Why No ABV on beer?

[jacksonbrown]

I'd like to write a blog about how there's no ABV listed on bottles, but I'm having trouble finding info on this topic. My understanding is that there is no federal regulation requiring it (alcoholic products are also the only food or drink not to include an ingrediants list or nutritional info on the label), but that some states do it anyway.
Does any one know more about this? Where I might be able to read it about some more?
How do you guys feel about it? Would you like to see said info on your store-boughts?

 

[Cpt_Kirks]

It is kind of hit-or-miss. I think some states flat outlaw listing the ABV.

In Tennessee, I see it on some beers. Blue Moon lists it, some AB products list it. Most don't seem to.

 

[carnevoodoo]

Most of the beer I get has an ABV on it.

 

[Saccharomyces]

In Texas TABC rules prohibit the sale of alcoholic beverages which are labelled with a %ABV if the contents are not within <0.1% ABV of the label. So you are shooting yourself in the foot to put it on the label unless you are going to overshoot and water down the product with an alcohol hydrometer test until you reach your labelled %ABV. It is also illegal to sell a beer of under 5% ABV unless you have a small beer license and label it as 'beer' or 'lager' so most micros in the state will produce beers of only 5.5% or greater strength to leave a safe margin, and label them as 'ales' (even if they are lagers. Gotta love the TABC for inventing their own terminology!).

 

[IrregularPulse]

I think it's annoying. It almost seems like the easier it is to find, the less chance of listing it.

 

[carnevoodoo]

In Texas TABC rules prohibit the sale of alcoholic beverages which are labelled with a %ABV if the contents are not within <0.1% ABV of the label. So you are shooting yourself in the foot to put it on the label unless you are going to overshoot and water down the product with an alcohol hydrometer test until you reach your labelled %ABV. It is also illegal to sell a beer of under 5% ABV unless you have a small beer license and label it as 'beer' or 'lager' so most micros in the state will produce beers of only 5.5% or greater strength to leave a safe margin, and label them as 'ales' (even if they are lagers. Gotta love the TABC for inventing their own terminology!).

That is so ridiculous. It is a wonder any brewery will even distribute to places like that. I mean I'm sure a brewery like Stone or Sierra Nevada will have no problem but the smaller breweries have no incentive to risk breaking those rules.

 

[jacksonbrown]

Saccharomyces - that's just insane! It's amazing though how many people don't have any idea what an ale v. lager is. I was in a Chicago restaurant on Saturday and the menu had Samual Smith Organic Ale, and Samual Smith Organic Lager. I asked the waitress if she knew what type of beer the ale was. She had no idea and said it was an ale. I explained to her that saying it's ale is like defining wine as red or white. Doesn't tell you a whole lotta anything. </off topic>

 

[philrose]

It is also illegal to sell a beer of under 5% ABV unless you have a small beer license and label it as 'beer' or 'lager'

That sounds like a really lame way to get two license fees from a brewery instead of one. Do they at least allow more distribution of the "lager" (ie grocery stores/7-11's)?

Here in Washington, I buy all my commercial fermented beverages at the grocery store. not only do they list abv, but sometimes og and ibu.

 

[Christian]

I personally hate it when store brands don't list the ABV as i like bigger beers. When a beer doesn't list the ABV i usually end up not buying it and going with one that does list it.

 

[GilaMinumBeer]

Pointless here.

If it is sold cold, it's no higher than 4.0%.

What really sucks is seeing a pack of small beer at the bottle shops selling for $4 more (room temp) than it does at Wal-Mart out of the cooler. Just kinda gives a perspective of what you are being charged above wholesale costs because too many people have their hands on the beer.

 

[Scimmia]

Honestly, I don't really care. I don't buy beer based on the alcohol content, and more often that not, I don't even bother looking at the ABV when drinking the beer either.

 

[Synovia]

I personally hate it when store brands don't list the ABV as i like bigger beers. When a beer doesn't list the ABV i usually end up not buying it and going with one that does list it.

So you pick beer by ABV, and not by style or taste?

 

[humann_brewing]

I like what Rogue does with listing the starting Plato, that way it gives people like us an idea of what kind of alcohol content we are looking at while not listing the ABV and able to distribute it to more markets.

 

[GilaMinumBeer]

So you pick beer by ABV, and not by style or taste?

