Do you ever get tired of big beers?

[kaconga]

If I plan to share the batch with coworkers and friends then it's usually a higher abv beer. People don't usually ask for more when something is 8.5%. If its for personal consumption then usually I shoot for 6%. I don't think I have ever seen a craft beer under 4%. Makes me want to try just to see what it would be like.

I think session beers are hard to define since different parts of the country drink different strength beers. In the pacific northwest a session beer could even be 7% depending on who you talk to. In Utah I think it would be seen as drinking hard alcohol at that abv.

 

[eastoak]

6% IS a big beer for me.

 

[dinnerstick]

morning after report, closing out a session at the local beer bar (which started reasonably with rodenbach gc, girardin 1882, boon gueuze) with st bernardus abt 12 (10%), la trappe quadrupel (10%), bison stout (9%, and come on it's not a stout, but anyways) and grimbergen optimo bruno (10%).... oof ... perhaps not that wise in hindsight. session beer is a good thing

 

[Piratwolf]

I'm on the cusp of the big-session change. I made a BDS, an RIS, and a BW since new years, as well as several 6-8% beers. But it's tough to drink a big beer every night, even though I only have one during the weeknights.

I just made Cent. Blonde with Amarillo (call it Cuff & Collar Blonde) and it's fantastic at 5%. My next brew is a pale mild @ 3.5% and the Uinta Wyld clone is next minth. Getting ready for summer, which means LOTS of beers on the beach!

 

[Chuginator]

We've all made the big IPA's and double this and that's, trying to improve our brewing status. Assuming these big beers are complicated but in reality the lighter session beers are the difficult ones. The lighter beers allow your minor mistakes to shine through, where as the big monster IPA's and Stouts mask a mistake with monster flavorings. That's why I've been focusing on mastering these light beers aside from the fact that it is hot as hell out here in northern Cali. So for those looking to try and improve their brewing prowess try a lighter style and if it comes out flawless, so is your technique.

Very well put!

 

[Slowfro]

I always look to have a "lighter" beer on hand for a variety of reasons. One being like many have already said you don't necessarily want to end up drinking a pile of 8% IPAs all night. Now, sometimes I get into it and will stay on track with them, and for the most part I'm good about stopping before I get too over-served. But, especially with some of my friends who don't necessarily appreciate the quality of those big IPAs, once we get a few beers into the night I like to have something lower ABV that we can transition to so we don't "waste" all the others once the taste buds are shot, eyes are half open, and all the world's problems are being solved.

Which reminds me, I should get going on Centennial Blonde again soon!

 

[Jayhem]

So it appears that there are many brewers (myself included) that like to brew session style beers in the 4-5% ABV range. Anyone care to share a recipe (link) to a favorite summer style guzzler that might be in the HBT recipe database or another source?

Here are two very popular recipes that many of my friends enjoyed this last weekend as we celebrated my son's second birthday.

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f62/cream-three-crops-cream-ale-66503/

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f62/fizzy-yellow-beer-120939/

I'm brewing Cream of three crops this week in fact! The fizzy yellow beer looks like it might be next up after my mulberry summer wheat!

i'd rather drink 20 beers than 7 or 8 big ones any night. big beers = big hangovers, lots of little beers keep me hydrated. that's why god invented distillation.

7 or 8 big beers in one night would render me confined to the bathroom puking my guts out!

 

[Genjin]

I had two Colette farmhouse ales last night at a composter potluck. I got home around 8 and after those 7.3% beers I was feeling impaired. Fortunately, at home I had some 3.7% English Milds in the fridge and I was able to continue enjoying some beer without wrecking my evening.

I love the occasional strong beer but more often than not I am reaching for 3.5-4.5% brews to keep my wits about me.

 

[ReverseApacheMaster]

I went through the big beer phase early on. I have definitely been focusing more on 4-5% ABV beers but I still enjoy big beers and make them from time to time.

 

[ktblunden]

One of my recent brews was BM's Centennial Blonde (although I boiled too long and ended up with a higher OG and the beer finished at 5%, which is a little high) and my BMC drinking friends really enjoy it and I like it enough to have a couple in a row. Even when I think I'm shooting for low ABV I still usually end up over 5%. Looking at making an ordinary bitter soon and I have plans to make a parti-gyle that will net me an imperial stout and an English mild.

