Anyone else not big on big beers?

[elkdog]

I'm drinking (and thoroughly enjoying) a bomber of Arrogant Bastard at the moment, but as I drink it, I can't help but think that I wouldn't brew this one, because I wouldn't want 5 gallons of it on my hands. This sort of bigger, heavier beer is a once-in-a-while beer for me, and I find myself gravitating (heh) to session ales of late in terms of what I want to brew. If I want a stronger punch, well, I make apfelwein, and I love bourbon. Anyone else a fan of the sissy beers?

 

[Evan!]

No. I'm a fan of beers big and small. I've got a 1.047og special bitter on tap right now, I've also got a 15% abv imperial stout aging in bottles. So there's yer spread.

What exactly do you not like about high-gravity beers? Saying you don't like any high-grav beers is a bit like saying you don't like any fruit. To me, the only common element that high-grav beers have is that their alcohol content is higher. Past that, it's a panoply of variety. I've had high-grav beers I loved, and high-grav beers I hated. I just don't get what common characteristic would lead you to dismiss ALL high-grav beers with the same brush.

 

[david_42]

Most of my beers are on the small side. I like having brews around that can be enjoyed with a meal without any impairment. Session beers are also much more difficult to brew well, there is much less room for error.

I make an occasional barleywine, but I'm more inclined to meads for high gravities.

 

[Fingers]

I do pretty much nothing but smaller beers. I like to quaff many at a time but I don't want to get all sloppy and hung over. I shoot for around 4% ABV. I have to brew more, but that's not a bad thing.

 

[elkdog]

No. I'm a fan of beers big and small. I've got a 1.047og special bitter on tap right now, I've also got a 15% abv imperial stout aging in bottles. So there's yer spread.

What exactly do you not like about high-gravity beers? Saying you don't like any high-grav beers is a bit like saying you don't like any fruit. To me, the only common element that high-grav beers have is that their alcohol content is higher. Past that, it's a panoply of variety. I've had high-grav beers I loved, and high-grav beers I hated. I just don't get what common characteristic would lead you to dismiss ALL high-grav beers with the same brush.

Sorry if it sounded like I was dismissing them. I just don't have a taste for them in the quantities that homebrewing produces. I LOVE the occasional IIPA, RIS, and Arrogant Bastard is one of my favorite beers, but I don't think I'd drink them often enough to justify brewing them, especially the IIPA's that don't age terribly well. I think it's that they are so intense that they kind of wear out the palate. So it's not that I don't like them, but I don't mind buying them commercially when I get a hankering, and brewing something a bit more quaffable for my day-to-day beers.

BTW, a 15% stout is serious business. Is that the Mephistopheles? How viscous was that wort?

 

[Tankard]

I know what you mean. I love an occassional "sipping beer" like an imperial stout, but I want to brew beers that I can enjoy anytime, not just when I'm in the mood for it.

 

[boo boo]

All my beers are session beers. Anything under 6% is good for me.

 

[SteveM]

I like one that smacks you in the face, and my beers do that. To give you an idea, DFH60 is the only bottled beer I've bought for my own consumption in years. My own are generally similar - IPAs and AAs.

 

[BierMuncher]

I keep the 5% and lower on a steady rotation at the taps.

I have two oak aged IPA's 7.5% in the keezer, but they'll go to bottles for long term storage and the occasional "sipping" session.

The RIS (9%) is already in bottles and once every two weeks or so, I'll pull one out and make it last for 45-60 minutes.

In other words, I like em all...I brew em all. But the big beers go to bottles.

 

[Will b]

I like the big beers because I can drink less and they seem to be more complex. I try to eat right and work out so I'd rather have a couple bigger beers and be set then drink a six pack of 5% beer and feel way too full. Of course the bigger beers also have more calories so maybe this is all in my head

 

[Will b]

Also, about Arrogant Bastard. I don't know if it's just where I live or what but that stuff is way too expensive. My local beer store is trying to charge $15 for a six pack of their Oaked stout (porter?) I mean it's pretty good but if I'm going to spend that kind of money it's going to be a trappist ale.

 

[Coastarine]

I started with a couple small beers, then brewed a couple big beers (two tripels and a double IPA) and I've decided to stick with session beers for a while. My brew-jitsu is not strong enough for the tricks of big beers yet and for how long they take and how much they cost it's just not worth it to come out with something less than awesome. So far I've only been able to drink the first tripel and I already know some of the mistakes I made on it. Maybe the next two will be better, but I still think I won't be doing anything big in my next few brews.

