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4%. 6%. 9%. 11%.
You’ve seen the different alcohol by volume (ABV) percentages listed on your favorite beers. But what exactly do these numbers mean? How does ABV vary from beer to beer? What affects the alcohol content of a beer?
Alcohol by Volume (ABV)
ABV is the most common measurement of alcohol content in beer; it simply indicates how much of the total volume of liquid in a beer is made up of alcohol.
So what makes a beer have a higher ABV than another beer? The simplest approach to make a higher alcohol beer is to add more sugar during fermentation.
During beer’s fermentation process, yeast eats the sugar made from malted grain and then converts it into alcohol and CO2. If there is more available sugar, the yeast has more food to eat, which produces more alcohol. Sometimes brewers opt to add different types of sugar – for example, brown sugar, dextrose, honey or palm sugar – to increase the alcohol content and change the flavor of a beer.
How ABV is Measured
In the beginning of the brewing process, brewers boil mashed grain and water, which produces a thick, sweet liquid called wort. Brewers measure the original gravity of the wort to determine how much sugar is present before adding yeast to it. When they add yeast to the wort, fermentation begins.
After the yeast has eaten its fill of sugar, brewers will take another measurement to determine the final gravity of the beer. By comparing how much sugar was originally present to how much has been converted into alcohol by the yeast, brewers can calculate the ABV.
Beers Across the ABV Spectrum
Don’t know if you prefer beers with low or high ABV? Sample different types of beer across the spectrum and find your favorites. ABV is just one of many factors that affect a beer’s flavor and drinkability. Here are a few Dogfish Head favorites to start with:
• Namaste: 4.5% ABV
• 60 Minute IPA: 6% ABV
• Black & Blue: 10% ABV
Brewmaster Bryan says
Nice and “to the point” write-up on ABV levels. I agree with you in that ABV is only part of the process. Some homebrewers tend to focus too much on the ABV and really miss the mark in other areas.
At the end of the day, if my ABV hovers close enough to my target, I’m satisfied. I’m more concerned about the overall flavor profile. If it’s high ABV but tastes like rubbing alcohol, what’s the point? It’s all a balancing act and what makes brewing beer fun!
Jeff says
I like my beer around 6%. Any higher than that and it’s sits too heavy in my gut. Once in awhile I will drink a beer that’s 8%. Usually it’s a strong IPA. If I want to get drunk without drinking a lot, I will drink a 6er of strong IPA.
Eileen Benson says
It was interesting when you explained that ABV is a factor that can affect the flavor and drinkability that a beer has. Now that I think about it, I’d be interested to learn if the process of determining ABV for cider beverages differs at all from that of beer. Thanks for sharing this interesting info about the details of beer and ABV!
Ian says
In Quebec, beer with alcohol content of 8.1 and 10.1 is available. The tax isn’t any higher and I don’t mind the taste of the higher alcohol beer. The bottom line is you get more alcohol for your money.
Tracy says
Thank you for the simplified and understandable info on ABV! It’s seldom easy to find info like this in Lehman’s terms!
Thomas Clarence says
I thought it was interesting when you mentioned that adding more sugar during fermentation adds more alcohol to beer. It really seems like the aging process and the contents at the beginning of the process affect how beer will taste. As far as I know, the longer beer ferments, the different the flavor is going to be.
Clara Fundarò says
I was wondering if it’s only the concentration and amount of malt used in the beer that can affect the alcohol content or the type of malt used during the brewing can affect it too.