My last drinking "session" was a trip to Yardhouse on Saturday when I downed a Gulden Draak (10.5%), Knee Deep Tanilla (6.3%), Speakeasy Prohibition (6.1%), Rubicon Monkey Knife Fight (4.5%), Knee Deep Hoptologist (9%), and an Arrogant Bastard (7.2%). Then we went back to the house and had some of my homebrews (5% or so). The next morning was a little rough, but not too bad.

 

[bowiefan]

I have 4 beer taps and one is always a light session beer and it is always the one to go dry first.

Ben

 

[Calichusetts]

I do agree with a poster that said you need a good "lawn mowing" beer. Something you can drink four or five of and still function. But I find I am on the otherside of the fence with most of the posters. I'd rather have a bomber of a 7-8% on a friday night than multiple beers.

I also think its a question of what people consider a big beer vs a session. Most of the "session" beers I think about are still 6%...even as high as 7.2. But I will only drink 4 or so on any given night

 

[DisturbdChemist]

I never get tired of big beers. I dont want to drink a lot and one of those satisfies me. Most of my homebrew have been ranging between 6-8% which i think are sessionable. I made a mead that almost 20% and ciders in the 8% range but i have a sesson brew in the fermenter because i want a change of pace and try to have a flavorable beer thats low alcohol. I got a Mild with should be 3-3.3% range and perfect summer nights

 

[Jayhem]

I do agree with a poster that said you need a good "lawn mowing" beer. Something you can drink four or five of and still function. But I find I am on the otherside of the fence with most of the posters. I'd rather have a bomber of a 7-8% on a friday night than multiple beers.

I also think its a question of what people consider a big beer vs a session. Most of the "session" beers I think about are still 6%...even as high as 7.2. But I will only drink 4 or so on any given night

I suppose it depends on what you are used to. To a BMC drinker a 5% beer is a big beer!

Personally anything over about 5.5% abv is getting too big for me to want to drink 3 or 4 of in one evening.

I would call 4.5% the perfect session beer and 4.0% may very well be best for that hot day mowing the lawn when you actually want refreshment over alcohol.

 

[befus]

One of my recent brews was BM's Centennial Blonde (although I boiled too long and ended up with a higher OG and the beer finished at 5%, which is a little high) and my BMC drinking friends really enjoy it and I like it enough to have a couple in a row. Even when I think I'm shooting for low ABV I still usually end up over 5%. Looking at making an ordinary bitter soon and I have plans to make a parti-gyle that will net me an imperial stout and an English mild.

My last drinking "session" was a trip to Yardhouse on Saturday when I downed a Gulden Draak (10.5%), Knee Deep Tanilla (6.3%), Speakeasy Prohibition (6.1%), Rubicon Monkey Knife Fight (4.5%), Knee Deep Hoptologist (9%), and an Arrogant Bastard (7.2%). Then we went back to the house and had some of my homebrews (5% or so). The next morning was a little rough, but not too bad.

I assume someone told you what you drank the next day.............

 

[spearko520]

morning after report, closing out a session at the local beer bar (which started reasonably with rodenbach gc, girardin 1882, boon gueuze) with st bernardus abt 12 (10%), la trappe quadrupel (10%), bison stout (9%, and come on it's not a stout, but anyways) and grimbergen optimo bruno (10%).... oof ... perhaps not that wise in hindsight. session beer is a good thing

thank you dinnerstick, i joined this forum to feel like less of an alcoholic. sometimes it doesn't work so well, but then someone like you comes along and i fell a little more sober...

 

[thetragichero]

i've got an 'imperial creme ale' aging and a 12%+ barleywine in primary, but just about everything else so far is 3-6% pale ale/stout/etc
i like to have a few when i come home from work, so i like them being sessionable

 

[mjohnson]

I find that smaller beers are more challenging. When I get one right, I feel a real sense of accomplishment. There's not much to get in the way of flaws, and to have low ABV while maintaining lots of flavor is something to be proud of. I also like that they are cheaper to make and ready sooner. I brew more often and feel less stress about messing it up.

