Alcohol measurements

Alcohol measurements are units of measurement for determining amounts of beverage alcohol. Alcohol concentration in beverages is commonly expressed as alcohol by volume (ABV), ranging from less than 0.1% in fruit juices to up to 98% in rare cases of spirits. A "standard drink" is used globally to quantify alcohol intake, though its definition varies widely by country. Serving sizes of alcoholic beverages also vary by country.

Alcohol concentration

+Typical ABV rangesFruit juices< 0.1% Cider, wine coolers 4%–8% Beers typically 5% (range is from 3–15%) Wines typically 13.5% (range is from 8%–17%) Sakes 15–16% Fortified wines 15–22% Spirits typically 30%-40% (range is from 15% to, in some rare cases, up to 98%) The concentration of alcohol in a beverage is usually stated as the percentage of alcohol by volume (ABV, the number of milliliters (ml) of pure ethanol in 100 ml of beverage) or as proof. In the United States, proof is twice the percentage of alcohol by volume at 60 degrees Fahrenheit (e.g. 80 proof = 40% ABV). Degrees proof were formerly used in the United Kingdom, where 100 degrees proof was equivalent to 57.1% ABV. Historically, this was the most dilute spirit that would sustain the combustion of gunpowder.

Ordinary distillation cannot produce alcohol of more than 95.6% by weight, which is about 97.2% ABV (194.4 proof) because at that point alcohol is an azeotrope with water. A spirit which contains a very high level of alcohol and does not contain any added flavoring is commonly called a neutral spirit. Generally, any distilled alcoholic beverage of 170 US proof or higher is considered to be a neutral spirit.Lichine, Alexis. Alexis Lichine's New Encyclopedia of Wines & Spirits (5th edition) (New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1987), 365.

Most yeasts cannot reproduce when the concentration of alcohol is higher than about 18%, so that is the practical limit for the strength of fermented drinks such as wine, beer, and sake. However, some strains of yeast have been developed that can reproduce in solutions of up to 25% ABV.Stewart, Graham G. "Biographical Review: Seduced by Yeast". Journal of the American Society of Brewing Chemists (2015): 1–21. American Society of Brewing Chemists. 21 January 2015. Web. 14 May 2017.

Standard drink

A standard drink is a notional drink that contains a specified amount of pure alcohol. The standard drink is used in many countries to quantify alcohol intake. It is usually expressed as a measure of beer, wine, or spirits. One standard drink always contains the same amount of alcohol regardless of serving size or the type of alcoholic beverage. The standard drink varies significantly from country to country. For example, it is 7.62 ml (6 grams) of alcohol in Austria, but in Japan it is 25 ml (19.75 grams): In the United Kingdom, there is a system of units of alcohol which serves as a guideline for alcohol consumption. A single unit of alcohol is defined as 10 mL of pure alcohol, and the number of units present in a typical drink is sometimes printed on bottles. The system is intended as an aid to people who are regulating the amount of alcohol they drink; it is not used to determine serving sizes. In the United States, the standard drink contains of alcohol. This is approximately the amount of alcohol in a glass of beer, a glass of wine, or a glass of a 40% ABV (80 US proof) spirit.

A standard drink of 10g alcohol is used in the WHO AUDIT (Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test)'s questionnaire form example, and has been adopted by more countries than any other amount. 10 grams is equivalent to 12.7 millilitres.

