Alcohol Content in Commercial Beer
How Much Alcohol Does Beer Contain and How is it Measured?
Feb 12, 2009
Alcohol content in beer can be a very confusing subject. First, because brewers are not required to include alcohol contents on packaging labels; those that do, do so voluntarily. (It should be noted that up until about ten years ago, brewers were forbidden from including that information on beer labels on the premise that beer drinkers might choose their brands based on alcohol content alone.) Second, because there are two ways that alcohol content can be expressed- by weight and by volume.
ABW vs. ABV
Since alcohol is lighter than the beer in which it exists, alcohol content that is expressed by weight appears to be lower compared to an alcohol content that is expressed by volume. For example, a beer that is 3.2% by weight is 4.0% by volume and a beer that is 4% by weight is actually 5% by volume. To convert the percentage of alcohol by weight to the percentage of alcohol by volume, multiply by 1.25. Conversely, to convert from volume to weight, multiply by .80.
Preconceived Notions
Another problem occasionally pops up where no alcohol content disclosure exists –as with draught beer, for example. This problem is based on pre-conceived notions on the part of the consumer. Beers that are dark are thought to be heavier and stronger than pale beers. And ales, for whatever reason, are also believed to be thicker and more alcoholic than lagers. The reality is that for every dark and strong ale there is a light and strong lager; color has little or nothing to do with alcoholic strength. The following list of some of the world’s most popular beer styles includes the average approximate alcohol content for that style.
BEER STYLE ALE / LAGER PERCENT ALCOHOL (by volume)
- Altbier L 4.5 – 5.5
- Barleywine A 8.0 – 12.0
- Berliner Weisse A 2.5 – 3.5
- British Bitter A 3.0 – 3.5
- Bock L 5.0 – 6.5
- Brown Ale A 4.0 – 5.5
- Doppelbock L 6.5 – 8.0
- Eisbock L 8.5 – 12.0
- Oktoberfest L 4.5 – 6.0
- Old Ale A 6.0 – 8.0
- Pale Ale A 4.5 – 5.5
- Pilsner L 4.0 – 5.0
- Porter, British A 4.5 – 5.5
- Porter, Baltic L 5.0 – 6.0
- Scotch Ale A 5.5 – 7.0
- Stout, Irish A 3.5 – 5.0
- Stout, Sweet A 4.5 – 6.0
- Stout, Imperial A 7.5 – 12.0
- Trappist / Abbey A 6.0 – 12.0
- Weiss / Weizen A 3.5 – 5.0
- Weizenbock A 6.5 – 8.5
- Witbier A 4.0 – 5.0
Non-Alcoholic / alcohol-free Beer
There also seems to be some confusion between the terms “non-alcoholic” beer and “alcohol-free" beer. According to governmental regulations, a beer that is labeled non-alcoholic may contain as much as one-half of one percent alcohol (.05%). This is the same limit that was placed on all beer during Prohibition in the United States, starting back in 1920. Alcohol-free beer, on the other hand, may not contain any alcohol at all.
Commercial breweries are able to produce non-alcoholic beers in a number of ways, but the most common method involves pumping the fermented beer past thin membranes that remove the alcohol by osmosis.
Final Analysis
When everything is said and done, alcohol content is not, and should not, be a measure of quality in beer. What is more important is to enjoy all beer responsibly.
