Would you be surprised to go to any brewery's website and NOT find the ABVs posted for each beer in their repertoire? I would. And I was doubly surprised to see that Surly does not post the ABV for any of its beers. With their exceptional reputation and their fabulous range of beers, I would think they would want people to be as knowledegable about its products as possible. My simple opinion is that the ABV belongs on any brewery's website. Surly is really doing a disservice their loyal drinkers and potential converts alike by not posting them. I would not have expected this from one of the leaders in the craft beer movement. What do you suppose their reasoning is for this decision?
New Glarus doesn't give out ABV on their beers either, as they don't want that to be the focus of their beers. I would assume Surly doesn't list it for similar reasons. Styles are usually a pretty good indicator as to alcohol content anyway. I don't think it matters that ABV is not on the website anyway. It's on the cans, on the menu at the brewery, and I'm sure it's on the kegs for draft accounts. Unless you have found a way to drink the website, it doesn't really matter.
I'm way more surprised when I buy a bottle that doesn't list the ABV. On the website, I don't think it really matters. I'm not going to look at their description of the beer and go "oh damn, that's 4%.. better not buy it". IMHO, ABV is one of the least important things to consider when you're looking for a beer.
I believe more info is better. Besides, it's not on the cans. I know it's not on the Fest cans, for sure. Not knowing the ABV of a beer you're thinking about buying is like buying gas for your car without knowing its octane. It matters.
I beg to differ. ABV is integral to the overall profile of a beer. Maybe in your own mind AVB isn't important enough to use as a criteria for buying a beer, but you'd be in the minority, aficionado or not. Would you put 87 octane gas in a high performance engine? ABV is a standard by which we judge a product. Whether it's high or low isn't necessarily what's most important. What's important is that people have the information they need to buy what suits their own tastes. An example. I would not spend $25 on a bottle of Surly Darkness if I knew its ABV was below six. I need a little more bang for my buck than that. Again, ABV is one criteria for selecting, and it's at least as important as specific gravity, color, or IBU.
This sounds off to me. If Darkness was 2% abv I'd still drink it (if not more) since all that matters is that it's delicious (which it absolutely is). I guess if abv mattered to me I'd just drink vodka or something.
Do you only ride in a Limousine by Chauffeur? Maybe you pull up to the pump and put a blindfold on before you select your Octane? Do gasoline stations in Wisconsin not post the Octane ratings on the pumps?.... maybe just 'Good, Better, Best'? Very intrigued...
I gotta agree with @RexInMinn here. Abv is an important dimension of the beer. Using the surly darkness example... It would simply not be possible for darkness to have the flavor it does at 2% or even 6%. While og and fg would be better data, the abv gives us some indication of how much malt and body a beer will have (which translates to flavor and mouthfeel). For example, if you were to buy an imperial stout that was <8%, it is likely to have less body and flavor then one that is 10%. On the opposite end of the spectrum, if you pick something up that is >15%, that number will give you you the info that the body is likely huge, the flavor is likely on the sweeter side of things, and there is a good chance it will be boozy and have a higher price tag. This comes in handy when considering a beers such as tyranena's bgw series. Most of the imp stouts/porters in this series are ~7.5%, at 10 bucks per four pack, you know you are getting a less malty and a thinner (albeit tasty) stout than if you were picking up a bottle of darkness, but at a great value. If these 4packs cost the same as say bcbs, there's a good chance that they would not sell at all. I use the bgw example because they don't list abv on the bottles.
