Alcohol by volume
Alcohol by volume (abbreviated as abv, ABV, or alc/vol) is a standard measure of how much alcohol (ethanol) is contained in an alcoholic beverage (expressed as a percentage of total volume).[1][2][3] The ABV standard is used worldwide.[4]
In some countries, alcohol by volume is referred to as degrees Gay-Lussac (after the French chemist Joseph Louis Gay-Lussac).[5]
Contents |
[edit] Typical levels
Details about typical amounts of alcohol contained in various beverages can be found in the articles about individual drinks.
| Drink | Typical ABV |
|---|---|
| Fruit juice (naturally occurring) | less than 0.1% |
| Low-alcohol beer | 0.0%–1.2% |
| Kvass | 0.05%–1.5% |
| Kombucha | 0.5%–1.5% |
| Boza | 1% |
| Chicha | 1%–11% (usually 1%–6%) |
| Cider | 2%–8.5% |
| Beer | 2%–12% (usually 4%–6%) |
| Alcopops | 4%–17.5% |
| Malt liquor | 5%+ |
| Makgeolli | 6.5%–7% |
| Barley wine (strong ale) | 8%–15% |
| Mead | 8%–16% |
| Wine | 9%–16% (most often 12.5%–14.5%)[6] |
| Dessert wine | 14%–25% |
| Sake (rice wine) | 15% (or 18%–20% if not diluted prior to bottling) |
| Liqueurs | 15%–55% |
| Fortified wine | 15.5%–20%[7] (in the European Union, 18%–22%) |
| Soju | 17%–45% (usually 19%) |
| Shochu | 25%–45% (usually 25%) |
| Bitters | 28%–45% |
| Mezcal, Tequila | 32%–60% (usually 40%) |
| Vodka | 35%–50% (usually 40%) |
| Brandy | 35%–60% (usually 40%) |
| Rum | 37.5%–80% |
| Ouzo | 37.5%+ |
| Cachaça | 38%–54% |
| Sotol | 38%–60% |
| Nalewka | 40%–45% |
| Gin | 40%–50% |
| Whisky | 40%–55% (usually 40% or 43%) |
| Baijiu | 40%–60% |
| Chacha | 40%–70% |
| Pálinka | 42%–86% (legally in Hungary ≤51%) |
| Rakia | 42%–86% |
| Absinthe | 45%–89.9% |
| Ţuica | 45%–60% (usually 52%) |
| Poitín | 60%–95% |
| Neutral grain spirit | 85%–95% |
| Cocoroco | 93%–96%[citation needed] |
| Rectified spirit | 95%-96% |
| Absolute alcohol (ethanol) | 99%+ |
[edit] Alcohol proof
Another way of specifying the amount of alcohol is alcohol proof, which in the United States is twice the alcohol-by-volume number,[8][9] while in the United Kingdom it was 1.75 times the number (expressed as a percentage). For example, 40% abv is 80 proof in the US and 70 proof in the UK. However, since 1980, alcoholic proof in the UK has been replaced by abv as a measure of alcohol content.
[edit] Proof and alcohol by weight
In the United States, a few states regulate and tax alcoholic beverages according to alcohol by weight (abw), expressed as a percentage of total mass. Some brewers print the abw (rather than the abv) on beer containers, particularly on low-point versions of popular domestic beer brands.
At relatively low abv, the alcohol percentage by weight is about 4/5 of the abv (e.g., 3.2% abw is equivalent to 4.0% abv).[10] However, because of the miscibility of alcohol and water, the conversion factor is not constant but rather depends upon the concentration of alcohol. 100% abw, of course, is equivalent to 100% abv.
[edit] Calculation of alcohol content
During the production of wine and beer, yeast is added to a sugary solution. During fermentation, the yeast organisms consume the sugars and produce alcohol. The density of sugar in water is greater than the density of alcohol in water. A hydrometer is used to measure the change in specific gravity (SG) of the solution before and after fermentation. The volume of alcohol in the solution can then be calculated.
[edit] Wine
The simplest method for wine has been described by English author C.J.J. Berry:[11]
- ABV = (StartingSG − FinalSG) / 7.36
[edit] Beer
The calculation for beer is:
Where 1.05 is number of grams of ethanol produced for every gram of CO2 produced and .79 is the density of ethanol alcohol,
- ABV = ((1.05 * (Starting SG – Final SG)) / Final SG) / 0.79 * 100[citation needed]
However, many brewers use the following formula:
- ABV = (Starting SG - Final SG) * 131
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- ^ "Lafayette Brewing Co. Beer Terms". www.lafayettebrewingco.com. http://www.lafayettebrewingco.com/beer101.html. Retrieved 2008-07-05.
- ^ "Glossary of whisky and distillation". www.celtic-whisky.com. http://www.celtic-whisky.com/glossary.htm. Retrieved 2008-07-05.
- ^ "English Ales Brewery Monterey British Brewing Glossary". www.englishalesbrewery.com. http://www.englishalesbrewery.com/british-brewing-glossary.htm. Retrieved 2008-07-05.
- ^ "Frequently Asked Questions - CAMRA". www.camra.org.uk. http://www.camra.org.uk/page.aspx?o=181061. Retrieved 2008-07-05.
- ^ "Joseph Louis Gay-Lussac (1778–1850)". chemistry.about.com. http://chemistry.about.com/od/famouschemists/p/gaylussacbio.htm. Retrieved 2008-07-05.
- ^ Robinson, Jancis. The Oxford Companion to Wine, 3rd edition, (Oxford University Press: 2006). See alcoholic strength at p. 10.
- ^ Robinson, Jancis. The Oxford Companion to Wine, 3rd edition, (Oxford University Press: 2006). See fortification at p. 279.
- ^ C.J.J. Berry, 1987, First Steps in Winemaking, eighth edition, Special Interest Model Books Ltd, printed in UK
- ^ Regan, Gary (2003). The Joy of Mixology. New York: Clarkson Potter. pp. 356–357. ISBN 0-609-60884-3.
- ^ "Realbeer.com: Beer Break - Alcohol Content In Beer". www.realbeer.com. http://www.realbeer.com/library/beerbreak/archives/beerbreak20001005.php. Retrieved 2008-07-05.
- ^ C.J.J. Berry, 1987, First Steps in Winemaking, eighth edition, Special Interest Model Books Ltd, printed in UK
[edit] Bibliography
- Hehner, Otto (1880). Alcohol Tables: giving for all specific gravities, from 1.0000 to 0.7938, the percentages of absolute alcohol, by weight and volume. London: J & A Churchill, ASIN B0008B5HOU.
