When talking about excessive consumption of beer, we should talk about excessive consumption of alcohol or otherwise ethyl alcohol (ethanol). A dose that does not greatly affect the state of the body after a single use in a person is, on average, the ethanol content in the blood of 0.3 g/l, which is only ~ 15 grams per adult, which is approximately 20 ml, due to the density of the alcohol. If translated into beer, then for a beer with a strength of 5% grams will be ~ 20 grams per 0.5 bottle or ~ 25 ml.

It turns out that a relatively harmless dose will be equal to a bottle of light regular lager or ale with a volume of half a liter and a strength of no more than 5%. Or two half-vivas or, as another malt drink with an alcohol content of 1.5% was called at the beginning of the 20th century, “beer”, or two abbey very light beers that are brewed in monasteries for daily use, which is also about 2% or a little more. Accordingly, beer with an alcohol content greater than 5% will need less volume for safe consumption.

I calculated this myself. But what does Wikipedia tell us?

The definition of “moderate drinking” is subject to revision as new scientific evidence accumulates. The current US definition is no more than 24 g of ethanol per day for most adult men and no more than 12 g for most women (approximately converted to North American fl oz). 12 g of ethanol are contained in 32 ml of vodka, approximately 200-300 ml of beer or 80-90 ml of wine. ()

The dose of beer is calculated for women; for men, we multiply the calculated dose by two.

Let's turn to another good site about alcohol:

The harm of alcohol is determined by the dose beyond which damage to internal organs begins - the toxicity threshold. To maintain health, the body needs to have time to recover from alcohol: to do this, you need to drink no more than 170 grams of pure alcohol no more than once every 8 days. The benefit of moderate doses of alcohol may be that the body is mobilized in response to small doses of harmful substances. Dry red wine and unpasteurized beer contain useful impurities: vitamins, antioxidants, microelements that are beneficial in small doses and harmful in large doses.

Every now and then you can hear the statement that moderate alcohol consumption is good for health. How true is this, and how moderate should drinking be?

The statement is generally true, but as we know, the devil is in the details. The great physician of the late Middle Ages, Paracelsus (real name - Phillip Aureolus Theophrastus Bombastus von Hohenheim) wrote - “Only the dose makes a substance a poison or a medicine.” When talking about doses, one should keep in mind, first of all, the composition of the alcoholic drink, and secondly, the speed of development of addiction.

What is moderate drinking?

In terms of pure ethanol, the toxicity threshold (that is, the dose beyond which organ damage begins) for the liver is 90 g per day, for the brain - 19 g per day. This refers to a person of the white race with a healthy liver, kidneys and brain, and a body weight of 70 kg.

But it is not difficult to calculate that 90 grams of pure alcohol are contained in a glass of vodka. If you imagine a person who drinks a glass of vodka every day, then if he has a hereditary predisposition, he will develop alcohol dependence in six to eight months, in the absence of a hereditary predisposition - in three years. Not to mention that after a couple of months the dose of alcohol will constantly increase. The World Health Organization (WHO) believes that weekly consumption of strong (more than 25 vol.% ethanol) alcoholic beverages in quantities of more than 150 ml is sufficient to develop alcohol dependence. (

Everyone knows that beer contains alcohol. Has anyone thought about its exact calculation? And in comparison with vodka? To calculate how much beer is in a bottle of vodka, you need to understand and compare the level of ethanol entering the body. By the way, the alcohol in aromatic hops is measured by weight percentage. But to measure the alcohol concentration in other alcohol-containing drinks, volumetric percentages are taken. How to understand this?

When a consumer reads on the label that vodka contains 40% alcohol, this means that 100 liters of this alcohol contains 40 liters of ethanol. These are the volume percentages. While the weight percentage indicates the number of grams of ethyl alcohol in a beer drink (100 g is also taken for calculation).

It is known that the specific gravity of ethyl alcohol is 0.78.

Based on this, it follows that in order to convert this indicator into volume percentages, the weight must be divided by 0.78. Only after these calculations can you compare the ratio of beer and vodka by alcohol.

