Alcohol bite to home brew.

My last two 5 gallon batches have been extract, higher gravity potions, also they were dry hopped. They were brewed per instruction and, chilled with immersion wort chiller, and put in a temperature controlled fermentation chest freezer for a few weeks before transferring to a keg. No secondary. They both came out to 8% or so.

My question is that when kegged, these beers did not have That certain alcohol bite a few months or so after it had been sitting in the keg. I know, temperature of fermentation, but that was ruled out. What could be causing this after it's been in its keg A few months?

There are two variables that I think maybe have something to do with it. First is that it is hard water in my area. The second it that any corn sugar required I have thrown in early in the boil rather than at the end. I have never read any issue with early addition of sugar so I just get it out of the way.

I don't have as much company as I used to so I drink mine slower and have had these two kegged for 5 months now. I noticed with one of them the bite faded but came back. Dunno. I'm kinda lost on this one....

Could any of these factors be causing this issue? Thanks

Could it be not enough time in the primary and conditioning time? My high gravity brews will be in the primary, no secondary, for four to six weeks. Amount of time depends upon when the boozy alcohol flavor mellows. Bottle condition for at least five weeks after that before the first taste test.

edit: Carbonation bite?

How much corn sugar is in the recipe for a 5 gallon batch? If it's more than a half pound or so, that might be the problem. Maybe it's always there, but you only notice it sometimes.

Possible that bite was from the hops? I have had commercial beers with that bite and lower ABV and have had high ABV beer that were smooth, so higher ABV by itself may not be the source of the bite.

I imagine it could be primary conditioning time. The beers do ask for over 1/2 of corn sugar, one required a pound plus I throw in the bottling sugar as well.

We home brewers that don't micro filter our beer into our kegs have some wiggle room available in both flavor and mouth feel. Our beverages are still very alive. I was thinking it was probably just me that seemed to notice a lot of alcohol bite one week, being completely replaced by a different sensation a week or ten days later. Of my few house recipe standard beers over time they do change, but it is a change I expect and will mostly count on based on my yeast selection, grain bill and fermentation temperature. So far I have produced two ales that were mediocre on brew day, and three months later each was spectacular in its own right. I am always willing to modify my chemistry to get a note of flavor I didn't have before.

I honestly think that a taste buds are responsible for more flavor varieties than we are willing to admit. There are too many things that can effect our taste from foods to various stresses ,. But that said enjoy and Identify what you taste! Dammit I need another beer and it is 200 am!