In equal equivalent amounts of pure alcohol the intoxication is the same. When going from beer to liquor I was able to much more effectively give my body more alcohol easily. Toward the end beer frustrated me because I could not get the desired amount of alcohol in my system. There is also the differences in things like the amount of simple sugars contained, carbonation and the theory of quickness to the bloodstream, etc. That being said an alcoholic craves alcoholic.