The calculations are based on the specific gravity of ethyl alcohol

For example:

1. The strength of certain hops is 4%. We calculate the volume percentage: 4%/0.78. We get 5.1%. This means that 100 liters of such beer contains 5.1 liters of ethanol.
2. Beer strength 6%. We calculate volume percentages: 6%/0.78. The result is 7.7%. It turns out that 100 liters of this ale contains 7.7 liters of pure alcohol.

A little comparative analysis

Based on preliminary calculations and obtaining the volumetric percentage of pure ethanol in beer, it is possible to compare hops and vodka alcohol in terms of alcohol content. For example, to answer the question, 1 liter of vodka is how much beer, you should initially calculate the number of volume percents in a liter of intoxicating drink and compare it with the volume percentages of a certain vodka.

To find out how much beer is in vodka, use simple mathematics

Keep in mind that hops, like vodka products, have different strengths. You can give the following example, taking as a calculation the average strong drink with a strength of 40% (by volume) and Baltika 9 beer with an alcohol content of 9% (by weight). We count:

1. We determine the volumetric ethanol content in beer liquid: 9%/0.78. We get 11.5%. This means that 100 liters of this hop will contain 11.5% ethanol. Therefore, in 1 liter of this product the ethanol concentration will be 0.115%.
2. While vodka products have a strength of 40%, in 100 liters of product the volume of pure ethyl alcohol will be 40 liters. Accordingly, in a liter of this alcohol the ethanol concentration will be 0.4%.

To make it more clear, let’s convert several types of beer into stronger alcohol. For example:

Interesting conclusion

Fragrant, so attractive, fragrant hops are the greatest human self-deception. Calculations show that on average one beer bottle is equivalent to a volume of 50-100 g of strong alcohol (this depends on the strength). But how does a person drink amber hops? The count goes to liters or more.

By consuming only 5-6 medium beer cans/bottles, the consumer receives a dose of ethanol equal to one bottle of pure vodka.

It’s not for nothing that there is such a thing as “beer alcoholism.” And the number of diagnosed cases of such addiction is increasing. After all, the psychological aspect should be taken into account here. A person drank a bottle of vodka, which means he is an alcoholic. I drank 3-4 liters of beer - well, it happens, it’s a common occurrence.

But let's take into account the real harmfulness of these alcohol-containing drinks, because in the end the harm from using vodka and beer can be put on the same level. And alcoholism always creeps up unnoticed. A terrible, fatal disease does not care at all what exactly you drink - weak hops or strong intoxicating drink.

In the development of alcoholism (beer or classic), it is not the type of alcohol that is important, but its quantity. Incorporate self-awareness and self-control. And the above calculations will help you identify and understand the real threat of beer, hidden under the invigorating hop aroma.

Filtration and bottling

At the end of the maturation process, the beer is filtered with different filters or not filtered at all. The diameter of the sieve openings differs for different types of beer. After filtration, the finished drink is sent for bottling, before which, if necessary, it is pasteurized.

As a result, the output is an intoxicating drink, which, depending on the variety, has a certain density and strength, regulated by the recipe and technological instructions.

How to determine strength

The strength of the foam is determined by the percentage of ethyl alcohol in it. There are several types of beer that differ in strength:

1. Lungs. These varieties contain no more than 2% alcohol.
2. Classic (light, semi-dark and dark). The ethanol content in them ranges from 3.5 to 7%.
3. Strong. These varieties contain 8-14% ethanol.
4. Non-alcoholic. Contain residual amounts of ethyl alcohol - 0.5-0.7%.

The percentage of alcohol in a foamy drink is indicated on its label. In European countries, to determine the strength, the indicator “volume fraction of alcohol” is used - % vol., and in the USA - “weight fraction of alcohol”. The ratio between these shares is defined as 2.5:2. This means that 2.5% by volume is equal to 2% by weight.

Beer alcoholism

Beer addiction is so widespread in the world that it even got its own name - “gambrinism”. Beer alcoholics never admit their addiction: they believe that drinking beer does not develop. However, it is a mistake to assume that if beer has less degrees than vodka, then it does not cause addiction.

For quick and reliable relief from alcoholism, our readers recommend the drug "Alcobarrier". This is a natural remedy that blocks cravings for alcohol, causing a persistent aversion to alcohol. In addition, Alcobarrier triggers restoration processes in organs that alcohol has begun to destroy. The product has no contraindications, the effectiveness and safety of the drug has been proven by clinical studies at the Research Institute of Narcology.

Beer alcoholics begin by drinking one or two bottles of beer daily. Gradually, the number of bottles they drink per day increases, because after one or two they stop getting drunk. When the euphoric effect does not occur even after several liters of the drink, gambrinists often switch to stronger beer varieties. Thus, they are trying to reduce the overall volume of foam consumption by increasing its strength.

Over time, passion for beer is fraught with the transition of beer alcoholism into true dependence on alcohol. To avoid this fate, beer lovers should limit their consumption to one or two bottles per week, and also avoid gradually increasing the strength of the drinks consumed.

Beer connoisseurs for whom alcohol is contraindicated replace it with an alternative intoxicating drink. But not everyone knows whether there is alcohol in non-alcoholic beer and how safe such a product is.

Is there alcohol or not?

The absence of alcohol in a drink labeled Alcohol free is a misconception. It is available, although in smaller quantities. The technology for preparing non-alcoholic beer does not differ from the production of a product with a degree, and the main ingredients are also water, malt, hops and yeast cultures.

Information about how much alcohol is in non-alcoholic beer must be indicated on the label. Different varieties of the product contain from 0.2 to 1.5% alcohol, which is explained by the technology of beer production. Since the process is accompanied by the natural release of ethyl alcohol, it is impossible to completely avoid its appearance. It is important to keep in mind that even a small dose of ethanol poisons the cells of the liver and kidneys and leads to various pathologies.

When consumed in moderation, a high-quality soft drink does not lead to systematic abuse of alcoholic beverages. The product has a calming effect, which is explained by the sedative properties of hops.

There is one in which alcohol is almost completely absent. It is important to study the components indicated on the label, since sometimes it is not a non-alcoholic beer, but a beer drink that contains substances that are harmful to the body. Such a chemical cocktail is dangerous to health.

Despite the reduced amount of alcohol, drinking non-alcoholic beer is prohibited under certain circumstances:

1. During antibiotic therapy, alcoholic drinks are contraindicated, since ethanol reduces the effectiveness of drugs, worsens the effect of drugs, and increases the risk of adverse reactions.
2. If you are allergic to the grains from which the drink is made (barley, wheat, rye, corn, etc.).
3. When taking psychoactive drugs of the benzodiazepine type (Phenazepam, Valium, Nitrazepam, etc.), with which hops cannot be combined.

Cooking process

The drink is produced at the same enterprises as alcoholic beer. Making a product similar to beer, but with virtually no alcohol, is a more complex procedure. This also explains the high cost. To reduce the percentage of alcohol, the fermentation process is carefully controlled, and sometimes completely eliminated. There are several options for dealcoholization of the product:

1. Interruption of the fermentation process. Yeast is added to the wort, which does not process sugar. Fermentation is also stopped by sharply cooling the drink, as a result of which the yeast cultures die.
2. Strain through a fine fine mesh cotton cellulose membrane. It sifts out ethanol molecules.
3. Vacuum distillation and heat treatment. This is necessary to evaporate the alcohol. The boiling point of alcohol is 78°C, and that of water is 100°C. But heating to these temperatures leads to deterioration of the product. Under vacuum, the alcohol evaporates at a lower temperature, which allows the taste and quality of the drink to be preserved as much as possible.

Later, enterprise specialists determine how many degrees there are in non-alcoholic beer. According to Russian standards, non-alcoholic drinks are those in which the alcohol content by volume does not exceed 0.5%.

Intoxication and non-alcoholic beer

Beer without alcohol tastes and smells like alcoholic beer, although it does not have the usual strength. But experts do not recommend consuming the product in large quantities. According to research, even 1 liter. drink affects the speed of a person’s reaction. As the amount increases, signs of intoxication appear:

• increased heart rate;
• redness of the skin;
• dilated pupils;
• impaired clarity of consciousness;
• deterioration in concentration;
• slowing down the reaction rate.