Sometimes, it's just nice to get a buzz on without having to down a sixer to get there. Or opposite, it's nice to know that one or two is enough and to not down them too quickly lest you find the sixer done, and the buzz just starting to come on.

So, while ABV does have little to sav about quality and or flavor, it does say volumes about how much you could/should consume before you are blitzed.

I agree with Humann, SG should replace ABV/ABW.

 

[Christian]

So you pick beer by ABV, and not by style or taste?

I like what i like, i have drank enough beers over the years to know that if i'm at the store and i have two choices and one lists a high ABV and one doesn't the one that doesn't is most likely a lower ABV and therefore usually not one i'm really going to like. It's not always the case but i'd say 70% to 80% of the time it is. Also when a store beer lists the ABV i know what to expect, as opposed to a beer that doesn't list it and when i'm spending 7 to 12 bucks a sixer i want something i'm going to like.

So to answer your question, it has EVERYTHING to do with taste as to me alcohol is part of that taste. I LOVE that taste that a higher ABV gives and i end up drinking WAY less of it as i get a stronger taste with one or two and am satisfied.

 

[flyangler18]

If you have a working knowledge of styles, you can usually accurately predict ABV for any given commercial according to style. That being said, ABV is not something I take note of when shopping for new commercials to sample.

If I'm tasting alcohol, it should be complementary to the overall flavor profile rather than distracting.

 

[carnevoodoo]

I like having the ABV listed because I like to know as much about my beer as possible. I don't drink to get drunk, and I don't always go for the extreme beers as some sort of unbending rule or anything, but it is nice to know what you're in for. It also helps when you want to pace yourself.

It can also help if and when you want to put together a recipe that is similar to something you're drinking. If I know the Rochefort 8 is 9.2%, I can devise a strong dubbel in that range with what I know.

 

[jacksonbrown]

If you have a working knowledge of styles, you can usually accurately predict ABV for any given commercial according to style.

Not necessarily true. There can be a very large range for say stouts, especially if the brand doesn't specify the style of stout. Likewise a lot of breweries will blend styles, or call something an IPA even though it's technically an APA. So while I might expect somethign to have 5-6% abv, it might in fact be closer to 8%. Peronally, I like to know what I'm consuming. I do like the idea of having the deg plato listed, I can pretty much figure it out from there.

 

[Brewsmith]

You can usually look up ABV info on Ratebeer and sites like that.

Samuel Smiths Organic Ale from Samuel Smith - Ratebeer

 

[jacksonbrown]

Oh, I always do. After the fact though. Sometimes I'm just shopping around, putting together a 6-pack, and it's just something I'd like to know. FWIW the Sammy Smith's Organic Ale was excellent! The lager was pretty good too, but nothing to write home about.

 

[Hambone]

I didn't even know that this was an issue in other states. In Louisiana, the only brand that I can think of that doesn't state the ABV is Rogue which states the plato and I can figure it out myself. I think those rules are really dumb because it is an important factor to me when buying.

 

[Laughing_Gnome_Invisible]

I think it's bloody annoying that you can't always find the ABV

I'd go a step further and insist that it is labeled with the ABV in bars as well.

If you are going out on the town, this can be very useful information. You can avoid getting accidentally hammered in the first hour and pace yourself if you know exactly what you are drinking. Beer must have it's ABV displayed by law in the UK......Many a time (Not always though) that info saved me from waking up with my face in a puddle and my naked ass pointing to the sky with a daffodil stuck in it.

 

[GilaMinumBeer]

Many a time (Not always though) that info saved me from waking up with my face in a puddle and my naked ass pointing to the sky with a daffodil stuck in it.

Something you prefer sober, no doubt.

 

[Laughing_Gnome_Invisible]

Something you prefer sober, no doubt.

You offering to buy me flowers?

 

[david_42]

What I find even more interesting, breweries are forbidden by Federal law from listing the nutritional information. They don't want people to know that beer is one of the best sources of B-vitamins around.

 

[jacksonbrown]

What I find even more interesting, breweries are forbidden by Federal law from listing the nutritional information. They don't want people to know that beer is one of the best sources of B-vitamins around.

Any idea where I could find that statute/law/whatever?

 

[philrose]

What I find even more interesting, breweries are forbidden by Federal law from listing the nutritional information. They don't want people to know that beer is one of the best sources of B-vitamins around.

I've noticed that its on some ciders...weird.:fro: