tonyolympia
Well-Known Member
My last two beers, a Berliner Weisse and Saison, have a calculated ABV of 3.7% and 5.5% respectively. I intended to create two low-alcohol beers, and yet both of these brews leave me feeling trashed. Paradoxically, the 3.7% Berliner seems to have the higher alcohol level of the two.
What's going on here? Are there different forms of alcohol created in fermentation, with varying degrees of potency? Or is my body just adjusting to the lower-alcohol beers I've been brewing lately?
Background: I am careful about OG and FG readings. I adjust my readings for the temperature of the sample. I've calibrated my hydrometer with distilled water, and also adjust my readings to reflect that calibration. Neither the Berliner nor the Saison appear to be undergoing significant refermentation in the bottle. Both finished at 1.003, so there wasn't much more sugar to eat. Both batches had small grain bills.
I'd appreciate knowing if I'm the only one to experience this.
What's going on here? Are there different forms of alcohol created in fermentation, with varying degrees of potency? Or is my body just adjusting to the lower-alcohol beers I've been brewing lately?
Background: I am careful about OG and FG readings. I adjust my readings for the temperature of the sample. I've calibrated my hydrometer with distilled water, and also adjust my readings to reflect that calibration. Neither the Berliner nor the Saison appear to be undergoing significant refermentation in the bottle. Both finished at 1.003, so there wasn't much more sugar to eat. Both batches had small grain bills.
I'd appreciate knowing if I'm the only one to experience this.