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Alcohol Percentage in Beer by State 2024
Each state sets its own limit to the alcohol content of beer sold within the state. The alcohol by volume (ABV) is above the 0.5% threshold to be federally recognized as “beer,” but some states have maximums on the ABV of beer.
States With Low Percentage Alcohol By Volume
Utah and Colorado both limit beer to 4% alcohol by volume. This does not necessarily represent the strength of the beer itself but the label that sold it within the state. There are many ways to go about determining the average percentage of alcohol content in beer, as those who are drinking do not necessarily consume the same product that is being sold by the market. For example, Ohio produces some of the strongest beer in the country but exports it to other states and sometimes at an international level. Interestingly enough, Ohio does not find itself in the top five states of alcohol by label, meaning it is brewing strong beer that is mostly enjoyed outside the state.
States With High Percentage Alcohol By Volume
On the other end of the spectrum, beer in Vermont is able to contain up to 16% alcohol by volume. North Carolina (15%), South Dakota (14%), and Georgia (14%) all have high levels of alcohol by volume.
Furthermore, the demand for strong beer is palpable, as many Californian breweries focus on creating a vast variety of products for sale to their local and national customer base. This presents the unique result of consuming and producing beer with high alcohol content.
Do Alcohol By Volume Laws Affect Consumption?
More research is necessary to determine whether the state's rules and regulations affect the strength of the beer consumed. As with any data, outliers are plentiful, which can drastically change the data. Generally speaking, most consumers prefer an ABV in the single digits, with those looking for more specialty beer being a rare occurrence or just an isolated instance in determining the data.
Culture has a huge implication, as seen in the example of Utah. Utah is known for having some strict religious societies, which often do not allow the consumption of alcohol, making it the state with the least desire to consume strong alcohol. In fact, Utah is tied for the third lowest consumption of beer in gallons each year.
- Minimum and maximum alcoholic content values for beer are given in percentage alcohol by volume (ABV) or alcohol by weight (ABW).
- The alcohol percentage (ABW% or ABV%) in nationally distributed beers, from domestics to imports, does not change depending upon the state in which the beer is consumed. However, there are slight variances in the various states' official definitions of beer, and these may include guidelines about the product's ABV or ABW.
- Beer production totals are given in number of barrels, each equating to 31 gallons of beer.
State | Min. Alcohol % (ABV) | Max. Alcohol % (ABV) | Alcohol % by Weight | Additional Details |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kentucky | 1% | 0% | 0% | |
| Vermont | 1% | 16% | 0% | 8% - 16% ABV is specialty beer |
| Ohio | 0% | 0% | 0% | 12% ABV is high-alcohol beer |
| Alabama | 0.5% | 13.9% | 0% | |
| Alaska | 0.5% | 0% | 0% | |
| Arizona | 0.5% | 0% | 0% | |
| California | 0.5% | 0% | 0% | |
| Colorado | 0.5% | 4% | 0% | |
| Connecticut | 0.5% | 0% | 0% | |
| Delaware | 0.5% | 0% | 0% | |
| Illinois | 0.5% | 0% | 0% | |
| Indiana | 0.5% | 0% | 0% | |
| Iowa | 0.5% | 6.3% | 0% | |
| Louisiana | 0.5% | 0% | 0% | Differentiates between beverages of low alcohol content (<6% ABV) and high alcohol content (>6% ABV) |
| Maine | 0.5% | 0% | 0% | |
| Massachusetts | 0.5% | 0% | 0% | Malt Beverages <12% ABW |
| Michigan | 0.5% | 0% | 0% | |
| Minnesota | 0.5% | 0% | 0% | Courts have said beer with 3.2% ABV must be labeled and is intoxicating |
| Missouri | 0.5% | 0% | 0% | Non-intoxicating beer is <3.2%ABV. In the case of beer with an ABV of more than 6%, no more than 1.5% of volume of beer may consist of alcohol derived from added flavors and other non-beverage ingredients containing alcohol |
| Nebraska | 0.5% | 0% | 0% | Flavored Malt Beverage <6% |
| Nevada | 0.5% | 0% | 0% | |
| New Jersey | 0.5% | 0% | 0% | |
| New Mexico | 0.5% | 0% | 0% | |
| North Carolina | 0.5% | 15% | 0% | >6% ABV beer must be labeled with content |
| North Dakota | 0.5% | 0% | 0% | |
| Oregon | 0.5% | 0% | 0% | Minimum is <6% for malt beverages |
| Pennsylvania | 0.5% | 0% | 0% | |
| Rhode Island | 0.5% | 0% | 0% | |
| South Dakota | 0.5% | 14% | 0% | |
| Texas | 0.5% | 0% | 0% | |
| Utah | 0.5% | 4% | 3.2% | >4% ABV is heavy beer |
| Virginia | 0.5% | 0% | 0% | |
| Washington | 0.5% | 0% | 0% | >8% is strong beer |
| West Virginia | 0.5% | 12% | 0% | |
| Wisconsin | 0.5% | 0% | 0% | |
| Wyoming | 0.5% | 0% | 0% | |
| Arkansas | 0% | 0% | 5% | |
| Florida | 0% | 6% | 0% | |
| Georgia | 0% | 14% | 0% | |
| Idaho | 0% | 6% | 0% | |
| Kansas | 0% | 0% | 3.2% | Grocery stores and gas stations may sell <3.20% ABW |
| Maryland | 0% | 6% | 0% | |
| Mississippi | 0% | 0% | 0% | |
| Montana | 0% | 0% | 0% | Malt beverage <8.75%, alcoholic beverage <14% |
| New Hampshire | 0% | 0% | 0% | Beer - N/A, flavored malt beverage <6% |
| New York | 0% | 0% | 0% | Advertising the alcoholic content of beer is prohibited |
| Oklahoma | 0% | 0% | 0% | 3.2% ABV beer declared to be intoxicating. <3.2% ABW definition was repealed by 2016 Okla. Sess. Law Serv. Ch. 366 (SB 383). Beer with ABV >4% may be sold but not refrigerated |
| South Carolina | 0% | 0% | 0% | 14% ABW Cap on beer |
| Tennessee | 0% | 0% | 0% | >8% ABW beer must be sold in liquor store |
- Beer Consumption in the US - Mapped
- List of Permittees - TTB Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau
- 2022 Quarterly Beer Sales Statistics - TTB Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau
- Definition of "Beer" in terms of ABV or ABW, by State - National Agricultural Law Center
- 2024 Quarterly Beer Sales Statistics - TTB Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau