Alcohol Content Higher Than Guessed

Because the alcohol content varies in drinks such as wine, light beer, craft beer and hard ciders, drinkers may underestimate how much alcohol they are consuming by a percent or two per drink, according to a Public Health Institute’s Alcohol Research Group study. Over a few drinks, this gap between the estimated and actual amounts of alcohol consumed adds up.

The amount of alcohol per drink can vary greatly. For example, some beers contain 5% alcohol, yet there are others, including some European brews, that log in at 8-10% alcohol by volume.

Wine can run a similar spectrum with some containing 12% alcohol and others going as high as 14-15%. Using these numbers, a 4-ounce glass would be the appropriate serving size, as opposed to a 6-ounce serving usually poured in restaurants and bars. This study highlights the fact that a glass of wine may actually have approximately 50% more alcohol than one may anticipate.