Labelling question

Not only is it not required to put the ABV on the label but as I understand it, listing the ABV on the beer labels was actually prohibited.
In some instances it probably is helpful to know the ABV, but it's ultimately not a dealbreaker.

Frankly, I have far more respect for brewers that don't make a big deal about the alcohol content.
Unfortunately, these days there seems to be a trend by many brewers of using ABV as a primary selling point. Even at my longtime favorite "craft" beer bar, I've lately heard some of the younger bartenders actually talk customers out of a beer they originally ordered. urging them instead towards another product for no other reason than it has more alcohol content.

 

A lot of labels do have ABV on it - so there isn't a rule banning it really. Don't know how it works, though.

I rather get an IPA with less alcohol than more - which is why I avoid some IPAs. Hell, it is why I love Berliner Weisses.

 

Its funny, I got my sister into craft beer many years ago, primarily on the idea that there was more alcohol content. (a draw for her at the time, not me)

But these days, the lower the ABV the better. Its actually something I look for in bars or the store. I also am annoyed when its not listed, as Im trying to avoid the higher percentages.

 

Well, it dates from the Repeal era, explained during the debate over the Federal Alcohol Administration Act:

As noted by @LuskusDelph above, until the mid-1990s it was generally illegal in the US to list ABV on the Federal level (except in states that required it).

After a lawsuit by Coors that went all the way to the Supreme Court, the law was changed to the current rule making it voluntary except where prohibited by state law:

So, some brewers may not want to use different labels, depending on state and other brewers may not have an accurate ABV measurement (or a beer's ABV may vary by batch), so they can't list the ABV to within the TTB's tolerance: