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