Does Homebrew Hit You Harder Than Commercial Beer?

[bwible]

I’ve had people tell me many times how my homebrew seems stronger than beer they buy. And I always wrote it off because we use recipe software and we figure out the alcohol percentage, etc.

Tonight I drank 2 of my own beers - a mild ale that is supposed to be 4% (and I didn’t drink all of it because its not that good) and an APA that is supposed to be about 5.5%. I am really feeling these 2 beers.

Is there something to this idea that homebrew hits you harder?

 

[day_trippr]

It's clearly subjective and fraught with potential bias, but in my experience there's no evident difference.
Most of my recipes are for 6.5-7% ABV beers which is pretty much also what I buy and the effects are comparable...

Cheers! (It's all about the ABV )

 

[mac_1103]

My answer is yes, but that's because most of what I brew is fairly high ABV. Lowest I've brewed recently is a Nut Brown Ale that clocked in at just over 6%. I can drink that all night.

 

[Jaybird]

ABV IS ABV. It's all about your calculations. The math doesn't lie. But the data going in has to be accurate.

Cheers
Jay

 

[MikeCo]

If it's stronger than you thought, it's likely you've under-calculated ABV.

 

[matt_m]

If you're talking about kegged homebrew, one factor may be serving size. A 12oz can doesn't fill a typical "pint" glass, but off a tap the tendency is to fill a glass. Plus visitors often want to try a few things so they do a few tasters first which can quickly add up to the equivalent of an extra can.

 

[OakIslandBrewery]

My theory is that home brewed beer seems like it goes to your head more because it doesn't have all that crap in it that commercial beer has.

 

[TheMadKing]

My theory is that home brewed beer seems like it goes to your head more because it doesn't have all that crap in it that commercial beer has.

PLEEEEEASE

elaborate on what crap is in commercial beer that is not in homebrew. Please

 

[JoeSpartaNJ]

My theory is that home brewed beer seems like it goes to your head more because it doesn't have all that crap in it that commercial beer has.

I would say the opposite.

The amount of concoctions and adjuncts I see homerbrewers putting into beer is astounding.

 

[OakIslandBrewery]

Well, I'm not an expert by any means, and I did state my thoughts were a theory.

I know what goes into my beer, and I can pronounce most of the ingredients. A quick search and I found this from Beer Advocate:

 

[TheMadKing]

Well, I'm not an expert by any means, and I did state my thoughts were a theory.

I know what goes into my beer, and I can pronounce most of the ingredients. A quick search and I found this from Beer Advocate:

View attachment 810541

So of that list, here is what I have used in my homebrew:

Potassium sulfate (in wine and cider)
sodium benzoate (in wine)
antifoaming agents (fermicap S)
favor enhancers (table salt)
corn syrup (gravity boost)
genetically modified malt and hops (all malt and hops are genetically modified)
amyloglucosidase enzyme (aka glucoamylase for brute IPA)
chemically modified hop extracts (cryo hops)
carbon dioxide (produced by yeast)
liquid sugar (belgian candi syrup, invert sugar)
potassium metabisulfite (chlorine neutralizer)

I'll also add Carageenan (irish moss/whirlfloc), lactic acid and phosphoric acid, malic acid (wine), tannin (wine and cider), GMO corn, malt extracts, corn extracts, various flavoring additives

 

[bwible]

Another theory my wife has is that it has to do with sugar. She thinks sweeter drinks with alcohol affect you more. Like if you drink an old fashioned vs just having a shot of bourbon or a lemon drop martini instead of having just a shot of vodka. Is it fair to say that homebrews might have a higher final gravity than most commercial beers thus more residual sugar? I don’t know if theres anything to that theory or not

 

[mac_1103]

Another theory my wife has is that it has to do with sugar. She thinks sweeter drinks with alcohol affect you more.

My theory about that theory is that this is because you will drink more of a sweeter drink without realizing how much alcohol is in it. Like say a Framboise or a Delirium Red. 8% ABV and it goes down like cherry soda.

