This article deals with alcoholic (ethanol containing) beverages, namely, beers, wines, and spirits. Beers are alcoholic beverages brewed from germinated barley (malt), hops, yeast, and water. Wines are alcoholic beverages obtained from the alcoholic fermentation of fresh grapes, but other fruits as well as certain grains, such as rice, are also used. Spirits includes all distilled spirituous beverages containing 15% or more of alcohol and are derived from grain (e.g., corn, barley, rye, and wheat), tubers (e.g., potato), fruit (e.g., grapes and berries), or sugar cane. The basic production of these products is described and a number of potential health concerns are identified. However, the greatest concern for health is the alcohol content itself, which poses major public health problems in many countries.