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Alcohol by volume (abbreviated as abv or ABV) is a standard measure of how much alcohol (ethanol) is contained in an alcoholic beverage (expressed as a percentage of total volume).12 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
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Typical ABV levels
- Fruit juice (naturally occurring): less than 0.1%
- Low-alcohol beer: 0.0%–4%
- Beer: 4%–12% (most often 4%–6%)
- Specialty beers: (13%–25%)
- Barley wine: 10%–15%
- Cider: 4%–8%
- Alcopops: 4%–17.5%
- Wine: 9%–16% (most often 12.5%–14.5%)6
- Fortified wine: 15.5%–20%7
- Liqueurs: 15%–55%
- Spirits: 20%–95%
- Rectified spirit: 96.5%
- Absolute alcohol: 100%
Proof and ABW
Another way of specifying the amount of alcohol is alcoholic proof, which is twice the alcohol-by-volume number.
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.8 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).9 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.
See also
References
Notes
- ^ "Lafayette Brewing Co. Beer Terms". www.lafayettebrewingco.com. Retrieved on 2008-07-05.
- ^ "Glossary of whisky and distillation". www.celtic-whisky.com. Retrieved on 2008-07-05.
- ^ "English Ales Brewery Monterey British Brewing Glossary". www.englishalesbrewery.com. Retrieved on 2008-07-05.
- ^ "Frequently Asked Questions - CAMRA". www.camra.org.uk. Retrieved on 2008-07-05.
- ^ "Joseph Louis Gay-Lussac (1778 - 1850)". chemistry.about.com. Retrieved on 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.
- ^ "APIS - Alcohol Beverages Taxes: Flavored Alcoholic Beverages". www.alcoholpolicy.niaaa.nih.gov. Retrieved on 2008-07-05.
- ^ "Realbeer.com: Beer Break - Alcohol Content In Beer". www.realbeer.com. Retrieved on 2008-07-05.
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.
External links
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- This page was last modified on 11 November 2008, at 21:14.
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