Do calories from alcohol really go right to your midsection?

Ah, the beer belly. Take a look around in any crowd of people and it's likely to be one of the most prominent physical features you see. Of course "beer bellies" aren't always caused by beer -- it's really just body fat from too many calories. But the question is: do some calories tend to layer fat on around the middle more than others, specifically calories from alcohol?

This is one of those questions that has different answers depending who you talk to, so big bummer that I don't have a straight yes or no. But I can say this: although they're not sure why, researchers have found that daily moderate drinkers (having about 1 drink per day) usually have less abdominal fat than binge drinkers (those who drink less frequently but have 4 or more drinks at a time). So go figure, another reason to have that nightly glass of wine.