26 April, 2020

Volume #AtoZChallenge

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.)

6 comments:

  1. 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

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    1. I 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.

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  2. I didn't know about that aspect of beer in China and Vietnam. Interesting.
    Here 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.

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    1. 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.

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  3. I'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.

    I'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.

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    1. 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.

      I 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.

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