Alcohol Content Laws

[captaineriv]

Here's just a question to satisfy my curiosity. I live in South Carolina and our beer law says:
"The word "beer" shall mean all beers, ales, porter and other similar malt or fermented beverages containing not more than five per cent of alcohol by weight"
I'd like to relate this to Rogue Dead Guy Ale. Everywhere I look online, Dead Guy is anywhere between 6.4 and 6.6% ABV. The 5% ABW stated above converts to about 6.25% ABV, and the man at what's probably the only store in the city that sells Dead Guy says that our limit is 6.3% ABV (6.25 rounded, I guess). So my question is 3-part. (A) Is Dead Guy's actual ABV lower than everything I'm seeing online, (B) does Rogue brew it to different specs to be sold in places like SC (which seems unlikely), or (C) is my local beverage store slipping it in under the radar, hoping that the law will forgive such a small difference if it comes down to it? If anyone has similar laws in their state, let me know what the deal is.

captaineriv

 

[El Pistolero]

I don't know about SC but in Texas there's another provision that goes on to define anything greater than 5.6% (in our case) as malt liquor, and there are different labeling requirement for that. Check the label on one of the high abv brews in the store...see if there's not some fine print on there calling it a malt liquor or some such.

 

[Baron von BeeGee]

I don't know the exact answer to your question, but I bought a lot of RDG in NC before our abv cap was raised from 6% to 15%, so I suppose they must brew for various markets if there are RDG > 6%.

 

[captaineriv]

I considered El Pistolero's posibility because I think I saw something else about Texas laws on this forum a while back. Might have even been you talking about it. But the reason I'm doubting that this is the case in SC is because when I was asking the guy at the beer store about barley wines, he said that under SC law, barley wines were technically considered beers (since they were fermented from malt) and could not be sold. Even what we refer to as "malt liquors" tend to be lower than 6%. I searched about the whole store and seems like the only thing I can find higher than the limit is true wine, and obviously, liquor. Or in my case, specialty brews like Dead Guy that claim to be .1 or .2% higher than the legal limit. As far as what you're saying, Bee Gee, I guess all it would take for Rogue to bring the ABV down .1 or .2% would be a fraction of an ounce of water per 12 oz. Brews like Arrogant Bastard, that exceed 7%, are impossible to find here. Guess it would alter things too much from the original to bring it down to 6.3.

captaineriv

 

[Baron von BeeGee]

Yeah, beats me. Up until August or September of this year we didn't have anything >6%abv other than wine and spirits. We used to have to drive to VA. Now it's a whole new world at the ol' beer store.

 

[Walker]

Even what we refer to as "malt liquors" tend to be lower than 6%.

Mickey's and Colt45 are just a hair below 6%, but most others that I am familiar with are in the 6-6.5% range.

-walker

 

[Genghis77]

I visited the Anheuser Bush site where they limit the ABV to 5% in about six states, as required by law. My bets would be that they water down their normal content to comply. After all they are high volume production and unlikely to run special productions. I seem to remember foriegn beers had more kick in the contries of origin. Most seem a watered down version.

 

[joutlaw]

I live in MS and I beleive the cap is 6%... and thats the highest I have ever seen here. BTW it was a Liberty Ale by Anchor Steam brewery --- real tasty beer IMO. Our Budweiser is 5% as marked on the can

I know in CO they have to sell 3.2% in gas stations and grocery stores. Fat Tire and other NBB beers are sold in the liqour stores there among others.

 

[captaineriv]

Well, here's the answer for everyone. I called Rogue (this is the kind of thing I do on my days off) and the guy said that although some of the Dead Guy that they have on draft locally can be higher, the beer that they bottle and sell throughout the country is 5.9% ABV. It seems that all the places online, such as Beer Advocate and some other rating sites that give it 6.5% ABV, are misinformed. Pretty big difference, or at least big enough to make a difference in SC.

captaineriv

 

[PT Ray]

I knew a local brewer that used to work for Miller and had a similiar story. When they started making Icehouse my state had something like a 5% cap and the brew was 5.9%. Well it made it to the shelves at 5.9% until....AB ratted them out. He said then they were forced to make separate batches at 5% thanks to AB.

 

[FrewBrew]

I visited the Anheuser Bush site where they limit the ABV to 5% in about six states, as required by law. My bets would be that they water down their normal content to comply. After all they are high volume production and unlikely to run special productions. I seem to remember foriegn beers had more kick in the contries of origin. Most seem a watered down version.

Funny you mention that... because IIRC Guiness actually has to produce their tasty beverage to lower specs (alcohol content wise... not necessarily taste wise) for their domestic brew. Now, being that it was originally produced domestic only, do you think that they use the same recipe for domestic and exported brews? Indeed they don't... the brew we get here, is very much different from what you would drink ANYWHERE in Ireland.

Just a little food (drink?) for thought

 

[Genghis77]

I think most foreign imports are corrupted versions of the original. What probably happens is that they tend to lower the alcohol to meet the maximum for any state. On inspection I usually find the beers are actually brewed in the US under license by the foreign country's brewery.

When I was in the Army and stationed in Virginia (1968), we had a Coke Machine converted to serving beer. But it was stocked with 3.2% I was a buyer for our little PX and used to try to get regular strength beers to sell over the counter from the PX which was open only for 2 hours daily. But, definitely had to stick with the 3.2 in the machines. I add the beer machines were on a timer so purchases could not be made until after 4 P.M. and that included weekends. We were definitely on thin ice on having a beer machine available. The entire station was maybe 50 men. Had a great Commanding officer for allowing it.

 

[homebrewer_99]

We had beer machines in Germany in the 70s.

I think Federal law says that all imported beer 5%+ should be laqbeled as a malt liqour. I've seen HWs at 5.6% that did not say malt liqour, but I think they came through the Army distribution system.

 

[rewster451]

About the Guinness thing, I've heard that too. In Ireland, apparently, bars shut down at 11pm, and all the beer has to be below 4%alcohol. Now, I don't say that I totally trust that or believe it, but that's what I've heard. Perhaps some of you over there on the island can help out with this. But I've also heard that because most states (I'm pretty sure mine is included here, because everywhere in Missouri I've ever been you can get malt beverages in excess of 9, 10, 11, 12...etc.%, and call it beer), allow a higher alcohol content than they do, they produce "Guinness Extra Stout" for export to the U.S., and it is much higher in alcohol.

Just what I have heard.

 

[Orfy]

About the Guinness thing, I've heard that too. In Ireland, apparently, bars shut down at 11pm, and all the beer has to be below 4%alcohol. Now, I don't say that I totally trust that or believe it, but that's what I've heard. Perhaps some of you over there on the island can help out with this. But I've also heard that because most states (I'm pretty sure mine is included here, because everywhere in Missouri I've ever been you can get malt beverages in excess of 9, 10, 11, 12...etc.%, and call it beer), allow a higher alcohol content than they do, they produce "Guinness Extra Stout" for export to the U.S., and it is much higher in alcohol.

Just what I have heard.

That's not right Rewster, I was there a few months ago. I'm not sure what ABV Guiness is but it's not resrticted by law. The only reason beer abv was limited was by the breweries own choice because duty was levied according to the abv.

A standard pub license allow them to open till 11pm but they are allowed to apply for longer hours of opening.