Three experimental conditions were investigated: consumption of one bottle of light beer within 2 hours after a meal; consumption of two bottles of beer in the morning after an overnight fast; and consumption of two bottles of beer at lunchtime together with a meal. The average peak blood alcohol concentration (BAC) was 8 milligrams(mg)/milliter(ml) after consumption of 1 bottle of a light beer, and the ethanol was eliminated from the blood within 60-90 minutes (min). The average BAC after drinking 2 bottles of beer containing either 3.0 percent or 3.6 percent ethanol on an empty stomach were 32 mg/ml and 37 mg/ml, respectively. When the same 2 beers were consumed together with a meal, the peak BAC was 24 mg/ml and 28 mg/ml, respectively. The peak BAC occurred earlier when beer was ingested with food; mean 32 min compared with 41 min with an empty stomach. The rate of disappearance of alcohol from blood was 12 mg/100 ml/hour(hr) in the fed stage and 15 mg/ml/hr in the fasting stage. The apparent volume of distribution of ethanol was 0.65 liter(l)/kilograms (kg) for the empty stomach, but exceeded unity when the beer was ingested with food. The results show that part of the alcohol in beer ingested with a meal does not reach systemic circulation. 4 figures, 2 tables, and 29 references (Author abstract modified)