I'm relatively new to the US (California, to be exact.)

I'm used to being able to tell what the alcohol content in a given
beer is. Most beers sold here (maybe just the ones made in CA, or
maybe all US beers?) don't have the content indicated.

Why is this? Is it a law? In Canada, where I'm from, it's always
clearly labelled.

Relaxification wrote:
I'm relatively new to the US (California, to be exact.)

California? My sympathies. Just don't start thinking
that's representative of the whole US.

I'm used to being able to tell what the alcohol content in a given
beer is. Most beers sold here (maybe just the ones made in CA, or
maybe all US beers?) don't have the content indicated.

Why is this? Is it a law? In Canada, where I'm from, it's always
clearly labelled.

It used to be a law that beer could not have the alcohol
content listed (while liquor and wine had to have it; go
figure). That law changed several years ago, so it's up
to the brewer/importer whether it's listed. FWIW I see
more beers with abv listed than otherwise.
--
Joel Plutchak "Senza la birra tutto diventa orfano."
plutchak@[...] - Italian proverb (slightly revised)

Joel wrote:

[...]
It used to be a law that beer could not have the alcohol
content listed

With a notable exception: If a given state chose to require
beers to list alcohol content, like Oregon does/did. Not all
beer sold here *did* have alcohol content listed, though, I
suppose due to slackery on the part of out-of-state brewers.

(while liquor and wine had to have it; go
figure). That law changed several years ago, so it's up
to the brewer/importer whether it's listed. FWIW I see
more beers with abv listed than otherwise.

I think it's still a requirement in Orygun.

ers (Joel) wrote in message ...
Relaxification wrote:
I'm relatively new to the US (California, to be exact.)

California? My sympathies. Just don't start thinking
that's representative of the whole US.


Hey, I love it here in Venice! I wouldn't live anywhere else. Why
don't you like CA?

"Relaxification" wrote in message
om...

Hey, I love it here in Venice! I wouldn't live anywhere else. Why
don't you like CA?

It's a bit of a joke in the rest of the country to make fun of California to
compensate for how depressed everyone else is that they don't live here.

If you're in Venice, you're down the street from some excellent beer places
in Santa Monica - the Library Ale House and Father's Office. Haven't found
anything real top-notch for beer in Venice itself.

-Steve

"Steve Jackson" wrote in message news:78Pxc.6033$K45.5285@fed1read02...
"Relaxification" wrote in message
om...

Hey, I love it here in Venice! I wouldn't live anywhere else. Why
don't you like CA?

It's a bit of a joke in the rest of the country to make fun of California to
compensate for how depressed everyone else is that they don't live here.

If you're in Venice, you're down the street from some excellent beer places
in Santa Monica - the Library Ale House and Father's Office. Haven't found
anything real top-notch for beer in Venice itself.

-Steve

Yeah, the Ale House is great. Haven't been to Father's Office yet,
but I hear it's good.

It's true - life in SoCal is amazing. I've just got to figure out a
way not to have to drive as much as I do and I'll be completely happy.
As long as that way doesn't include being unemployed.

Relaxification wrote:
It's true - life in SoCal is amazing. I've just got to figure out a
way not to have to drive as much as I do and I'll be completely happy.

That's one big minus about SoCal. Smog is another. (Gee,
think they could be related? ;-)
--
Joel Plutchak "Senza la birra tutto diventa orfano."
plutchak@[...] - Italian proverb (slightly revised)

ers (Joel) wrote in message ...
Relaxification wrote:
It's true - life in SoCal is amazing. I've just got to figure out a
way not to have to drive as much as I do and I'll be completely happy.

That's one big minus about SoCal. Smog is another. (Gee,
think they could be related? ;-)

The trick is to live by the beach. No smog in Venice. Of course I
work in Hollywood, which is another story...

Relaxification wrote:

ers (Joel) wrote in message ...
Relaxification wrote:
It's true - life in SoCal is amazing. I've just got to figure out a
way not to have to drive as much as I do and I'll be completely happy.

That's one big minus about SoCal. Smog is another. (Gee,
think they could be related? ;-)

The trick is to live by the beach. No smog in Venice. Of course I
work in Hollywood, which is another story...

Getting back to the original question, even if the bottle doesn't have
the alcohol content many times you can find it on the company's web
site.
I've got a small alcohol content data base on my Palm so I can compare
depending on the mood I'm in.
--
Nels E Satterlund I don't speak for the company, specially here
-- Use this address for personal Email
My Lurkers motto: I read much better and faster, than I type.

On Wed, 9 Jun 2004 16:53:45 +0000 (UTC), ers (Joel)
wrote:

It used to be a law that beer could not have the alcohol
content listed (while liquor and wine had to have it; go
figure). That law changed several years ago, so it's up
to the brewer/importer whether it's listed. FWIW I see
more beers with abv listed than otherwise.

This is one of those post-prohibition state law things that foreigners
find completely nuts. Some states require alcohol content to be listed
(fair enough), some don't seem to mind, and some require that it *not*
be listed. Presumably the thinking is that people will always choose
the strongest drink if the alcohol content is listed (are these state
legislators all reformed alcoholics?) Meanwhile, it's impossible to
work out how much you've drunk.

