Alcohol by Volume (ABV) indicates the percentage of pure alcohol, or ethanol, contained within a beverage. A 4.7% ABV concentration means 4.7% of its total volume is pure alcohol. This is a moderate amount, sitting at the low end of the typical range for mainstream beers, which often fall between 4% and 6% ABV. Whether 4.7% alcohol is “a lot” depends entirely on the container size and the rate of consumption, as the percentage is only a starting point for understanding the drink’s effect on the body.
Translating 4.7% into a Standard Drink
The most accurate way to quantify the strength of a 4.7% ABV beverage is by converting it into the measurement known as a “standard drink” in the United States. A standard drink is defined as any beverage that contains 0.6 ounces of pure ethanol. This unit allows for a direct comparison between different types of alcohol, regardless of their concentration or serving size.
A typical 12-ounce serving of a 4.7% ABV beverage contains approximately 0.564 ounces of pure alcohol. This volume is very close to the 0.6 ounces of ethanol that defines one standard drink. Therefore, a single 12-ounce can or bottle of a 4.7% ABV beverage is considered almost exactly one standard drink.
Comparing this to other common alcoholic beverages highlights the lower concentration of beer. A standard 5-ounce serving of wine must have an ABV of about 12% to contain 0.6 ounces of pure alcohol. Distilled spirits, usually around 40% ABV, require only a 1.5-ounce serving to equal one standard drink. Although 4.7% is a low percentage compared to wine or liquor, a 12-ounce serving delivers the same amount of alcohol to the body as a single shot of liquor or a small glass of wine.
Personal Factors Determining the Effects of 4.7% Alcohol
Although a 4.7% beverage in a 12-ounce serving is defined as one standard drink, the subjective feeling of intoxication varies widely based on individual physiology. The rate at which the body absorbs alcohol into the bloodstream is influenced by several personal factors, including a person’s body weight and overall body composition.
Individuals with greater body mass and higher water content dilute the alcohol across a larger volume, resulting in a less intense initial effect. Biological sex introduces differences because women generally have lower body water content and lower levels of the enzyme alcohol dehydrogenase, which breaks down alcohol in the stomach. These distinctions mean a 4.7% ABV drink may produce a higher blood alcohol concentration (BAC) in a woman compared to a man of the same weight.
Whether the drink is consumed on an empty stomach is another variable. When food is present, especially fats and proteins, it slows the rate at which alcohol moves from the stomach into the small intestine, where it is rapidly absorbed. This slower absorption delays the peak concentration of alcohol in the blood. The speed of consumption is also a factor; a 4.7% drink consumed quickly does not give the body enough time to metabolize the alcohol before full absorption, leading to a faster onset of effects.
How 4.7% Alcohol Affects Blood Alcohol Content (BAC)
The cumulative effect of drinking multiple 4.7% ABV standard drinks is measured by Blood Alcohol Content (BAC), which is the percentage of alcohol in the bloodstream. BAC is the metric used to determine legal impairment and is separate from the subjective feeling of intoxication. For every standard drink consumed, an average person’s BAC typically rises by approximately 0.02%.
The body metabolizes alcohol at a relatively fixed rate, averaging about one standard drink per hour. If a person consumes 4.7% ABV beverages faster than this rate, their BAC will continue to rise. For most adults, it takes about four to five standard drinks consumed within a couple of hours to reach the US legal limit for driving impairment, which is 0.08% BAC.
For smaller individuals or women, fewer than four 4.7% drinks may be needed to reach the 0.08% threshold due to physiological differences in body water and enzyme activity. Even before reaching the legal limit, a BAC of 0.02% can begin to impair judgment and visual function. While a single 4.7% ABV beverage is not high-concentration, consuming several in a short period will progressively accumulate to measurable impairment.