Grog blog! Drinking Around the World - America

There has always been a misconception that American Beer is weaker than beer in Australia.  Just have a quick squiz at that magic number that tells you the alcohol content and you will see it significantly lower than Australian Beers.  However, if you look closely you will see the letters ABW are printed after that number.  For you see American beer is sold by Alcohol by Weight not Alcohol by Volume as in most western countries.  So if you purchase a Coors, a Bud or Millers that has an ABW listed instead of an ABV, the alcohol content is going to be higher than you think.  Likewise, the term Light Beer in American doesn't relate to ABW or ABV but rather to calorie content (so the marketing gurus tell us.)

Ever since President Jimmy Carter legalised home production of beer in 1978, the craft beer craze has swept through hipster nation and now big brand names such as Budweiser have become un-cool, mainstream, and even embarrassing. Instead of big beer, people have turned to micro-brews and craft brands.