Conscious of the calories you're gulping down when drinking beer? Restaurant menus can soon help you.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has issued menu labeling rules that require restaurants with 20 or more outlets to list down the calories in alcoholic drinks along with other food on menus.

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It's not applicable with drinks ordered at the bar or any drinks not listed on the main menu, however. The wine list also will be guilt-free and most bottles and cans of alcohol don't have to list full nutritional information.

"Alcoholic beverages are a key contributor to the calories Americans are consuming, and most of the time when people have a drink they have absolutely no idea what its caloric impact is," says Margo Wootan of the Center for Science in the Public Interest.

Wootan's group submitted a petition to the government more than a decade ago to require bottles and cans be labeled with nutrition information.

In 2011, the FDA's proposed menu labeling rules exempted alcohol. But in 2014, FDA Commissioner Margaret Hamburg said the agency approved the rules in the final rules after those who commented on the rule were largely in favor because of its potential impact on public health.

The rules aren't designed to be a problem for beer makers or restaurants. Mixed drinks won't have to be labeled at bars not unless they're part of the main menu.

The FDA also allows restaurants to use estimated amount of calories without listing the exact amount in every different drink.

TagsBeer, wine, spirits, FDA, restaurant menu, menu labelling, calorie counting, beer calorie