As I was dropping an ice cube in my glass of beer the other day, I wondered if the ice changed the "ABV"% for my beer. That "alcohol by Volume" is a good standard gauge, and it's used worldwide.
In China, the cheap-crap wine I found had a higher Volume of alcohol than the "good" wines I drank in the States, but never left me with a headache in the morning. Awesome! The common beers in China had a lower Volume than the microbrews I typically favor. Which is good, because people drank them ALL the time.
In Vietnam, the typical beers everyone drinks, and pours over ice at every family gathering - and keeps pouring and pouring so that no one really knows how much they've been drinking - have low ABV.
We've started buying beer by the case. Only we're metric, so a case is 20 500ml bottles. (They have cases of 24 330ml cans, too.)
I have recently discovered that I can get three small glasses of beer out of one bottle, if I pour it into a small mug and put ice in it. It's not that I love beer so much, but we drink SO MUCH water - tropics, you know, it's necessary - that it's nice to break it up. And honestly, buying beer is cheaper than buying juice or soda.
I mentioned that I wondered how the ice affected the Volume of alcohol percentage, but I really don't care enough to look it up. I know that I'm not drinking too much when I water it down.
This subject loosely ties in to my "Covid-19" theme, as I keep seeing jokes on social media about how much more everyone is drinking now that we're not going anywhere: day-drinking, stress-drinking, virtual happy hours. I am not immune. I do feel like the "rules" about drinking no longer exist. But am I drinking more? If it's watered down? I don't know. I really don't care, either.
What about you? What has been your go-to beverage of choice while stuck at home? (Alcoholic or not.)
Fun fact about drinking so much beer in Vietnam! I drink a LOT of tea since I'm home. I have a full collection of black, white, and green teas, flavoured or not. The kettle is 1,5 liter, and I empty it twice or more per day ;) And France has not what you could define as a tropical climate... ;D
ReplyDeleteI do make a pot of herbal tea many days. Then I let it cool before drinking it. Again, it's more to break up the water than anything.
DeleteI didn't know about that aspect of beer in China and Vietnam. Interesting.
ReplyDeleteHere alcohol stores closed on the day lockdown began on March 25. It ends on May 3. I will have till then, because I don't generally stock up on it at home.
Otherwise, tea and coffee are the usual drinks here, other than of course water.
That's interesting that your alcohol stores are closed. I've seen jokes online that alcohol is considered an "essential item" for the lockdown. ;) Sales there are going up. Here, though there are some stores that specialize in alcohol sales, it is available at most corner stores, too.
DeleteI'm sure that could be figured out. Depending on the volume of ice melted and the volume of beer in the glass... I bet it's not that much of a change, though.
ReplyDeleteI'm drinking water. I don't do alcohol, and I only really drink juice when I'm feeling unwell. Milk with dinner, usually. And that's about it.
You're probably right: The ABV is probably not very different. But watering down and drinking by the glass instead of the bottle means I nurse one beer longer.
DeleteI can't get myself to drink milk anymore. I make sure to mix plain yogurt with fruit several times a week to get my calcium.