The intensity of the symptoms depends on various factors:

If you need to get behind the wheel, it is better not to drink more than 1 liter of beer and wait about an hour for the alcohol to be processed and begin to be eliminated from the body - even a small dose slows down a person’s reaction and can provoke an accident.

Benefit or harm

As in the product with degrees, the non-alcoholic version contains useful macro- and microelements: potassium, calcium, phosphorus, magnesium, vitamins PP, A, group B.

It is generally accepted that non-alcoholic beer does not harm the body, but this stereotype has no relation to reality. Although the ethanol content is reduced, the drink often contains flavorings, dyes, heavy metal compounds, and other dangerous chemicals. It is important to choose high-quality varieties without harmful ingredients.

Research proves for human health. Some health problems that are caused by excessive use of this type of alcohol:

1. Inflammatory processes in the gastrointestinal tract as a result of the addition of cobalt, a foam stabilizer. Also, this toxic element causes thickening of the walls of the heart and expansion of its cavities, increasing the risk of necrosis in the heart muscle, leading to a heart attack.
2. Hormonal levels change due to phytoestrogens contained in beer - an analogue of female hormones.
3. Negative effect on kidney function, since the product has a diuretic effect, washing away beneficial substances from the body.
4. Some components of the drink, especially herbal ones, cause the risk of allergies.

The best intoxicating drinks (including non-alcoholic ones) are made in Germany and the Czech Republic. Products with reduced alcohol content are also produced in Russia. Below are some popular and sought after brands:

In Russia, you can purchase products with or without a minimum degree - the choice is dictated by individual preferences.

Beer is considered a low-alcohol drink, but each variety is characterized by its own strength. Therefore, before you buy a product, you should definitely study the label, which indicates what percentage of alcohol is in the intoxicating drink. The alcohol content in beer is especially important for drivers, athletes, people with allergies to alcohol, and those leading a sober lifestyle.

There are two main ways to determine how much alcohol a beer contains. At the same time, it is generally accepted that the norm indicated on the label means the lower limit of the alcohol content, that is, in reality, there may be slightly more ethanol in the intoxicating drink.

In Europe, the amount of alcohol in beer is measured in percentage by volume (% vol.). In America, to find out how much alcohol there is in a hop drink, the ethanol content is calculated in weight fractions (% wt.). Therefore, when purchasing American products, in order to convert weight percentages into volume percentages, you need to divide them by the specific gravity of alcohol (0.78). This means that if the strength of beer in weight fractions is 3.5%, then in volume percentages it is equal to 4.5%.

Since the amount of ethanol in beer is important in some cases, buyers who want to know what percentage of ethanol a product contains should pay attention to the country of origin before purchasing. If the drink is released in America, it must be taken into account that, according to European standards, the percentage of beer content is higher than indicated on the label.

Types of intoxicating drinks

How much alcohol beer contains depends directly on the method of its preparation. Based on strength, intoxicating drinks are usually divided into the following categories:

• non-alcoholic variety (0.15-1.45%);
• light beer with ethanol content up to 2%;
• classic (from 3.5 to 7%);
• strong (from 8 to 14%);
• very strong (over 14%).

To prepare the intoxicating drink, barley is boiled, after which a hop decoction is added, which gives it bitterness. The mass is then left to ferment, after which it is distilled. The result is a drink that contains alcohol, fusel oils, phytohormones, and carbon dioxide. To add flavor and increase shelf life, the manufacturer adds various components.

Classic varieties have a strength of 3.5 to 4.7%. To reduce the amount of alcohol in the intoxicated drink, beer is subjected to special filtration. Also, to produce products with a lower ethanol content, the manufacturer can heat the liquid obtained in the traditional way, which leads to the evaporation of ethanol and other volatile substances.

To increase the strength of the intoxicating drink, sugar is added to it during production and is also frozen several times. Thus, the higher the strength of the beer, the more calories it contains. Therefore, knowledge of how much alcohol a drunk drink contains is very important for those who are watching their figure.

