Is there a difference between beer and hard liquor? You bet your brewsky!

Beer and hard liquor are not the same, despite what the liquor lobby may be telling you. For example, a standard Scotch on the rocks is equal to 1.5 beers, a Piña Colada has the alcohol content of more than two beers and a Long Island Iced Tea contains as much alcohol as five to six beers.

When consumers purchase a bottle of beer, they are buying a finished product with a set alcohol content. But hard liquor is a concentrated product whose alcohol content can vary at different times depending on whether or not it’s mixed with other beverages, or whether or not the bartender uses a “jigger” to measure. The truth is, when being served a liquor drink it can be hard to know how much you're actually getting, but it’s probably more than the 1.5 oz. recommended serving size.

The government has recognized the difference between the two products since early colonial times by taxing beer at a lower rate. The prohibition on beer was lifted eight months before it was repealed on other products. In fact, many states still distribute beer and liquor differently, requiring liquor to be purchased at a special “package or state store” instead of a grocery or convenience store. 

According to a recent poll conducted by the Center for Government Reform, the majority of Americans agree that it is harder to control the amount of alcohol you consume if you are drinking hard liquor rather than beer or wine.

While some groups will try to tell you otherwise, Americans are not easily fooled by the “a drink is a drink” theory. The poll also found that more than half of adult beverage consumers recognize that a drink is not a drink because liquor is more potent and can be consumed more quickly.

Further, nearly 9 in 10 parents and 87% of Americans polled say teaching young people that “a drink is a drink” is a bad idea because liquor is much worse than beer.

But regardless of what beverage you choose to consume, please do so responsibly and in moderation. Never drive drunk, and remember, if you’re under 21 drinking is against the law.

For more information on the differences between beer and liquor:

Do Cocktails Make You Fat? Read What Forbes Thinks.

Center for Government Reform Poll Executive Summary

Center for Government Reform Poll Survey Results

UPI: Former NY Attorney General Dennis Vacco pens, “Just Say No To Equivalency”

Iowa State Daily: Study Shows Students Overdo Standard Drink

Talking Points: Why Beer is Different Than Liquor ( NBWA Members Only)