Glossary
ABW
Alcohol by weight: the proportion of a beer that is ethanol expressed as a percentage of total mass, roughly four-fifths of the same beer’s ABV.
Also called alcohol by weight.
Commonly misunderstood
American beer was widely labelled in ABW for much of the twentieth century, which is the source of the persistent belief that US beer is weaker than it is. A "3.2 beer" sold under old Kansas and Utah rules was 3.2% ABW — about 4% ABV, entirely ordinary.
Related
- ABV — The volume-based measure used on almost all modern labels.
More vocabulary
ABV · 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.