But I find tastes go in waves, so talk to me in a year and I'll probably say I never brew anything less than 8%.

 

[jtakacs]

i've been trying to brew smaller beers and just did an ESB that was 5.5% (which i consider middle of the road) - my latest (saison) got crazy efficiency so it's much larger than what it was supposed to be (gonna be 6%, but dry).

 

[ktblunden]

But I find I am on the otherside of the fence with most of the posters. I'd rather have a bomber of a 7-8% on a friday night than multiple beers.

I agree with this. I generally don't have more than one beer in a night (Saturday was a special occasion) so I normally reach for something high test.

I assume someone told you what you drank the next day.............

I honestly remember that entire day. I had even gone and figured out what I was going to drink ahead of time and all the beers except Arrogant Bastard I had never tried before.

 

[corkybstewart]

First of all I don't consider anything under about 1.080 "big". I usually have one or 2 big beers on tap but most of my beers are in the 1.050-1.060 range. Right now I have a brown ale on tap that was 1.046, that's about as small as I go. A couple of years ago I brewed 15 gallons of 1.035 brown ale for a party for my employees, but that's an exception. I like alcohol in my beer since I generally only have 2 or 3 per day.

 

[PapsD]

Yes and no. It depends on the time of year.

A RIS is awesome when the snow is flying. I like to get a big glass and watch the snow fall. Or if the high for the day is 3 degrees. Or if I'm out at a bar i'll get a big beer after a session beer.

But not in July when it's 90 degrees and %70 humidity.

 

[lou2row]

As a newer AG brewer, I don't usually plan for a session beer, but several have occurred anyways.

Once I have my kegging set up completed, I will probably keep half the taps on the lighter side. I will likely bottle the bigger beers so I don't feel I have to get them drank.

 

[Jayhem]

I'm definitely tired of big beer after last night! I drank 5 homebrews (IPA and Porters) 6-7% abv and have the worst hangover today. Dammit. Need session beer!

 

[Misplaced_Canuck]

My fastest moving beer is a 1.038 English Mild. Very few of my beers are above 1.050 to start with.

I just made a 1.036 "IPA Light" and a 1.042 SMASH.

MC

 

[glockentalk]

I make a nice mild by mixing pale ale with de-alcoholized dunkel and carbonated water.

 

[SkinnyShamrock]

Yes. I am sick and tired of stupid huge beers, especially anything with "IPA" in the title. Give me a blonde ale.

Also, small beers are terribly hard to homebrew correctly. Or, at least, they are not as forgiving of screw-ups as big beers are. Weird off-flavor in a cream ale? Yuck. Weird off flavor in a triple IPA? Doesn't matter, taste buds ruined from alpha acids. Chill haze in pilsner? Meh. Chill haze in oaked stout? Can't see it. This may be why homebrewers gravitate to heavier, hoppier beers.

 

[Jayhem]

Yes. I am sick and tired of stupid huge beers, especially anything with "IPA" in the title. Give me a blonde ale.

Also, small beers are terribly hard to homebrew correctly. Or, at least, they are not as forgiving of screw-ups as big beers are. Weird off-flavor in a cream ale? Yuck. Weird off flavor in a triple IPA? Doesn't matter, taste buds ruined from alpha acids. Chill haze in pilsner? Meh. Chill haze in oaked stout? Can't see it. This may be why homebrewers gravitate to heavier, hoppier beers.

I agree. It's near impossible to mess up a stout or IPA due to the huge flavors covering imperfections.

 

[Phunhog]

I agree. It's near impossible to mess up a stout or IPA due to the huge flavors covering imperfections.

Exactly!! I am brewing lighter and lighter beers (Kolsch, Helles, etc..) because they are more challenging to brew correctly. There is no place for flaws to hide.

 

[Wakadaka]

so much snobbery going on in this thread. if the thread title had something mentioning brewing a BMC type session beer then everyone would be on the opposite side. lighter beers aren't that much more challenging to brew. just check fermentation temperature, get a good recipe, and mash low to keep it dry.

i never really brew a beer just to have a session beer. i will brew pale ales sometimes, and i make a blonde or an american wheat every once in a while because my girl friend likes them. i like a good blonde with an orange sometimes, but for the most part i like drinking slightly bigger beers.

