Updated June 2026.
A 12-ounce beer at 5% ABV and a 5-ounce glass of wine at 12% ABV hold the same amount of alcohol: one US standard drink, about 14 grams. Beer is not automatically weaker. A 12-ounce 8% IPA has more alcohol than a 5-ounce 12% wine. A 9-ounce restaurant wine pour at 14% has more alcohol than a 12-ounce 4.2% light beer.
Compare ethanol, not glass height.
Same drink, different glass
| Beverage | Pour | Typical ABV | Std drinks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Regular beer (NIAAA) | 12 oz | 5% | 1.00 |
| Light beer | 12 oz | 4.2% | 0.84 |
| Craft IPA example | 12 oz | 7% | 1.40 |
| Imperial stout example | 12 oz | 10% | 2.00 |
| Malt liquor / hard seltzer band | 8–10 oz | ~7% | ~1.0 |
| Table wine (NIAAA) | 5 oz | 12% | 1.00 |
| Bigger wine pour | 6 oz | 12% | 1.20 |
| High-alcohol red | 5 oz | 14.5% | 1.21 |
| Fortified wine (NIAAA) | 3.5 oz | ~17% | ~1.0 |
| 80-proof spirits | 1.5 oz | 40% | 1.00 |
Formula: (fl oz × ABV) ÷ 0.6 = standard drinks. Twelve ounces of 5% beer = 0.60 ounces of alcohol. Five ounces of 12% wine = 0.60 ounces of alcohol. That is the whole trick. See beers vs a vodka shot and champagne.
Ranges, not stereotypes
US light lagers often sit near 4.0–4.2% (check the can: brands differ). Regular lagers cluster around 4.5–5.5%. Modern craft beer routinely runs 6–10%+. Session beers can drop under 4%. Wine labels in the US commonly read 11–14.5% for table wine; TTB allows a small labeling tolerance, so the printed ABV is the legal statement, not a lab printout you can ignore. Fortified wine (port, sherry, some vermouth) is a different class — NIAAA shows 3–4 ounces at about 17% as one drink.
Calories are not the same as alcohol. A sweet 5% beer can out-calorie a dry 12% wine while matching ethanol, or the reverse. This page is ABV and pour size.
A bottle is not a glass
A 750 mL wine bottle at 12% is about five standard drinks. A six-pack of 12-ounce 5% beer is six drinks. A six-pack of 8% IPA is 9.6 drinks. People “switch to beer to slow down” and then drink pints of 7% IPA. The switch only works if the ounces × ABV actually fall.
Legal driving is still 0.08% BAC in most states (0.05% in Utah) whether the drinks were beer or wine. Four drinks in about two hours is NIAAA binge drinking for women; five for men. That is a health definition, not a last call.
Worked examples
A 16-ounce pint of 7% IPA: 16 × 0.07 ÷ 0.6 = 1.87 standard drinks. A 5-ounce pour of 13% pinot: 5 × 0.13 ÷ 0.6 = 1.08 drinks. The pint wins. A 12-ounce 4.2% light beer: 0.84 drinks. A 6-ounce restaurant pour of 14.5% zinfandel: 1.45 drinks. The wine wins. Fortified wine at 18% in a 5-ounce “wine” glass is 1.5 drinks — that is why NIAAA shrinks the fortified pour to 3–4 ounces.
Bottle math: 750 mL of 12% wine ≈ 5.1 drinks. Six 12-ounce 5% beers = 6 drinks. Six 12-ounce 8% IPAs = 9.6 drinks. If you “switch to wine to be classy” and finish the bottle, you did not slow down.
Sources
- NIAAA, “What Is a Standard Drink?” (December 2025 update): 12 oz 5% beer; 5 oz 12% wine; 1.5 oz 40% spirits; fortified-wine and malt-liquor bands on the same graphic.
- CDC standard drink sizes.
- TTB wine and malt-beverage alcohol labeling.