Post by Chronic Insomnia on Aug 3, 2009 10:12:51 GMT -4
You guys at WMD constantly remark at how weak our American Beer is and it just so happens you are the ones with weak beer my friends. If you don't believe me, look it up. Here is a smattering of what I found online about the American vs. Canadian Beer myth.
That Weak American Beer
You’ll hear this most about Canadian vs. American beer, but other countries get in the act as well. "You know, the Canadian beer is stronger than American beer." Give ‘em the razzberry, because it just isn’t so.
We can dispense with this one pretty quickly. First, most beer, as in over 90% of it, around the world, is under 5.5% ABV (Yes, even in Belgium). Second, most American, Canadian, and European beers (by volume sold) are between 4.3 and 5.0%: that’s the range where the best-sellers fall. And most full-calorie American, Canadian, and European beers are about 5%; the lights run a bit lower. Period. That’s fact.
So where’s the confusion come in? Two things. First, it’s all in how it’s measured. Canadian brewers generally use alcohol by volume (ABV), whereas American brewers have historically used alcohol by weight (ABW), which gives lower numbers. Quick math lesson: if you have 1 liter of 4% ABV beer, 4% of that liter, or 40 ml, is alcohol. However, because alcohol weighs only 79.6% as much as water, that same beer is only 3.18% ABW. To a Canadian, therefore, 3.2 beer is really 4.0 beer. People heard the two different numbers and naturally thought it meant the Canadian beer was stronger. Confusing, but understandable.
The other issue is the general lightness of American mainstream beer. For various reasons both historical and cultural, Americans have come to like their beer lighter in body and lower in bitterness than Europe and Canada. This seems to be a lighter beer overall, but the alcohol is not lower. In fact, the average beer in the U.S. is actually stronger than many a heavier, more bitter beer in England. Big flavor does not mean big alcohol. Case in point: Guinness Stout is under 4.2% ABV. If that doesn’t convince you, nothing will!
So go back to drinking YOUR weak Canadian Beer and stop razzing us about how our beer is weak. We might have SHIT for beer, who could argue with Budwieser being any good, but IT'S NOT WEAK!
Michael
That Weak American Beer
You’ll hear this most about Canadian vs. American beer, but other countries get in the act as well. "You know, the Canadian beer is stronger than American beer." Give ‘em the razzberry, because it just isn’t so.
We can dispense with this one pretty quickly. First, most beer, as in over 90% of it, around the world, is under 5.5% ABV (Yes, even in Belgium). Second, most American, Canadian, and European beers (by volume sold) are between 4.3 and 5.0%: that’s the range where the best-sellers fall. And most full-calorie American, Canadian, and European beers are about 5%; the lights run a bit lower. Period. That’s fact.
So where’s the confusion come in? Two things. First, it’s all in how it’s measured. Canadian brewers generally use alcohol by volume (ABV), whereas American brewers have historically used alcohol by weight (ABW), which gives lower numbers. Quick math lesson: if you have 1 liter of 4% ABV beer, 4% of that liter, or 40 ml, is alcohol. However, because alcohol weighs only 79.6% as much as water, that same beer is only 3.18% ABW. To a Canadian, therefore, 3.2 beer is really 4.0 beer. People heard the two different numbers and naturally thought it meant the Canadian beer was stronger. Confusing, but understandable.
The other issue is the general lightness of American mainstream beer. For various reasons both historical and cultural, Americans have come to like their beer lighter in body and lower in bitterness than Europe and Canada. This seems to be a lighter beer overall, but the alcohol is not lower. In fact, the average beer in the U.S. is actually stronger than many a heavier, more bitter beer in England. Big flavor does not mean big alcohol. Case in point: Guinness Stout is under 4.2% ABV. If that doesn’t convince you, nothing will!
So go back to drinking YOUR weak Canadian Beer and stop razzing us about how our beer is weak. We might have SHIT for beer, who could argue with Budwieser being any good, but IT'S NOT WEAK!
Michael