 

[ZombieBrew83]

I think it has to do with the changing of the weather. Now that I can comfortably sit on my porch, it's nice to have a couple glasses of something light that won't leave me inebriated. Like someone above said, once the temps warm up I look for refreshing beer before high alcohol beer.

 

[saluki_brewer]

I think weather definitely has a lot to do with it. I've spent today planning a trip to the lake in July with some old friends and am just giddy at the thought of sitting out on a pontoon boat sipping Highlife out of the can.

That reminds me...I need to go to the store and pick up one of those floating coolers soon.

 

[hodge]

so much snobbery going on in this thread. if the thread title had something mentioning brewing a BMC type session beer then everyone would be on the opposite side. lighter beers aren't that much more challenging to brew. just check fermentation temperature, get a good recipe, and mash low to keep it dry.

i never really brew a beer just to have a session beer. i will brew pale ales sometimes, and i make a blonde or an american wheat every once in a while because my girl friend likes them. i like a good blonde with an orange sometimes, but for the most part i like drinking slightly bigger beers.

That's great that you don't like to brew session beers, but I think you're getting a little ahead of yourself with the response to the thread. It's not snobbery, it's just what some people like myself like to brew. I can easily find craft beer between 6-10% at my local store, but have a more difficult time finding the type of beers that I like to enjoy after work (Levitation-like ales, Bitters, etc).

Also, many of the session ales that I've brewed are not as simple as mashing low and finishing dry. Often times you'd like to have a little more body in your beer so you actually mash quite high. Orfy's Mild, 21A Bitter American, Levitation clones all require high mash temps.

 

[Bradinator]

Having variety in my pipeline is the most important aspect in what decides my next brew. I am almost out of the Belgian Tripple I made last year so I whipped up a IIPA a few weeks ago to replace it. If I am keeping on top of my brewing I should have 1-2 sessionables, 1-2 'regular' and 1 big bad I save for special occasions... Like Fridays!

 

[Genjin]

Agreed! Most of the session beers that I brew, including the 70 shilling I brewed today, are beers that are rich in malt and/or hop character but simply lower alcohol. I generally achieve this by mashing high and moving hop additions to the end of the boil.

I have found it much more difficult to nail recipes on these low abv beers. Small changes dramatically alter the final product. However, I also like to brew 6.5% porters and I have found that those come out great nearly regardless of what I do.

 

[EllisTX]

I just kegged a summer wheat beer that's just above 4%. I've been worn out by bigger beers lately. Mostly I make "bigger" beers and buy commercial session beers.

 

[signpost]

Having variety in my pipeline is the most important aspect in what decides my next brew. I am almost out of the Belgian Tripple I made last year so I whipped up a IIPA a few weeks ago to replace it. If I am keeping on top of my brewing I should have 1-2 sessionables, 1-2 'regular' and 1 big bad I save for special occasions... Like Fridays!

+1 on the variety.

I'm a pretty new brewer. Only 4 batches under my belt so far.

1 - english strong ale
2 - honey kolsch
3 - english bitter
4 - Levitation clone (kinda)

So far my brews have ended up .5% or 1% higher than intended (and I'm doing mostly extract, so I don't understand). I have a feeling I will tend to mix it up and end up brewing more 'sessionable' beers than big beers, because the big beers will simply last longer. I'll brew the session stuff to keep me from drinking the big stuff before it's really ready. But really, it's not even a matter of variety of ABVs. It's all about the flavor variety.

 

[duckmanco]

As the sole drinker of beer in my home, and one or two friends who like craft beer, 5 gallon batches are plenty big enough for me. Throw big, which to me is much of anything over 1.070+ and that keg will take forever for me to get through.

So I'm generally making 1.060 beers or under for kegging, and anything north of 1.075 gets bottled. I'd prefer to have more than one beer, and session beers are perfect for that.

 

[bscott1011]

I usually only drink one per day after work and am not tired of big beers. I really like a strong porter or stout with breakfast before I go to bed. (Damn night shift)

 

[Ramitt]

I am down with the Low grav beers, love big beers, but at times less abv is a good thing. Just did an american bitter @3.5% it is pretty good 2 weeks in the bottle, still not the fuller mouth feel I want.