Alcohol By Weight

alcohol by weight. (ael'-kuh-holh bay weit')

    A measurement of the alcohol content of a solution in terms of the percentage weight of alcohol per volume of beer. (Example: 3.2 percent alcohol by weight equals 3.2 grams of alcohol per 100 centiliters of beer.) The percent of alcohol by weight figure is approximately 20 percent lower than the alcohol by volume figure because alcohol weighs less than its equivalent volume of water. Abbrev: w/v.