 

[TheMadKing]

I do think some homebrew contains excessive levels of fusel alcohols which can lead to worse hangovers, but I don't know about feeling more drunk. IME that's all down to ABV as was said earlier. It may be worth double checking your ABV calculations. The predictions in beersmith are meaningless, so you have to calculate it each time.

 

[bwible]

I do think some homebrew contains excessive levels of fusel alcohols which can lead to worse hangovers, but I don't know about feeling more drunk. IME that's all down to ABV as was said earlier. It may be worth double checking your ABV calculations. The predictions in beersmith are meaningless, so you have to calculate it each time.

I have a Tilt I’ve been using. Admittedly tough to calibrate. I use BeerTools software, mostly because my laptop is a mac. The readings on the tilt have been matching the predicted gravities and final gravities on the software for the batch sizes I’ve been making about exactly so I guess I’m reasonably in the ballpark. And you just know if you’re making 3 gallons of beer with a total of 4.75 pounds of grain like in the case of that mild then you’re not going to be way off.

 

[TheMadKing]

I have a Tilt I’ve been using. Admittedly tough to calibrate. I use BeerTools software, mostly because my laptop is a mac. The readings on the tilt have been matching the predicted gravities and final gravities on the software for the batch sizes I’ve been making about exactly so I guess I’m reasonably in the ballpark. And you just know if you’re making 3 gallons of beer with a total of 4.75 pounds of grain like in the case of that mild then you’re not going to be way off.

I've heard tilt's don't measure FG very well because of gunk built up on them. But as you say, with a small grain bill you can't be too far off.

Still, even a 1% difference can affect you more than you might think.

 

[MicroMickey]

Most of the time, it's a matter of perception. I've heard many times a variance of this: "I don't like dark beer because it's too strong!" They might compare a 3.9% stout with a 5% pilsner and the preconceived notion will prevail. I would suggest that you purchase a 6-pack of Bud Light to keep in the fridge for those friends who are intimidated by your home-brew.

 

[bwible]

Most of the time, it's a matter of perception. I've heard many times a variance of this: "I don't like dark beer because it's too strong!" They might compare a 3.9% stout with a 5% pilsner and the preconceived notion will prevail. I would suggest that you purchase a 6-pack of Bud Light to keep in the fridge for those friends who are intimidated by your home-brew.

Last party we had Yuengling light (not Flight), Stella Artois Soltice which was actually tasty for such a light brew, and Michelob Ultra which is what all the women drink. Yeah nobody was interested in homebrew.

 

[Deric]

I agree with “ABV is ABV” but… When I’m home I easily get busy/distracted and can lose track of how many I’ve had.

Enter the Beerbacus…

 

[StevoTosh]

If you are bottle priming your beer, the sugar used for carbonation must also be considered in the final ABV calculation.
I generally find that it increases the ABV by about .25%.
Some people overlook this.

 

[G_robertus]

genetically modified malt and hops (all malt and hops are genetically modified)

What makes you say all malt and hops are genetically modified? Bred yes, but genetically modified I highly doubt. We probably wouldn't be able to import them here in Europe if they were. That said European malt is not genetically modified as far as I know, at least partially due to regulations (Germany has even banned GMO crops I believe).

N.B. I'm not against GMO's necessarily, but this claim seems rather unfounded.


On topic: I think measurement accuracy might be overestimated a bit as well, especially if measuring OG and FG with different tools (e.g. refractometer and hydrometer, respectively). Most cheaper tools won't be 100% accurate and two tools with different offsets can give inaccurate calculations. The formula used also plays a part, so together these can lead to severe underestimation of ABV.

 

[TheMadKing]

What makes you say all malt and hops are genetically modified? Bred yes, but genetically modified I highly doubt. We probably wouldn't be able to import them here in Europe if they were. That said European malt is not genetically modified as far as I know, at least partially due to regulations (Germany has even banned GMO crops I believe).

N.B. I'm not against GMO's necessarily, but this claim seems rather unfounded.


