It's not always about the alcohol

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McKBrew

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My half buzzed post for today which goes contrary to what I'm doing right now. Probably should be posted somewhere else, but I think it's worth sharing with everyone.

The one thing that I think is probably the most important thing I learned once I had made a few batches. It's not always about the alcohol.

Many new brewers including myself started out thinking "hell yeah, I can brew beer and make it as strong as I want and get my buzz on!"

It didn't take me long to realize how far out there that line of thought was. Sure there is a time for the 10% Barleywine, or the 14% Imperial Stout. It's not always in the dead of winter on a cold day, although I think I drink more of my higher ABV beers in the winter.

But as I move on, I find myself wanting more of those session beers. The 4-5% wheats, pale ales, etc... I haven't made a mild or ordinary bitter yet, but it's on my list.

On a 74 degree day like today, the 6.5% red rye ale is good, but a bit much. On a warm day, it takes me a heck of a lot less beer to get to where I am now than if it were cold and rainy.

So what is the semi-buzzed point of this?

New Brewers.......

A great beer doesn't have to be loaded with alcohol. A great beer sometimes is the one that you can pour all day long and enjoy without seeing double.

And that is my Public Service Announcement for today.
 
I concur. I am drinking a Kolsh right now that is great. I little wheat, a little fruity, and nice and light. The dog and I can sit around and pant together.
 
My personal favorite - and best received by my freeloading, homebrew-swilling friends - was an Ordinary Bitter that came out around 3.7%.

I hit the flavor and the bittering pretty much perfectly to my taste. The extra alcohol would have just been "tits on a boar hog" as my grandfather would say. (meaning completely unnecessary)

Just my $0.02
 
You know, I LOVE beer. Love it. Love the smell, the taste, the aroma, the mouthfeel. At 135 pounds, if I drink more than about 3 "big" beers, I'm toasted. I don't want to drink BMC swill, though. So, I can make a 5% IPA that tastes great, and doesn't get me ripped. Even though I am capable of making a good barley wine, the vast majority of my beers weigh in between 4.8% and 6%. Because I can drink a "couple two tree" of them, and still have a family life. Having one while I'm out for a paddle (avid kayaker), or out in the boat, or while hiking, or enjoying the view at the lake, is awesome for me.

Maybe it's the whole "quality vs quantity" thing for me- I would rather have a couple of excellent beers than a case of swill to get me drunk. I'm about 99.9% over the getting drunk phase of my life. If I get a bit drunk now, it's purely by accident- it means I was enjoying some craft beers a bit too much!
 
I really try not to make anything about 6.25%. Just think of the money you save when you shoot for an IBU/SG ratio of 1.2+ that has a SG of 1.058 :)
 
I shoot for 5.5 to 6.5% ABV. I want it to taste good, smell good, go down good and give me a good buzz.

It's all about balance.

:rockin:
 
I like 6% plus, I'm a big guy and it takes a little alcohol to warm me up. When I don't feel like getting warmed up I drink ice tea. I've been lucky so far my beer tastes good and it does the job. Just kegged a tripel that tastes like beer flavored mouthwash 10.75 ABV
hopefully a couple months back in the closet will bring it around.
 
I want to see Yooper toasted... :)
Just kidding, I couldn't agree more with this post. I wish I could figure out a way to show this to my brother-in-law who does mr beer. He always adds corn sugar to everyone of his brews and doesnt ever use a hydrometer. So everytime I go to his house, I have a thin bodied, flat, sugarfest beer. I put on a happy face and smile as he goes "its like 8.5% abv". I have to say, its a slap in the face to me, and I dont know why. He has been a BMC past, and still is stuck on the lighter wheat beers, etc. Dont get me wrong, I love wheat beers, have over 50 of them bottled right now, but mine arent sugar watered piss. Anyways, this thread really hit me hard, and I had to get it off my chest.

P.S. Corona blows balls.
 
There's a time and place for beers of all levels of ABV, but low-gravity session ales always occupy a tap.

The BGSA I just bottled is 9.5% ABV, the historic porter around 6.5%....but my absolute favorite is March Brown Mild at 3.5% ABV that I whack back en masse. 'Bout the closest thing to a house ale of any beer that I brew.
 
I agree. I love beer. you can drink more of the session beers. I'm enjoying a lower grav blonde right now. The only issue is that some of those higher alcohol beers are extremely delicious
 
I'm sure my post clarifies it, but just to make sure. There ain't a damn thing wrong with Barleywines, IIPA's, Imperial Stouts, etc...

Maybe what I'm saying is that more alcohol doesn't necessarily mean more flavor. And I can drink more of them.....

Maybe I had too many today.....
 
A great beer doesn't have to be loaded with alcohol. A great beer sometimes is the one that you can pour all day long and enjoy without seeing double.

I disagree, a day without seeing double because of my homebrew is like a summer day without sunshine!


I'm blind in one eye. I can drink myself stupid and not see double.


That said, I agree with MckBrew. If the beer doesn't taste good and go down easy, who cares about the ABV???
 
