In a case-control study of adult acute leukemia we defined alcohol intake as either non-regular (<1 drink per week), light (1-5 drinks per week), moderate (6-8 drinks per week) or heavy (>8 drinks per week). An inverse association was found for light and moderate beer intake (RR = 0.58; 95% CI: 0.44, 0.76). In contrast, a positive association was found for moderate and heavy wine intake (RR = 2.1; 95% CI: 1.2, 3.8). Divergent results might reflect the effect of different nutrients in beer and wine, unmeasured confounding, or differing impacts of selection bias on these associations.