Beer style beer differently. Since sugars are converted to alcohol during the process of fermentation, gravity can be used to estimate the final alcohol. In beer brewing, a distinction is made between the "original gravity", the gravity of the wort before fermentation has begun, and the "final gravity" of the product when fermentation has completed. Since the concentration of sugars is directly proportional to the gravity, the original gravity gives a brewer an idea of the potential alcoholic strength of the final product. After fermentation, the differences between the final and original gravities indicates the amount of sugar converted into alcohol, allowing
Alcohol in New Zealand Alcohol in New Zealand Alcohol has been consumed in New Zealand since the arrival of European settlers. The most popular alcoholic beverages are beer and wine. New Zealand has no minimum consumption age for alcohol, however the minimum purchase age is 18. There is no oral tradition or archaeological evidence of Māori brewing beer before the arrival of Europeans. Major ingredients of beer were not introduced to New Zealand until Europeans arrived in the late-18th century. Captain James Cook brewed a beer flavoured with local spruce tree needles while visiting New Zealand in 1773 in order to combat scurvy aboard