How much alcohol is your average American beer?

[Locut0s]

Just curious. I know American beers tend to have the reputation of being really light, watered down piss. But I know that's a stereotype that a lot of American beers don't match. World wide the average is like 5-6+% I think.

 

[Ika]

I wanna say the usual is 6%.

 

[compnovice]

4-5%...

And I thought it was higher in other countries...

 

[Locut0s]

Originally posted by: Aflac
I wanna say the usual is 6%.

Yeah changed that. Guess I drink too much wine and not enough beer

 

[olds]

American.

 

[miketheidiot]

3.5 - 4 iirc

 

[Dirigible]

According to this site: http://www.realbeer.com/edu/health/calories.php
... it's about 5% or a bit more. Light beer is a bit less than 5%.

 

[Kaervak]

Most table beer here in the states are around 4.5-5%. Moving outside the realm of swill produced by budweiser, ABV can vary all the way up to 20% (barely wine.)

 

[LS21]

you have to define average
beer % is, more or less, a function of STYLE rather than physical provenance

if you mean "typical", then the best selling beer is budweiser lager which is right at 5%.. and most other lagers is around there too

however, many american (micro)breweries make a ton of different styles which can go as high as beers get

 

[mwmorph]

3.5%-5%

Average can be defined as Budweiser, which is just around 5% or light beers which can be as low as 3.46 like Busch, Natural, Coors, Bud, etc light. The other non light beers are usually 4-5%

40oz bottles of malt liquor are usually around 5.5-6.5%(Colt 45 is 6.1%) and 40oz high gravity lagers are usually 7.9-8.1%(Olde English and Steel Reserve and Hurricane High Grav spring to mind)

 

[Colt45]

Originally posted by: mwmorph
3.5%-5%

Average can be defined as Budweiser, which is just around 5% or light beers which can be as low as 3.46 like Busch, Natural, Coors, Bud, etc light. The other non light beers are usually 4-5%

40oz bottles of malt liquor are usually around 5.5-6.5%(Colt 45 is 6.1%) and 40oz high gravity lagers are usually 7.9-8.1%(Olde English and Steel Reserve and Hurricane High Grav spring to mind)

Colt45 is 8% in canada.

There are a couple 9% forties here, they taste like shit though.

 

[mwmorph]

Originally posted by: Colt45

Originally posted by: mwmorph
3.5%-5%

Average can be defined as Budweiser, which is just around 5% or light beers which can be as low as 3.46 like Busch, Natural, Coors, Bud, etc light. The other non light beers are usually 4-5%

40oz bottles of malt liquor are usually around 5.5-6.5%(Colt 45 is 6.1%) and 40oz high gravity lagers are usually 7.9-8.1%(Olde English and Steel Reserve and Hurricane High Grav spring to mind)

Colt45 is 8% in canada.

There are a couple 9% forties here, they taste like shit though.

Well the question was "in America..."

As for all these macrobrews, they all taste like shit. Steel Reserve once gave me a hangover WHILE I was still pretty buzzed. Budweiser, Natty light, Miller High Life, they all taste like varying concentrations of goat piss. I guess thats why we like our beer so cold, the taste is usually less strong.

I tend to avoid beer now that alcohol is easier to get and Microbrews in comparison are just so expensive. I'll take shots and mixed drinks over cans and bottles of beer any day.

 

[OpenThirdEye]

Then there's Utah...where it's all 3.2% IIRC...

 

[SpunkyJones]

Unless your simply drinking to get drunk, I wouldn't concern myself with the alcohol content of beer, just drink what you think tastes good.

 

[sjwaste]

Originally posted by: Colt45

Originally posted by: mwmorph
3.5%-5%

Average can be defined as Budweiser, which is just around 5% or light beers which can be as low as 3.46 like Busch, Natural, Coors, Bud, etc light. The other non light beers are usually 4-5%

40oz bottles of malt liquor are usually around 5.5-6.5%(Colt 45 is 6.1%) and 40oz high gravity lagers are usually 7.9-8.1%(Olde English and Steel Reserve and Hurricane High Grav spring to mind)

Colt45 is 8% in canada.

There are a couple 9% forties here, they taste like shit though.

We have those in the US too, man. Steel Reserve is like 8%, Camo is 9%.

What I really want to see at some point in my life, though, is the Colt 45 64oz jug w/ the thumbloop. I'm not sure if they even make it anymore.

 

[HannibalX]

Originally posted by: Kaervak
Most table beer here in the states are around 4.5-5%. Moving outside the realm of swill produced by budweiser, ABV can vary all the way up to 20% (barely wine.)

IIRC anything over 8% can't be marketed as beer in the USA.

