Beer alcohol content

How many standard drinks are in beer?

Beer serving size and ABV both matter. A larger or stronger beer can contain far more alcohol than a familiar-looking can or glass suggests.

Quick example: a 355 mL beer at 5% ABV contains about 14 g of pure alcohol—approximately one US standard drink.

Examples by beer size and strength

Container and ABVPure alcoholUS drinks (14 g)Australia (10 g)UK units (8 g)
355 mL at 5%14.0 g1.01.41.7
375 mL at 4.8%14.2 g1.01.41.8
568 mL at 4%17.9 g1.31.82.2
473 mL at 7%26.1 g1.92.63.3

Why “a beer” is not a fixed amount

Beer can range from low-alcohol products to strong craft styles, and cans, bottles, pints, and pitchers are different volumes. The product label is the best input for an alcohol-content estimate.

Country references also differ. Learn how the 14 g US, 10 g Australian, and 8 g UK references compare on the alcohol units by country page.

Calculate a label-based result

Use the standard drinks per container calculator for any beer can, bottle, or pint. If you use UK labels, the UK alcohol units calculator shows the UK-unit total directly.