Craft beer is awesome because it tastes great (most of the time) and comes in many flavors and varieties. Essentially, there is something for everyone. Furthermore, the alcohol percentage differs with each beer. Therefore, these are beers that are not meant to be consumed as fast as others. But if it’s tasty, it’s hard to resist gulping down a cool 8% tangerine IPA. So how do you know exactly how much you are drinking?

Craft Beer, Regular Beer, and DUI

The best way is to compare your beer to a standard serving of beer. Usually, we drink beer in 12 ounce servings. Most beer is around 5% alcohol. Therefore, if you drink 12 ounces of a 9% imperial ale, you are nearly doubling the amount of alcohol.

Besides chemical testing, there’s not an exact science to figuring out your BAC. However, by comparing what you normally drink, you can at least figure out if you are having more or less alcohol. For example, you usually drink two 5% beers in one hour. Now at a craft brewery, you sip one 10% beer in two hours. The servings size for the 5% and 10% beers are both 12 ounces. Likely, you’re BAC is relatively the same.

Estimating Your BAC

Many craft beer websites and breweries have calculators that let you roughly figure out your BAC. Generally, they ask for your fluid ounces consumed, percent alcohol, weight, and hours drinking. The result is a BAC percentage and explanation of your legal ability to drive. Some brewery calculators are more detailed and allow you to input the type of beers that you drank.

Craft Beer and BAC Calculators

Remember, these calculators are not perfect. The only sure way to know your true BAC is through a breath or blood test. However, they are useful tools that allow you to drink craft beer and understand how much alcohol you are consuming. Still best to be safe than sorry. So don’t risk it. Get home.