Don't some states require alcohol to be stated as a percentage by
weight rather than by volume?

Best regards, Paul
--
Paul Sherwin Consulting http://paulsherwin.co.uk

Paul Sherwin a écrit :

Don't some states require alcohol to be stated as a percentage by
weight rather than by volume?


IIRC it's usual to use ABW instead of ABV in the USA

--
Warning : you may encounter French language beyond this point.

Le chiendent est un être mi-canin mi-végétal, et qui, pour se nourrir, profitant du sommeil des humains, va s'agripper sur leur poitrine, en enfonçant profondément ses racines jusqu'aux organes vitaux... Jusqu'au coeur... Arrr...
D'où l'expression "Mal de chien".
(F'murrr)

Laurent Mousson, Berne, Switzerland

"The Submarine Captain" wrote in message
...


IIRC it's usual to use ABW instead of ABV in the USA

Mainly in the "maintstream" beers. Pretty much every craft brewery that
lists it does so by volume, at least from what I've seen.

The large brewers, if they label, will usually do so by weight. Largely
because certain states - Minnesota and Oklahoma come to mind - allow sales
of only "three-two" beer in groceries and the like, and stronger beers have
to be sold in liquor stores. The three-two beers reference the max alcohol
content, measured in ABW, of 3.2 that is allowed to be sold in groceries.
Since they often had to brew different versions of their beers to reflect
that, it became customary for a time to list by weight.

-STeve

Steve Jackson a écrit :

"The Submarine Captain" wrote in message
...




IIRC it's usual to use ABW instead of ABV in the USA



Mainly in the "maintstream" beers. Pretty much every craft brewery that
lists it does so by volume, at least from what I've seen.

The large brewers, if they label, will usually do so by weight. Largely
because certain states - Minnesota and Oklahoma come to mind - allow sales
of only "three-two" beer in groceries and the like, and stronger beers have
to be sold in liquor stores. The three-two beers reference the max alcohol
content, measured in ABW, of 3.2 that is allowed to be sold in groceries.
Since they often had to brew different versions of their beers to reflect
that, it became customary for a time to list by weight.

Ah right... thanks for the precisions Steve. I assume this situation
with brewers using ABV and brewers using ABW does little in terms of
easing the average consumer's confusion ?...


--
Warning : you may encounter French language beyond this point.

Le chiendent est un être mi-canin mi-végétal, et qui, pour se nourrir, profitant du sommeil des humains, va s'agripper sur leur poitrine, en enfonçant profondément ses racines jusqu'aux organes vitaux... Jusqu'au coeur... Arrr...
D'où l'expression "Mal de chien".
(F'murrr)

Laurent Mousson, Berne, Switzerland

The Submarine Captain wrote:

Steve Jackson a écrit :

"The Submarine Captain" wrote in message
...




IIRC it's usual to use ABW instead of ABV in the USA



Mainly in the "maintstream" beers. Pretty much every craft brewery that
lists it does so by volume, at least from what I've seen.

The large brewers, if they label, will usually do so by weight. Largely
because certain states - Minnesota and Oklahoma come to mind - allow sales
of only "three-two" beer in groceries and the like, and stronger beers have
to be sold in liquor stores. The three-two beers reference the max alcohol
content, measured in ABW, of 3.2 that is allowed to be sold in groceries.
Since they often had to brew different versions of their beers to reflect
that, it became customary for a time to list by weight.

Ah right... thanks for the precisions Steve. I assume this situation
with brewers using ABV and brewers using ABW does little in terms of
easing the average consumer's confusion ?...

all they have to be able to do is multiply by 3/4th's or is it 4/3rd's

Nels



--
Nels E Satterlund I don't speak for the company, specially here
-- Use this address for personal Email
My Lurkers motto: I read much better and faster, than I type.

The Submarine Captain wrote:
Paul Sherwin a écrit :

Don't some states require alcohol to be stated as a percentage by
weight rather than by volume?


IIRC it's usual to use ABW instead of ABV in the USA


This whole thread seems to be some sort of "retro pre-internet" 20 year
old thread. MOST of the US beers I see these days have alcohol content
listed on the label (and it happened quietly and without much fanfare,
IIRC)- I didn't realize that it was still a state-by-state thing. AND,
checking my refrigerator, Victory, Avery, Yards, Dogfish Head & North
Coast all list ABV (as does Anheuser-Busch- I found a Bud can in the
road and just check the label in the recycle can). Couldn't find any
alcohol listing on a couple of Brooklyn and Heavyweight products, tho'.


But, since I take it the Submarine Captain isn't in the US, one can't
expect him to know this. He is right about recalling the former
preference of US beers to list alcohol by weight, which gave their beer
a lower number than, say, Canadian beers, since alcohol weights less
than water. And thus the myth (currently being repeated in the thread
called "American beer compared to others") that American beer has less
alcohol.