 

[Yuri_Rage]

I'm big on beers. Nearly all beers.

 

[EinGutesBier]

As someone who makes it his goal to brew Belgians, it's really no contest to me. The stuff I brew should be something I can stash away and bring out when I'm ready for one, maybe two bottles. For anything else, including sessions, I'll just buy something or enjoy a friend's offer of homebrew.

 

[Ryanh1801]

I like big beers. I like the challenge of brewing them, and the complexity. I also find I can sit down with a big beer and enjoy it for a while. Smaller beers seem to go faster. But, I brew both and drink the small beers while the big ones age.

 

[ethangray19]

i really enjoy big (sippable) beers and find session beers to now be sort of watered down.

Speaking of excellent big beers, is it me or is this years SN Bigfoot barleywine AWESOME???!!!!!????

 

[EdWort]

Big Beers? I'm enjoying a nice Oaked Bastard right now direct from Stone's brewery. Picked up a t-shirt while after the private tour arranged by Germey. Thanks Germey!

Front

Back

 

[Sasquatchula]

I love big beers, and big stouts in particular. It's why I've started brewing my own, to eventually, get what I want out of a beer(or two) Like the poster above, I like one or two bottles and call it a night.

One of my closest friends is a "session" beer man. 3-5% beers in large quantities over the course of the day. After living in CZ Republic for 5 years, he has the habit of drinking a beer with everything. 11 AM snack? Wash it down with a beer! Lunch is a two beer minimum. Dinner is a prelude to some beer. However, hand him a "big" beer and he'll hand it back. Too heavy. Too hoppy. Too strong.

 

[PeteOz77]

I keep the 5% and lower on a steady rotation at the taps.

I have two oak aged IPA's 7.5% in the keezer, but they'll go to bottles for long term storage and the occasional "sipping" session.

The RIS (9%) is already in bottles and once every two weeks or so, I'll pull one out and make it last for 45-60 minutes.

In other words, I like em all...I brew em all. But the big beers go to bottles.

+1

My first brew was a big black stout that left me disappointed.. for about 4 months... This stuff is so dark that you can't see through it with the glass held next to a light bulb, and the first time I tried to make a "Black and Tan" with it, it just mixed in with the lager I had chosen and it was still hard to see through.

LOVE it now! Wish I had made a double batch.

I also have a very big (10%) Czech Bock that I kegged (Big Mistake) It's come into it's prime, but has been using up one of my kegs for 3 months, and it's gonna be there for at least another 2-3 months unless someone comes over that really likes it. It's cold here in AUS now (got below freezing her last night) and I love a lazy sunday with a big beer, but can still only do 2 pints of this and have to move on to something else.

GO the big beers! (and the small ones)

 

[beta pleated sheet]

I like big beers and small beers, but I definitely brew almost all of mine on the smaller side. I really don't know what I would do with five gallons of a really big beer, especially since most of the people I know aren't too crazy about them.

But, man, there is nothing like slowly working you way though a big beer while reading a good book!

 

[ohiobrewtus]

... it's a panoply of variety...

Thanks, Tiki (Tiki Barber that is - former NFL running back turned broadcaster who also likes to use obscure words that no one else has heard of)

Most of mine tend to be in the 5-6% range, but I brew some big ones as well. I have an Old Ale that I'm planning that will come in around 10% because the style calls for a high abv.

I don't make High abv beers just to get drunk. I make beer styles and put recipes together that I think will work well. If it's high abv, then so be it.

Now if we're talking about overhopping beers - I'm guilty as hell. :rockin:

 

[zoebisch01]

They all have their place. Perhaps you don't like it when there is pissing contests, people brewing high gravity just to make smash-you-quick beers, etc? I make high gravity beers to age. Like my recent beer for winter, is coming in around 9.6%...but that will go the long haul. Anything over 5-5.5% does not get kegged, rather bottled. Tbh, I love coming in from the garden after all day working hard and literally chugging a small session beer. It is so refreshing and wonderful. Can't do that with my Chaos Love Magnet (8.5%), nor would I want to .

 

[blacklab]

Thanks, Tiki (Tiki Barber that is - former NFL running back turned broadcaster who also likes to use obscure words that no one else has heard of)

Agree, Tiki sounds like he looks at his 'word of the day' calendar right before going on air.

I like big beers, but end up brewing one maybe every 5 batches, tops, and even then, my definition of big is probably medium compared to most on the forum. I tend to look at a recipe and think 'do I want five gallons of this'? Usually the answer is yes for an APA or smaller IPA.

