Glossary
ABV
Alcohol by volume: the proportion of a beer that is ethanol, expressed as a percentage of total volume.
Also called alcohol by volume, alc/vol, alcohol content, beer strength, how strong is beer.
ABV is calculated from the difference between original and final gravity — the sugar that disappeared during fermentation became roughly equal parts ethanol and carbon dioxide, and the density change is what the brewer measures.
It is a volume measure, not a mass measure, which matters when comparing with countries that historically used alcohol by weight. ABW is roughly four-fifths of ABV, so a 5% ABV beer is about 4% ABW. Labelling tolerances also differ by jurisdiction, so the figure on a can is a declared value within an allowed margin rather than a laboratory reading of that specific package.
Related
- ABW — The mass-based measure ABV is often confused with.
- Original gravity — One of the two readings ABV is calculated from.
- Alcohol unit — How a serving is expressed for consumption guidance.
More vocabulary
ABW · Alcohol unit · Alkalinity · Alpha acid · Apparent attenuation · Attenuation · Beta acid · Cohumulone · Degrees Lovibond · Degrees Plato
See every term on the glossary index.
Last reviewed 2026-08-16.
Evidence
What BeerHQ knows about this, and how. Every statement carries the state of the evidence behind it rather than being presented flatly as fact.
Declared ABV on a label is a stated value within a permitted tolerance rather than a laboratory measurement of that individual package, and the size of the permitted tolerance differs by jurisdiction.
Backed by a source Applies in European Union and United Kingdom. Last checked 2026-08-16.
Source: Regulation (EU) No 1169/2011 on food information to consumers