My beer fermented at 70-73 for a week

My American IPA kit fermented 70-73 degrees for 7 days. I took my first gravity reading today and it was spot on 1.016. When I tasted it I knew I had close to what I wanted. I was amazed that I created something that I can drink and not die from . The finish was a bit alcohol strong, if that makes sense. I was worried because the temperature got up to 79-80 degrees after 24 hours of fermentation. This lasted 1-3 hours before getting it back down to 72. After that the beer has stayed around 72-73. Will that alcohol taste go away with time or did I ferment too high?

Yes it will go away, and I'll bet it will be awesome. Hot fermentation can add those hot fusel alcohol flavors but they diminish over time. I usually try and keep my ferments below 66ish, around 64, but it also depends on the yeast strain. It works, just takes a bit loner to tame the beer after a hot ferment. (Belgians like heat on the other hand, but thats another story).

Thanks for the reassurance. Looking at what you currently have going on, I am impressed. At the moment I'm drinking a Fox Barrel Cider and I enjoy perry cider. Lambics and Framboise are also something I want to brew. Would you suggest brewing "normal" beer for awhile or jumping right into other tastes I love?

I think at least getting a few more straight forward brews under your belt will build confidence, but there is such a wealth of information here you can get all the details and follow them and succeed at almost anything you want to... I've heard of people starting off All Grain and having excellent success, its your call, do what you think will be fun, and you'll love it.