On topic: I think measurement accuracy might be overestimated a bit as well, especially if measuring OG and FG with different tools (e.g. refractometer and hydrometer, respectively). Most cheaper tools won't be 100% accurate and two tools with different offsets can give inaccurate calculations. The formula used also plays a part, so together these can lead to severe underestimation of ABV.

I argue that a plant that has gone from a wild grass to 50+ varieties of modern disease resistant and herbicide resistant barley or corn is pretty genetically modified. The same with hops, a wild flower which has been carefully bred and selected for disease resistance and flavor preferences has been genetically modified by humans.

As for using crispr or a similar technology to modify specific genes, you may be correct. But most grain crops have undergone heavy modifications using "traditional methods" (aka intensive selection and grafting in a laboratory) and carry a huge number of chromosomes compared to heritage varieties. I would be shocked if no such barley is grown in Europe. I also am not one to believe that gene alteration using crispr produces a result any different from intensive selection and grafting, it just does it faster and more efficiently and with less side-effects.

Usually the legal definition of GMO is just worded such that some modifications are allowed but not others so that people can feel all warm and fuzzy that they are eating GMO free food. Just like "organic" does not mean that 0 pesticides, fertilizers, or herbicides were used. The definition below assumes "most" and "synthetic". which both have plenty of wiggle room for farmers looking for a loophole to get an organic label.

 

[Bayou Fatma Brewer]

I’ve had people tell me many times how my homebrew seems stronger than beer they buy. And I always wrote it off because we use recipe software and we figure out the alcohol percentage, etc.

Tonight I drank 2 of my own beers - a mild ale that is supposed to be 4% (and I didn’t drink all of it because its not that good) and an APA that is supposed to be about 5.5%. I am really feeling these 2 beers.

Is there something to this idea that homebrew hits you harder?

I heard a crash in my bathroom as my friend fell and took the shower curtain with him. Seems the 6.5% ABV hit him hard.

 

[TheMadKing]

I agree with “ABV is ABV” but… When I’m home I easily get busy/distracted and can lose track of how many I’ve head.

Enter the Beerbacus…

Yeah but what do you do for half-pours? does 6 half pours equal 3 beers? Becuase I don't think partial pours count. Those are quality control samples

 

[OakIslandBrewery]

Most of my beers are over 6% and after a few pints I can feel the difference. Some I've brewed over ten percent and those really sneak up on me and others who drink them. In the end no matter what we're drinking contains alcohol (and other things) that are going to affect most of us differently, either good or bad or good and bad.

 

[T Murph]

IMO it's the free beer aspect that tends to make some folks think that my home brews are stronger. I've watched friends and relatives down one after another after first stating they preferred some lame mass produced commercial beer. Then later say wow your beer is stronger. No, you just sat here and drank 4 or 5 pints of real beer.

 

[jambop]

I cannot nurse a beer so some brews have to be treated with respect two 75cl swing tops @ 7% swilled in an hour is the same a downing a bottle of wine at 14% ... you are not going to last long drinking a bottle of wine per hour

 

[OakIslandBrewery]

I cannot nurse a beer so some brews have to be treated with respect two 75cl swing tops @ 7% swilled in an hour is the same a downing a bottle of wine at 14% ... you are not going to last long drinking a bottle of wine per hour

A bottle of wine per hour is some serious drinking! Unfortunately, I've done that too many times with the high alcohol beers though.

 

[mac_1103]

A liter and a half of beer in an hour is also some serious drinking.

A drink's a drink, more or less. A pint of beer, a glass of wine, a shot of liquor. Three of any of them in an hour is way beyond my limit, whether it's a 6% or 8% beer, an 11% or a 14% wine, or an 80 proof or 100 proof liquor.

 

[OakIslandBrewery]

I'd say more practice is needed, but that wouldn't be right.

It's not about mass consumption - savory your drink of choice.

 

[T Murph]

I apply the boobie rule, one isn't enough and three is too many. But sometimes it's difficult to stick with that. And when judging a competition that rule flies out the window.