Beer measures

Name Metric units (approx.) US customary units Imperial units Notes Gill (Imp) 142 mL 4.8 US fl oz 5 imp oz of an Imperial pint. Also called a Quartern or Noggin.The Gill was one of the drinking vessel measures of volume (along with the Chopine and Cipha) banned by the City of London in 1310Liber Memorandum, Appendix I, page 432. Date: 21 December 1310 ("the Saturday before the feast of Saint Thomas the Apostle, in the fourth year of the reign of King Edward [the Second], son of King Edward [The First]..."). Details that the Turner's Guild had sworn to only make vessels and containers based on the standard quart, pottle (half-gallon), and gallon.Riley, Henry Thomas (editor). Munimenta Gildhallæ Londoniensis; Liber Albus, Liber Custumarum et Liber Horn, Volume 3. Rerum Brittannicarum Medii Ævi Scriptores, or Chronicles and Memorials of Great Britain and Ireland during the Middle Ages. London: Longman, Green, Longman, and Roberts, 1862. Nip (UK) 189.42 mL 6.39 US fl oz 6 imp oz of an Imperial pint. Short for Nipperkin. Strong ale and Barley wine were usually bottled in nips Metric measurement glasses and containers usually round up to a metric half pint of 200 mL (7 imp oz). small glass (US) 236.59 mL 8 US fl oz 8.33 imp oz US pint. small glass (EU) 275 mL 9.29 US fl oz 9.68 imp oz Gill of Beer (UK) 284 mL 9.61 US fl oz 10 imp oz Imperial pint. A gill of beer was a customary measure equal to half an imperial pint () used in rural parts of England.International Dictionary of Food and Cooking by Charles Gordon Sinclair, , published by Taylor & Francis, 1998 It is a holdover from when spirits, wines and brandies, ale, and beer all had different standard measures of capacity. An Ale Gill (based on the Ale gallon) and a Beer Gill (based on the Beer gallon) were different sizes until standardized as Ale / Beer gallons in 1688, Beer gallons in 1803, and Imperial gallons in 1824. Half (imp.) 284 mL 9.61 US fl oz 10 imp oz Imperial pint. Also called a "glass" in the UK and Ireland. Metric-measure glasses round down to 280 mL or round up to 285 mL. bottle (EU) 330 mL 11.16 US fl oz 11.61 imp oz The Standard International Bottle. litre, based on the long-necked 355 mL American standard bottle. Stubby (imp.) 341 mL 11.53 US fl oz 12 imp oz of an imperial pint. A short-necked, thick-walled beer bottle commonly found in Canada and South Africa. It was rounded down to 340 mL after metrication, and later replaced by the EU standard long-necked 330 mL bottle. bottle (US) 355 mL 12 US fl oz 12.49 imp oz US pint. American breweries fluctuated between 11 and 13 ounces before gradually standardizing on a median 12 ounces after World War II. The American Twelfth (10 US oz [315 mL], or of a US gallon), American Commercial Pint (12.8 US fl oz [379 mL], or of a US gallon) / British Reputed Pint (13 imp oz [379 mL], or an Imperial gallon), and the Canadian "stubby" bottle (12 imp oz [341 mL]) may have been factors. Stubbie (AUS) 375 mL 12.68 US fl oz 13.2 imp oz A beer bottle that is half the capacity of a 750 mL champagne/wine bottle. Reused champagne punts were used in the 19th century to ship lager beer to Australia, establishing it as the beer "quart". When metrication was introduced in the 1970s, the Reputed Pint (13 imp oz [379 mL]) was replaced with the 375 mL stubbie. Schooner (UK) 378.84 mL 12.8 US fl oz 13 imp oz of an imperial pint. Metric measurement glasses usually round up to 380 mL (13.37 imp oz). Schooner (AUS) 425 mL 14.37 US fl oz 14.95 imp oz of an Imperial pint; a schooner is an imperial half pint [285 mL] in South Australia. pint (US) / large glass (US) 473.18 mL 1 US pt = 16 US fl oz 16.65 imp oz 1 US pint. pint (imp.) 568.26 mL 19.2 US fl oz 1 imp. pt = 20 imp oz Beer sales in Britain and the Commonwealth are based on multiples of , , and full