U.S. Department of Agriculture on a plan to be included in the USDA nutrient database by beer style rather than individual brands.

Nick Petrillo, a beverage industry analyst for IBISWorld, said he thinks the larger beer companies will use the new labels to their advantage, enabling them to back up claims of lower-carb or lower-calorie beer.