I can't agree more. On memorial day we burned through a whole batch of this weird amber ale / cider hybrid that I brewed that was 7.3% ABV and VERY easy to drink. TOO easy. Three pints of it and I was done for. I wasn't the only one, there were a few people who needed rides home.

Now all I can think about is brewing a beer that I like, that I can drink a bunch of. I'll definitely be making that beer again, because it was delicious- but I'll be shooting for an OG in the 1.040's instead of 1.060.
 
I vary between the big IIPA's and the Amber and Scotch ales that sit in the 4-6% alcohol ranges. I also brew a couple mid level 5-6% IPA's. Some events you want to sip a beer and not be done for after a couple. I like my brews on Memorial Day, 4th of July, etc and to share with others.

At a recent Birthday Party for my son, a friend after having four of my home brews asked for my strong IIPA, after that he was done. All depends on who is drinking it, but I can't wait for my first Alpha to be ready to drink.
 
I rarely brew anything over 5.0%... usually between 3.5% and 4.75%. Alcohol is over-rated, beer is under-rated.
 
This is great. I usually only look at the ABV to see how much to drink before I really ought to stop. It's good to have an idea before you start. Also to see how different styles compare, and how different brewers make those styles.

For myself, I don't even know what my beers ABV is. If it tastes good, I drink it. From the Blonde I made this spring, to the IIPAs and Imperial Stouts. It's all about what I'm in the mood for at the time.

Getting a buzz is rarely an objective of mine.
 
I drink for taste, not affect. While I enjoy a high gravity beer on occasion I generally stick to my session beers. I prefer to be able to sit around with my friends and have a few without feeling full or getting tanked. I hate getting drunk. Nothin' wrong with a sustained buzz though.
 
I agree 100% with this post.
I calculate apprx the ABV of my beers so I have a number to tell people when they ask. Plus it's good to know which beers not do down real quick before you run to the store!, but if I'm just drinking a beer, I don't pay attention to the ABV so much. There are sometimes when I want a big beer with an alcohol burn, but generally I just want a nice Pale or Amber...(Self realization right there!) I need to brew more of these.
 
I completely agree that its quality not quantity, the quantity days are long gone. I have been drinking beer now for over thirty years but just recently started to brew my own (slow learner I guess). It is more of the taste and the adventure with brewing that I really enjoy after three or four weeks you get to taste your creation. I was in the military over in Germany for two years and right around Christmas would get a beer called Perminator, this stuff would knock you down quick, the first taste would be great but the finish was like a shot of straight whisky. Now I enjoy one to two beers at a time and life could not be tastier.
 
I agree 100% with this post.
I calculate apprx the ABV of my beers so I have a number to tell people when they ask. Plus it's good to know which beers not do down real quick before you run to the store!, but if I'm just drinking a beer, I don't pay attention to the ABV so much. There are sometimes when I want a big beer with an alcohol burn, but generally I just want a nice Pale or Amber...(Self realization right there!) I need to brew more of these.

I get request after request for more weizens. I love to oblige. It's a quick turnaround, low(ish) ABV and smooth as silk. Even my friends who chase high gravity beers consider a weizen (mine or not) the go-to "easy" beer. It's just something we all can hang out and enjoy without worrying about someone becoming "that guy". Those days are gone. Even when we're celebrating or mourning, no one gets drunk.

:mug:
 
The responses in this thread have given me hope that the session beer is still alive and well!

I'll admit - I get annoyed with the Bigger, Faster, Louder, More trend that seems to dominate the output of so many American craft breweries.
 
You know, I LOVE beer. Love it. Love the smell, the taste, the aroma, the mouthfeel. At 135 pounds, if I drink more than about 3 "big" beers, I'm toasted. I don't want to drink BMC swill, though. So, I can make a 5% IPA that tastes great, and doesn't get me ripped. Even though I am capable of making a good barley wine, the vast majority of my beers weigh in between 4.8% and 6%. Because I can drink a "couple two tree" of them, and still have a family life. Having one while I'm out for a paddle (avid kayaker), or out in the boat, or while hiking, or enjoying the view at the lake, is awesome for me.

Maybe it's the whole "quality vs quantity" thing for me- I would rather have a couple of excellent beers than a case of swill to get me drunk. I'm about 99.9% over the getting drunk phase of my life. If I get a bit drunk now, it's purely by accident- it means I was enjoying some craft beers a bit too much!

That is SO me... aside from the 135 lb thing (I'm happy to say that number is no longer exactly half my weight). But I'm all about enjoying a good beer and not "getting my buzz on." Although it certainly does happen from time to time for the same reason as you.
 
Agreed. Anyone who homebrews to just get loaded is doing it for the wrong reasons.
 
The responses in this thread have given me hope that the session beer is still alive and well!

I'll admit - I get annoyed with the Bigger, Faster, Louder, More trend that seems to dominate the output of so many American craft breweries.

I'm still convinced that IIPAs and other intentionally over-hopped beers are a fad. It's kinda like a frat boy saying how he LOVES to eat habeneros and thai chilis when all he's trying to do is impress his friends. And when he does, they join in on it too. Don't get me wrong I love hops, I just appreciate them more when they balance a beer and not over-power it.
 