imperial pints.Originally beer in Britain was sold by the quart, but has been set by the pint since An Act for the ascertaining the Measures for retailing Ale and Beer of 1698. This set the standard measure based on the Ale Pint or Ale Quart. Imperial-measure glasses were 568 mL, and metric-measure glasses round up to 570 mL. Beer bottles in the UK were rounded down to 550 mL after standard metrication was introduced in 1995, later changed to 500 mL by January 1, 2000. After December 31, 1999, the imperial pint was no longer considered a legal measure except for draught beer, cider, and milk in reusable pint and quart bottles. Sixth (US) 651 mL 22 US fl oz 1.14 imp pt US gallon, rounded up from 21.3 US fl oz. Also called a "bomber" or a "double deuce" (from the two #2s, or "deuces", in its volume). Mostly replaced by the 40 US fl oz bottle by the late 1980s, but still used by some breweries for beer and malt liquor. Metric measure containers are rounded down to 650 mL. The US 23-ounce beer glass holds a sixth of beer, plus the head. tallboy 710 mL 24 US fl oz 1.249 imp pt A beercan containing of a US fluid quart. Also called a "7-10" in Canada. flagon (US) 946.35 mL 32 US fl oz 1.66 imp pt 1 US quart. small pitcher (US) 946.35 mL 32 US fl oz 1.66 imp pt 2 US pints. The 32 oz pitcher is usually used with large 16 oz beer glasses (2 glasses per pitcher). 40 (Imp.) 1.137 L 40 imp oz 2 imperial pints, 1 imperial quart, or a quarter of an imperial gallon. Referred to as a "40" or “40-pounder” in Canada (as in 40 Imperial ounces; also used for spirits) and a litre in the United States. 40 (US) 1.183 L 40 US fl oz 2.08 imp pt 2.5 US liquid pints. Might have been inspired by the Canadian 40 imp fl oz bottle. Malt liquor is often bottled in "40's". Third (US) 1.242 L 42 US fl oz US gallon. Mostly replaced by the 40 US fl oz bottle by the late 1980s. medium pitcher (US) 1.41 L 48 US fl oz 3 US pints. The 48 oz pitcher is used with either medium 12 oz beer glasses (4 glasses per pitcher) or large 16 oz beer glasses (3 glasses per pitcher). Yard of Ale (UK) 1.42 L 48.03 US fl oz 50 imp. oz imp. Pints. A long thin vessel with a conical rim and a bulb-shaped reservoir at the bottom. large pitcher (US) 1.77 L 60 US fl oz 3.75 US pints. The 60 oz pitcher is usually used with medium 12 oz beer glasses (5 glasses per pitcher). growler 1.89 L 64 US fl oz US gallon. Darwin stubby 2.273 L 80 imp fl oz Standard Australian bottle size, equal to half of an Imperial gallon. Later rounded down to 2.25 L (79.18 imp fl oz) after metrication, or reduced to 2 L (70.39 imp fl oz) in states with strict drinking laws. bucket (UK) 18.18 L 4 imp gal Obsolete measure. pin 20.46 L 4.5 imp gal Sixtel Keg 19.53 L 5.16 US gal. Sixth of a US beer barrel. pony keg 29.33 L 7.75 US gal US beer barrel. anker (US) 37.85 L 10 US gal 8.33 imp gal An obsolete Dutch measurement, originally used for a small cask of wine or brandy. It was brought to the New World by the former Dutch colony of Nieuw Amsterdam (renamed to New York City by the English in 1664). It was adopted by Colonial New York and New Jersey as a standard measure and was retained by America after independence. It was also used in Europe, where it varied in capacity from 9 to 11 US gallons. firkin 40.91 L 9 imp gal 2 pins keg 58.67 L 15.5 US gal US beer barrel. kilderkin 81.83 L 18 imp gal 2 firkins US barrel 31 US gal27 CFR § 25.11. 2 kegs UK barrel 163.66 L 36 imp gal 2 kilderkins hogshead 245.49 L 54 imp gal 6 firkins or 3 kilderkins puncheon 327.32 L 72 imp gal 2 barrels butt 490.98 L 108 imp gal 2 hogsheads or 3 barrels tun 981.96 L 216 imp gal 2 butts or 3 puncheons.

Liquor measurements The following table lists common sizes for liquors and spirits.http://fooduniversity.com/foodu/food_c/reference/bottle_size_for_liquor.htm Liquor Bottle Size