 

[Clint Yeastwood]

An extra 1% doesn't sound like much unless you're good at math. When you think your beer is at 5%, and it's really 6%, it's not a 1% increase. It's a 20% increase. Then think about 16-ounce servings as contrasted with 12 ounces. A 33% increase, multiplied by the ABV increase.

As for additives in commercial beer, a lot of them are nearly free of the additives known as hops.

Big beer used to put cobalt in beer to kill foam. My understanding is that it weakened bones. But I am too lazy to Google.

I kind of wonder what hops do to a person without alcohol. Going from 10 IBU to 80 IBU is a big increase. Hops used to be used to make people sleep. Whether it works or not, or whether bitter beer is more potent than sweet beer, I do not know.

Correction: I Googled after all. They used cobalt to increase foam.

 

[Clint Yeastwood]

As for the term "organic," it means, "more expensive without adhering to standards that really mean anything."

And I really believe farmers in places like Mexico and Chile when they say they follow the rules. Sure they do.

 

[bracconiere]

huh, i don't think my homebrew hits me harder....but then homebrew is all i drink really.


i think most comercial beers are only ~4% ABV? so a 6% glass would have like 5 more grams of alcohol, in a 12oz by weight pour? and a drink is 14grams normally? i think?

 

[NSMikeD]

Commercial beer in the US is capped at I think 4.5% alcohol. Otherwise it's malt liquor. So any commercial beer that has the word beer on the label has to meet that standard. That's why many craft beers do not say beer. Often they are sold using style descriptions like Pale Ale and such. So if they are drinking commercial beer. it's likely you are brewing beer higher in alcohol than they are used to.

 

[TheMadKing]

Commercial beer in the US is capped at I think 4.5% alcohol. Otherwise it's malt liquor. So any commercial beer that has the word beer on the label has to meet that standard. That's why many craft beers do not say beer. Often they are sold using style descriptions like Pale Ale and such. So if they are drinking commercial beer. it's likely you are brewing beer higher in alcohol than they are used to.

Yeah hi

It's 2023, that hasn't been true in most states since like 1999

The max abv for a beer here in Georgia is 12%

 

[TheMadKing]

An extra 1% doesn't sound like much unless you're good at math. When you think your beer is at 5%, and it's really 6%, it's not a 1% increase. It's a 20% increase. Then think about 16-ounce servings as contrasted with 12 ounces. A 33% increase, multiplied by the ABV increase.

As for additives in commercial beer, a lot of them are nearly free of the additives known as hops.

Big beer used to put cobalt in beer to kill foam. My understanding is that it weakened bones. But I am too lazy to Google.

I kind of wonder what hops do to a person without alcohol. Going from 10 IBU to 80 IBU is a big increase. Hops used to be used to make people sleep. Whether it works or not, or whether bitter beer is more potent than sweet beer, I do not know.

Correction: I Googled after all. They used cobalt to increase foam.

The cobalt was specifically the Dow brewery in Quebec

 

[NSMikeD]

Yeah hi

It's 2023, that hasn't been true in most states since like 1999

The max abv for a beer here in Georgia is 12%

While a number of states have updated the marketing laws I am pretty sure the IRS still uses the old distinction. If you are selling beer interstate, I think it's easier to just not put the word beer on the label, and of course the big old line brewers who make beer (under 5% ABV) have no reason to change. "King of Beer" is very valuable to Bud.

Way way way back during my U of Buffalo days, we would make the beer runs to Canada. Beers like Carlsburg and Heineken would have the higher ABV than the bottles sold in the US . But we would end up getting cases of Molson Brador (no longer being made) at 6.2% which was like a huge deal for we college students. And it was labeled "malt liquor". We would blame the higher ABV on our indiscretions the night before - and not the cases of the stuff we'd drink.

 

[Clint Yeastwood]

The cobalt was specifically the Dow brewery in Quebec

Thanks for finishing my Googling for me.

 

[OakIslandBrewery]

Cobalt, well that's an interesting additive for beer. Great we can share and spark more information about beer and brewing!