Beer labels are often stacked with weird abbreviations and various numbers that mean almost nothing to an average beer lover. To help you navigate through this meta-language here are a few explanations.
ABV
This is the one that everyone knows. The acronym stands for Alcohol By Volume and is measured by a formula that takes into account the beer density before and after the fermentation process is finished. Four and five are the magic numbers here, since session beers usually land in the 4% or 5% ABV ballpark. But you already knew that.
10°, 11°, 12° ... °
This might be the most confusing one. Some people think it's a label printing mistake and that the 10° refers to the alcohol content, but somebody forgot to finish writing the percentage symbol. Others think it refers to the recommended drinking temperature. And yes, both are wrong.
The 10°, 11°, 12° or in some cases even 16° is called the Plato scale. Czech brewers love to use it and label their beers with it. The Plato scale shows the density of the beer wort; i.e. Staropramen 10° refers to a lighter session beer, while 12° is stronger because the wort is denser and more alcohol can be fermented due to a greater number of sugars released. The origins of the Plato scale date all the way back to 1843, when a Bohemian scientist Karl Balling came up with it at the same time as Simon Ack. And it was improved by a German called Fritz Plato. Plato helps the brewer compare the original beer recipe with the beer development before and after fermentation. This way liquid and alcohol level consistency is kept in check.
IBU
International Bitterness Unit gives the drinker the idea how bitter the beer is. Typically, lager beer falls somewhere in the 15-45 range, while brews like Double India Pale Ales can easily reach the 110 mark. However, some beer enthusiasts claim that such high bitterness cannot even be tasted.
EBC
Stands for European Brewery Convention. This rather boring name actually lets you know the colour of the beer. The higher the EBC is, the darker the beer colour is. This does not imply that darker beers are stronger - beer strength depends on many different factors. It is safe to say that EBC is more important to the brewer than the beer drinker.
