It's not always about the alcohol

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I find that I do not need to brew the high gravity beers because everyone else in the Homebrew club does.................So i drink theres and then happily quaff away my 3.8-6% beers.
 
I love high gravity beers!I love getting a buzz too.Don't like being completely sh!itfaced.But I think anyone who says they don't wanna get a buzz from their beer is full of it.
EDIT:and no.I don't drink any hard liquor anymore.
 
I love high gravity beers!I love getting a buzz too.Don't like being completely sh!itfaced.But I think anyone who says they don't wanna get a buzz from their beer is full of it.
EDIT:and no.I don't drink any hard liquor anymore.

Did you read the title of the thread (It's not ALWAYS about the alcohol.) Or any of the posts yet? :)
 
I love high gravity beers!I love getting a buzz too.Don't like being completely sh!itfaced.But I think anyone who says they don't wanna get a buzz from their beer is full of it.
EDIT:and no.I don't drink any hard liquor anymore.

Well I guess I'm full of it then. :confused:
 
I like brewing big beers because it's fun, it's a challenge and it allows you to create unique flavors that wouldn't really be present in a 5% beer.
 
I find that in the colder months I prefer a darker brews, with more ABV in it (I love a good Porter in late Fall). When early spring gets her, I drop down to Bocks and Browns, and as it moves to the summer I find myself brewing Kolschs and Wits. My Three Wheat Wit I just got finished brewing and is in the fermentor should hit about 4.5% ABV. The summer heat just screams for a lower ABV brew IMO.

Of course, my Kolsch hit 5.86% and the Irish Red in the keg aging hit 5.99% - so sometimes good efficiency just gets the best of you unexpectantly :)

Dan
 
I didn't mean to imply that I don't like the big, overhopped IPAs! I do- IPAs are my favorite style. I can make one, though, that is just as good as a "bigger" one but less alcohol, so I can have more than a couple. My DFH clone, though, just isn't very good without a big malt backbone, so I usually make that one at 7% ABV or so.

It's been at least 20 years, though, since I said, "Oooh, wow- a very high ABV drink! I can only drink three and get my buzz on!". I'm more likely now to say, "Oh, great beer! I wish it wasn't 8% ABV, so I could have a couple of them!"
 
...."tits on a boar hog" as my grandfather would say. (meaning completely unnecessary)

One of the best grandfather lines!!!! Hilarious! My grandfather always says that manhattans or martinis are like breasts....one's not enough and three's too many!

Sorry to hijack. I agree with most of what has been said...I am all about balance and there's a time and a place for most things. Beer included. The extra alcohol can be a nice bonus, but it can also take away from the experience.
 
I usually shoot for around 6%. That way I can have one or two a night and not be wasted. I do like to have some some stronger ones on hand but drinking those is definitely in the minority of times. :mug:
 
The problem with session beers, is I drink them too quickly. To go through all the work to brew, I'd rather brew an 7.5% beer and enjoy a couple, then drink 4-5 session beers. I might step up to 10 gallon batches so I dont feel so bad about killing 5 gallons of session beer so quickly.
 
Yea I started brewing not to long ago and that definitely was my original mind set. I'm doing my 5th batch today and I spent more time on this recipe making sure the ingredients are cohesive instead of what I can get my alcohol % at. My first couple brews I was just In the mindset of how much alcohol can I get out of this beer. Excellent post. I'm sure many new brewers have thought the same way as us. Great post
 
I usually brew 5.5-6.5% beers, mostly toward the lower end of that range. I do some bigger beers, but they are more special occasion beers and I do not drink those all the time. I always try to have some of the 5.5% brews around for the after work beers. Enough alcohol to feel it but not so much that I get really loaded.
 
Wow this thread came back from the dead!

I had the same "epiphany" a few batches into my brewing life. I was buying kits from northern brewer but kept thinking that I wanted to experiment, and experiment meant more alcohol! Just dump a couple extra lbs of DME or honey or whatever in there with an extra ounce of hops and instant booze boost. The beer wasn't bad but there was always this sensation of "hmm, this stuff is strong" before "hmm, this stuff is good!". I still like the occasional giant porter or IIPA...but it's just as fun to share a "regular" beer with friends and family and to hear them exclaim "Hey, this tastes just like _______, only better!"
 
I just read the entire thread without knowing it originated a couple years ago. I wonder if the OP is still buzzed? haha
 
I just read the entire thread without knowing it originated a couple years ago. I wonder if the OP is still buzzed? haha

Nope, not yet anyway. I haven't brewed in a couple of years (sort of miss it, but just don't have time).

But still drinking it. :D
 
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