It is worth noting that weight gain after drinking beer is influenced not only by sugar, but also by phytohormones. These are compounds that are structurally reminiscent of estrogens, female sex hormones. If they enter the body in uncontrolled quantities (and beer is often drunk in liters), they negatively affect the endocrine system, which leads to weight gain.

In men, phytohormones inhibit the synthesis of male sex hormones in favor of estrogens, in women - vice versa. As a result, the male body begins to develop according to the female type (the hips widen, the breasts enlarge), while the woman’s voice becomes rougher and facial hair begins to grow.

Nonalcoholic beer

Despite its name, non-alcoholic beer does contain alcohol: its content ranges from 0.15 to 1.5%. The intoxicating drink retains its smell, but the taste changes slightly, which is why it is not in particular demand among beer lovers.

The technology for making beer without alcohol differs little from the classical one. The only caveat: the fermentation process is stopped at the initial stage of alcohol formation. There is another method by which you can get a drink with a minimum amount of ethanol. To do this, the manufacturer uses various tricks to reduce the alcohol concentration in beer that was made according to the classic recipe. This drink is more expensive due to more complex preparation technology.

Despite the low amount of alcohol, you should not get carried away with beer. Although it is very difficult to get drunk from it, the drink can provoke the development of many pathological processes in the body. Moreover, we are talking not only about phytohormones, but also about other components, which increase the load on the liver, kidneys, and heart. To reduce the amount of foam, many drinks contain cobalt, which can cause problems in the gastrointestinal tract.

Like any drink that contains alcohol, non-alcoholic beer should not be consumed by children, pregnant women, or nursing mothers. Doctors do not recommend the intoxicating drink for people with stomach upsets and other problems with the digestive system.

Strong beers

To prepare classic varieties, ordinary yeast is used, which retains its vitality if the strength does not exceed 5%. Therefore, for strong drinks, special, more expensive strains of yeast are used, which is why beer costs more.

The technology for preparing a strong variety is somewhat different from the classic one. Not only is sugar and some other components necessary for its production added to the composition, but the process itself involves repeated freezing, which allows liquid to be removed from the beer.

An example of a very strong variety of intoxicating drink is “Samuel Adams” (USA), whose strength is 26%, as well as “Dave” - 29%. Their preparation uses the same yeast as for champagne. A stronger drink is produced in Scotland under the name “Tactical Nuclear Penguin”: it contains 32% alcohol. To prepare it, the resulting product, after deep freezing, is infused for some time in whiskey barrels.

But this variety is not the strongest beer. This is considered the intoxicating drink "Armageddon", released by the Scots, whose strength is 65%, and the bottle itself with a capacity of 0.33 liters at the time of release in 2012 cost just over $100 (80 pounds). The drink is characterized by a viscous consistency and tastes like strongly brewed loose leaf tea. Beer lovers claim that despite the number of degrees in it, the drink retains its hoppy taste (very bitter with a sweet aftertaste), and there is not even a hint of the harshness that whiskey or tequila has.

The dangers of beer alcoholism

Whatever the strength of the beer, you should not get carried away with the intoxicating drink. Beer alcoholism ranks first in the world, leaving addiction to vodka far behind. This is due to the fact that many people do not consider the intoxicating drink, due to its low ethanol content, as hazardous to health, and therefore drink it in bottles. It often happens that starting with a low-alcohol variety, people gradually move on to stronger intoxicating drinks.

Few people know that one and a half liters of classic beer contains the same amount of ethanol as fifty grams of vodka. Moreover, thanks to the carbon dioxide included in the composition, the intoxicating drink enters the bloodstream much faster than stronger alcohol.

At the same time, the body does not care what kind of drink ethanol entered the body in or how much water it was diluted with. If ten grams of pure alcohol enters the blood, it will react accordingly. And the harm to internal organs will be no less, and in the case of beer, even greater due to the various components included in its composition (flavors, preservatives) that can cause harm to health.

The danger of an intoxicating drink lies in the fact that, unlike vodka, the use of which they usually try to limit, many people drink beer without fear every day, especially in the summer. Because of this, after some time a person becomes dependent on alcohol, when a person cannot live even a day without beer, and after a while an alcohol addict is able to switch to vodka.