 

[Deeko]

Originally posted by: sjwaste

Originally posted by: Colt45

Originally posted by: mwmorph
3.5%-5%

Average can be defined as Budweiser, which is just around 5% or light beers which can be as low as 3.46 like Busch, Natural, Coors, Bud, etc light. The other non light beers are usually 4-5%

40oz bottles of malt liquor are usually around 5.5-6.5%(Colt 45 is 6.1%) and 40oz high gravity lagers are usually 7.9-8.1%(Olde English and Steel Reserve and Hurricane High Grav spring to mind)

Colt45 is 8% in canada.

There are a couple 9% forties here, they taste like shit though.

We have those in the US too, man. Steel Reserve is like 8%, Camo is 9%.

What I really want to see at some point in my life, though, is the Colt 45 64oz jug w/ the thumbloop. I'm not sure if they even make it anymore.

And then you've got the microbrews like Victory Hold Horizontal and Golden Monkey, around 10-12%.

American beer gets the low alcohol reputation because so much light beer is advertised (and drank, especially on college campuses where quantity > quality), and those are around 4-4.5%. Just about everything else is > 5%.

 

[duragezic]

Hah, I knew most light beer was 4% or more. I've heard many times from people while I was drinking a Miller Lite, High Life, Busch, etc that it was barely 3.5% or whatever and a waste of money. As I figured, it was damn close to whatever they were drinking.

Wow, High Life comes in at 5.5%? Love that stuff. It's my standard cheap drinking beer.

 

[clamum]

Originally posted by: Dirigible
According to this site: http://www.realbeer.com/edu/health/calories.php
... it's about 5% or a bit more. Light beer is a bit less than 5%.

Guinness Draught is 4.0% ABV? Wow I thought it was in the 5%-6% range.

 

[vi edit]

Originally posted by: clamum

Originally posted by: Dirigible
According to this site: http://www.realbeer.com/edu/health/calories.php
... it's about 5% or a bit more. Light beer is a bit less than 5%.

Guinness Draught is 4.0% ABV? Wow I thought it was in the 5%-6% range.

Nope, plain old normal pour Guinness is pretty weak in the APV content.

The Extra Stout variety packs much more of a punch.

 

[clamum]

Originally posted by: vi_edit

Originally posted by: clamum

Originally posted by: Dirigible
According to this site: http://www.realbeer.com/edu/health/calories.php
... it's about 5% or a bit more. Light beer is a bit less than 5%.

Guinness Draught is 4.0% ABV? Wow I thought it was in the 5%-6% range.

Nope, plain old normal pour Guinness is pretty weak in the APV content.

The Extra Stout variety packs much more of a punch.

Huh. I always thought it was more. And I didn't expect the Extra Stout to be 7.5% but I knew it was more.

Killian's at 4.9% also surprised me. I have a friend who drinks Killian's and Guinness (usually the regular, not Stout) cause he thinks it has high APV (I thought it was higher too), he'll be surprised when I tell him how much is actually in there.

 

[uclaLabrat]

Chimay trapiste reserve FTW!

 

[NGC_604]

That's why I stick with Great Lakes Blackout Stout whenever I can. 9.0% ABV

 

[Atomic Playboy]

Originally posted by: Pale Rider

Originally posted by: Kaervak
Most table beer here in the states are around 4.5-5%. Moving outside the realm of swill produced by budweiser, ABV can vary all the way up to 20% (barely wine.)

IIRC anything over 8% can't be marketed as beer in the USA.

Sounds like a lie to me. I've had beers over 8% that have called themselves beer... Double Bastard, Speedway Stout, Stone Imperial Russian Stout, Old Guardian, Hair of the Dog Adam, Doggie Claws, Old Boardhead Barleywine, Black Gold... No, there are tons of beers with more than 8% ABV out there brewed in the US. Maybe it's a state by state thing (like in Utah you can't go above 3.2% alcohol in beer except in rare circumstances).

 

[Gibsons]

Originally posted by: Atomic Playboy

Originally posted by: Pale Rider

Originally posted by: Kaervak
Most table beer here in the states are around 4.5-5%. Moving outside the realm of swill produced by budweiser, ABV can vary all the way up to 20% (barely wine.)

IIRC anything over 8% can't be marketed as beer in the USA.

Sounds like a lie to me. I've had beers over 8% that have called themselves beer... Double Bastard, Speedway Stout, Stone Imperial Russian Stout, Old Guardian, Hair of the Dog Adam, Doggie Claws, Old Boardhead Barleywine, Black Gold... No, there are tons of beers with more than 8% ABV out there brewed in the US. Maybe it's a state by state thing (like in Utah you can't go above 3.2% alcohol in beer except in rare circumstances).

Are you sure they're marketed as beer? Arrogant Bastard says "ale" on the bottle, not beer, IIRC.