Alcohol Content By Weight -- Real Life Utah Example

[scottranda]

I'm here in Utah. Beautiful state. But they do have some odd alcohol laws.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alcohol_laws_of_Utah

Let's not discuss that.

I found this footnote in the beer menu of a restaurant I ate at last night. Utah does alcohol by WEIGHT which is (in my opinion) pretty significant difference than the usual alcohol content measured by volume. 4% vs. 3.2%

Regardless of which side of the debate you fall on, I found it interesting!

[MBMorgan]

I guess that makes them more advanced than everywhere else ... I mean using Baker's % (ingredients by weight) for all things alcohol is genius, right ???

[Breadhead]

It makes sense to me...😆👍

[MBMorgan]

.... except that alcohol is not an ingredient ... it's a product of fermentation ...

[rat88]

Wouldnt that mean that the higher viscosity brews (the thick chewy stuff) have less alcohol in a 12 oz bottle compared to the lighter stuff?

[MBMorgan]

In the Weird but True category, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms (BATF) appears to use Alcohol by Weight (ABW) instead of the much more common Alcohol by Volume (ABV) that we beer brewers and wine makers are familiar with. It's ironic that to calculate ABW, you first must measure ABV then, using the simple formula ABW = ABV * 0.79336, you make both Utah and the BATF happy. (I know ... snore ...)

[scottranda]

So, they're not really weighing it. They just measure it by volume then apply the formula? Did I summarize it correctly?

[MBMorgan]

scottranda - Your summarization was just fine.

[MBMorgan]

scottranda - As far as I know, it's not possible to directly measure ABW. Instead, you generally measure Original Specific Gravity (OG) and Final Specific Gravity (FG) with a hydrometer and apply a simple calculation to get ABV = (OG - FG) * 131.25. Once you've got ABV, calculate ABW = ABV * 0.79336

[Huskee]

Interesting. TomAYto, tomAHto...

[HouseHomey]

I want the one that I get to have more beeer with.

[jacmac422]

Why anyone would drink 4% beer I will never know. I want a buzz!!!
I have family in southern utah and we go every year. We always pack a very large amount of beer from home to drink while there.

[Darchie03]

jacmac422, Don't get stopped by the law in Utah with that. I spend my summers in southern UT. where my brother lives & Know people that have been stop by the law & had their booz confiscated. Lots of people here go to NV. to stock up because of price.
Dave

[GregS]

I bet after that traffic stop, the cop gets on the radio and calls in an "Officer in need of assistance" to consume all that confiscated alcohol.

[Willy]

IMHO, there ain't nothing special or useful by specifying ABW. Plus, doing so doesn't make use of the baker's percentage. ABV is a straightforward measurement using a simple hydrometer. Why take the time to calculate ABW??? Well, I suppose in Utah it makes the beer sound stronger, but, then, why is a more alcoholic beer a plus? I like weaker "session" beers--beers with taste but low alcohol content. I like beer, but I'm not fond of getting drunk.

Agreed that Utah is a beautiful state--take the trip from "behind" (east of) Bryce through the Escalante Wilderness area to Torrey--drop dead beautiful and it'll give you some idea of what the Lake Powell region looked like before it was flooded by the Glen Canyon dam.

Another Utah oddity--we went to a state liquor store for some wine, but they couldn't sell us a corkscrew because the law prohibited it.

Enjoy your trip, scottranda !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[scottranda]

Lake Powell is gorgeous. Went there a few years ago!

Salt Lake City is also pretty!

[Thunder77]

Oklahoma also has some very weird liquor laws. anything over 3.2 beer has to be sold warm. A liquor store can't sell you a corkscrew there, either.

[tbob4]

I think I gain more weight by alcohol.

[JCGrill]

I heard that. When people say "beer thirty" they are usually talking about time, but for me it has another meaning.

[scottranda]

That's funny!