I agree with the OP. I am on my second batch, and am still experimenting, but I am brewing more for flavor, and for a uniqueness. I think I am going to get a sick satisfaction out of asking my friends if they want a Vanilla Cream Ale or a PB/Choco Porter when they ask for a beer and watching them have an aneurysm trying to figure out what either of them will taste like. :D ABV is much less of a concern of mine than making something that you just can't buy at the store and having people tell me "Damn! You should sell this!"
 
Sure. We can all agree that craftsmanship and creativity take a front seat to alcohol content when we brew. And, I agree, these will always be at the goal of every true brewer. But, people are kidding themselves if they think that the passion to do what we love doing would be the same if there was no alcohol involved.
 
The responses in this thread have given me hope that the session beer is still alive and well!

I'll admit - I get annoyed with the Bigger, Faster, Louder, More trend that seems to dominate the output of so many American craft breweries.

I've tried a decent number of the popular names that come up on this forum often so that I know what people are talking about. I rarely bother looking for them any more for that same reason. Many of them are just too much of everything.

I've been messing around now for what seems like ever tweaking a bitter at 3.5% to 4%. It's more challenging to get it right with less than it is to make a malt monster and throw a ton of hops at it.
 
Agreed. Anyone who homebrews to just get loaded is doing it for the wrong reasons.

Agreed. If it's any consolation, they probably won't be doing it for long.

Homebrewing is WAY too much work if you're just looking to get loaded. You can buy airlock-quality vodka for cheaper than you could ever homebrew.



In the spirit of the thread, I generally shoot for 5 to 6.5% ABV depending upon style. My last few batches have been a dunkelweisen at 5%, a specialty lager at 6% and a hefeweisen at 5.5%. I also made a strawberry cider (It's Summer and there's fresh strawberries! Let's ferment them!) at upwards of 7%, but that's more of a specialty thing.

But it depends on the beer. I make a coffee stout that really needs to be closer to 9% in order for everything to balance and I've made a crisp pale ale at 4% that came out great.
 
...Many of them are just too much of everything....

I've been messing around now for what seems like ever tweaking a bitter at 3.5% to 4%. It's more challenging to get it right with less ....


Seems to me that perhaps beer is like food... excellence is often found in simplicity, where it is more easily observed.

So many flaws are covered over in thick layers of ingredients and sauce... or hops and alcohol.

So much is discovered when that is all reduced down to basics.
 
Seems to me that perhaps beer is like food... excellence is often found in simplicity, where it is easily observed.

So many flaws are covered over in thick layers of ingredients and sauce... or hops and alcohol.

So much is discovered when that is all reduced down to basics.

This is precisely why I'm not of beers that are heavy in hops, fruit, chocolate or malt. All that extra "stuff" takes away from the beer's native, natural flavors. don't get me wrong. I appreciate beer that have subtle flavors of the aforementioned additives, I just feel like some brews do it for the novelty.
 
I'm still convinced that IIPAs and other intentionally over-hopped beers are a fad.

Just 'cuz you don't like it doesn't make it a fad :) I enjoy lots of styles of beers, including big IPA's like Avery's Maharaja. That is a damn good beer, and I'll tell you the same if you ask me again in a few years.
 
Yeah, and those long-haired kids are gonna wise up eventually and grow out of listening to that Rock 'n' Roll music.

I still listen to rock, but as I got older my taste in beer has changed greatly. (I'm 53) When I was younger I would certainly chase the stronger brews. I used to get drunk a lot more often too! :cross:

I find that tastes in food and beer change over time. Music, however is only REALLY good when it's the stuff you listened to in your formative years.

Having said all that, the hop bombs and malt monsters will stick around, just the customers will change.
 
But, people are kidding themselves if they think that the passion to do what we love doing would be the same if there was no alcohol involved.
Yes I definitely agree, but it's not to a point where we put high alcohol content over quality nor is it the ONLY reason we do this.

This is precisely why I'm not of beers that are heavy in hops, fruit, chocolate or malt. All that extra "stuff" takes away from the beer's native, natural flavors. don't get me wrong. I appreciate beer that have subtle flavors of the aforementioned additives, I just feel like some brews do it for the novelty.
Last time I brewed the malt was pretty necessary :D But let's admit it, Novelty sells. The big brewers want you to see the bottle and think, hmm interesting. I need to try that. And of course homebrewers are going to add stuff like that because, well it's aprt of homebrewing, you can do anything you want with it.
 
I still like a hopped up IIPA always will

I don't drink my beer to get drunk I can do that faster and cheaper with a couple of Vodka's. I just like the taste of beer and if I get a pleasant little buzz from it all the better.
 
I used to be a wino. I was into all of the different regions, vinyards, grapes, methods, the nice high alcohol content and all that crap until one day, over a snotty bottle of wine at a friend's house, I was handed a simple, home brewed ESB and told to identify all of the flavors I could....from that day on I became a Homebrew Bum. I find it amazing how many different beers there are and what makes them unique. I can get a buzz on anywhere but can't find homebrew just anywhere.
 
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