My first really big beer will be for the 9-9-9, but I'm really doing it more for the novelty and fun of the swap, not because I'm really excited about the product.

 

[Schlenkerla]

They all have their place. Perhaps you don't like it when there is pissing contests, people brewing high gravity just to make smash-you-quick beers, etc? I make high gravity beers to age. Like my recent beer for winter, is coming in around 9.6%...but that will go the long haul. Anything over 5-5.5% does not get kegged, rather bottled. Tbh, I love coming in from the garden after all day working hard and literally chugging a small session beer. It is so refreshing and wonderful. Can't do that with my Chaos Love Magnet (8.5%), nor would I want to .

Ditto.

I don't keg though, I bottle my HG beers in 12oz glass bottles and session beers go into quart PET bottles.

I'm collecting bombers to keep Belgians. I'm gonna make my 1st Saison some time soon.

 

[TexLaw]

I love me some big beers, but I don't brew them often. I might brew one or two each year, and the 9-9-9 might be the only one I do this year. Much more often than not, I want to drink something under 7% ABV, and often something under 5.5% ABV, so it makes little sense for me to brew anything over 7% very often. I just do not go through it that fast.

On the other hand, I might whip through a keg of something like a koelsch, hefeweizen, APA, hoppy brown ale, or even IPA pretty quickly.


TL

 

[Hikeon3]

I know what you're getting at, OP. The pub that I frequent (O'Brien's in San Diego, Tom Nickel's 20 rotating-tap hop heaven) serves mostly 7+ abv IPA's and DIPA's that usually leave me with a headache the next morning. Sure I love drinking them, but with the heatwaves approaching my tastes are changing. All of a sudden the crisp lagers, steam beers, and session ales that didn't pack the aocohol I needed all winter to keep me warm and full are seeming very appealing.

Lately on tap over at O'Brien's (which I've appreciated) has been Ballast Point's Even Keel San Diego Session Ale. 3.4 abv "half-IPA" that is sweet, bitter, brisk, and yet gives me enough of that hop bite that I just have to drink a few pitchers.

I've got a 1.055 gravity pale ale in primary right now and I'm kind of hoping for a cold spell in a few months so I can crack a few of those open on a nice brisk 60 degree summer evening and warm myself to the toes. If that doesn't happen, I'm gonna wish I had been brewing a weaker batch.

 

[Mutant]

I have brewed a massive number of beer styles. I actually have 13 different entries at the CA State Fair - mostly lagers - but some big beers. The best beer that I've ever made was a Light American Lager that I could drink day in and day out. These beers are some of the toughest to brew as there is nothing to hide behind when there are flaws. The most difficult part is getting the CO2 levels correct, as there is a 2 psi range where the beer is either too flat or too carbonated.

 

[CascadesBrewer]

10 year old thread...but...

I do enjoy big beers, but I do feel like it is a bit of a crutch. The easiest way to make a really flavorful beer is to throw a ton of grain (and hops) at the brew. I have a real fondness for beers in the 5% range...porters and pale ales are some of my core brews. I really want to pull off a 5% NEIPA-style beer. I have a 3.6% Dark Mild that I brewed recently.

I have a love/hate relationship with beers like a Belgian Golden. "Ohhh, this does not taste like a 9% beer!" If I am consuming the alcohol and calories of a 9% beer, I want to know that I am drinking a 9% beer!!

 

[shoreman]

I mostly brew session and drink session beers because feeling hungover and like **** all the time doesn’t fit with my lifestyle. I’m currently brewing and exploring really low abv small beers that still have flavor - check my blog in my signature.

Every once in a while I’ll brew a big abv Belgian style or purchase a Duvel or Westmalle Triple. I’m only gonna have one of those.

I’ll gladly try a sip or taste any high ABV beer, but it’s gotta be something special for me to risk being hungover for a few days to have a couple. Not a lot of beers are worth that to me these days.

N/A craft beers are exploding right now in Europe and the US, I think for this exact reason.

 

[Jag75]

I'm normally not into big beers . I made a 8.4 NEIPA and it didnt feel like that big of a beer . Fall of Troy is 8.8 I think and it doesnt drink like it's that big . Call me a wuss but to me those are big beers. I've had some 12, to 14 % and couldnt stand . I was at Pismo Brewing co last weekend and got a beer called redeyepa . Found out it was 11% but i couldnt tell so I guess it just depends on the grain bill and flavors to me .