High ABV beer trend...what's the point?

[Curtis2010]

An expat friend of mine is visiting the States and finding a lot of high ABV beers. Really, what's the point? What's driving this trend? Is it just another extreme for extreme's sake?

Email from him below:

"Crap, we have to step up our game now for visiting Michigan.* We like to try the top rated beers in each state we are in, and the alcohol content of these in Maryland have been high at 7-9% on average.


Now that we are headed to Michigan, the top 50 rated beers there range from 10-16% alcohol content.* WTF????


And these aren't all IPA's - many of them are stouts and porters.


A few years ago, we could put down 6 tasty beers on a nice night out.* Now we are being carried out of the place after 3.* We are actually trying to determine alcohol content before ordering.


Too bad because we also really like beer and would like to sample more of them, not face plant after a few.


Hope you are enjoying those low ABV, low hopped Balboas!
"

 

[day_trippr]

It's a vast conspiracy to cut down on immigration...

Cheers!

 

[1977Brewer]

It's all my fault. Sorry.

 

[Gavin C]

Government conspiracy gets my vote.

That or El Niño

 

[schematix]

I've never had a beer above 9% that was actually good. At some point it just gets too thick and syrupy to be refreshing.

 

[slym2none]

I'mma start a thread called "Session beer trend - whats the point?"

:fro:

 

[1977Brewer]

I've never had a beer above 9% that was actually good. At some point it just gets too thick and syrupy to be refreshing.

Drink water.

I like beer.

 

[theheroguy]

There is no high abv trend. Maybe in the past but today it's all about session beers (or at least the american definition of session strength as 5% or under).

 

[Doctor_M]

An expat friend of mine is visiting the States and finding a lot of high ABV beers. Really, what's the point? What's driving this trend? Is it just another extreme for extreme's sake?

Email from him below:

"Crap, we have to step up our game now for visiting Michigan.* We like to try the top rated beers in each state we are in, and the alcohol content of these in Maryland have been high at 7-9% on average.


Now that we are headed to Michigan, the top 50 rated beers there range from 10-16% alcohol content.* WTF????


And these aren't all IPA's - many of them are stouts and porters.


A few years ago, we could put down 6 tasty beers on a nice night out.* Now we are being carried out of the place after 3.* We are actually trying to determine alcohol content before ordering.


Too bad because we also really like beer and would like to sample more of them, not face plant after a few.


Hope you are enjoying those low ABV, low hopped Balboas!
"

Different strokes for different folks..... I enjoy both low and high abv beers. Well brewed 2-3% sours and well brewed 12%+ beers are all enjoyable by me. There is a time and place for every well brewed beer/style. As a professional brewer I realize there is a ton of skill in making a low abv beer taste great without flaws just as it takes a ton of skill to make a massive high abv beer attenuate/ taste amazing. To the ones who say they have never tasted a delicious beer above 9% .... your doing it wrong.

Edited to add:

Most places pour tasting size pours..... there is no law that says you have to finish said taster glass.

 

[djonesax]

If your SWMBO counts your drinks, then that's the point. If I go to the bar and have 2 32Oz beers, then I only had 2 beers. If I have one 11% dragons milk, then I only had one beer

Seriously though, when high-gravity beers first came to our state I thought they were all thick and gross with too much malt and syrup. But there are lots of really good high-gravity beers out there that are still well balanced and taste great.

 

[pdxal]

You definitely can't afford to put away too many 9%+ beers in a night. Cuts down on variety unless you drink small pours as mentioned previously.
If you want to try a variety small pours are the way to go with bigger beers.
There is more of a trend toward session beers right now, but if you go on to Rate Beer or Beer Advocate the higher scoring beers are generally big beers or super hoppy beers. Its the tyranny of the masses- people fall for big tastes.

 

[zoomzilla]

Different people have different levels of alcohol tolerance. I only brew high gravity beers and I generally drink 6-8 beers of 8% or more in a "session". If I were drinking session beers it would take all day to catch a buzz and I'd spend an entire paycheck doing it. I like to sample low abv beers but only as an appetizer to the main course.

 

[Kiichi]

I too see an increasing number of session beers now. Doing that myself even. Thing is that it is harder to get full flavor in lower alcohol. That is what spawned the imperial trend in the first place. More alcohol = more canvass to put flavors on. Barrel aging a 5% beer just does not really work 95% of the time to name but one example. You can also think about it as big abv being a proper painting canvass and low abv being a piece of paper. Paper is not bad, and pencil drawings and such work better on it (Pilsners for example), but an oilpainting on paper...well, you know.

I do enjoy these big beers, but I also like the challenge of making tasty low abv beers. It is a bigger challenge than making big beers though. I got a 3.5% recipe that seems to fool everyone though, so that is nice. Just need more of those. =)

Of course there are also people who make big beers to make big beers and those usually s*ck. Enough people use it as a means to an end though, and then it works.

 

[joshesmusica]

apparently the new trend is starting new threads to bash each style.

 

[Hanglow]

I like the increase in choice of stronger beers here but they are still a niche product really. Most people still tend to drink beer rather than taste it.

Tell him to come visit the UK lots of tasty lower abv beers

 

[UncleBeardyBeer]

apparently the new trend is starting new threads to bash each style.

Right? I think it should be dubbed the Seinfield syndrome... "what's the deal with airplane food?? Am I right?" I imagine folks wearing terrible pleated acid washed jeans while they type these posts.

 

[mattdee1]

I remember seeking out high-ABV beers in university so that I could get drunk on a shoestring budget, but nowadays, I can’t think of a single scenario where I would consider intoxication on a small number of drinks in a short span of time to be a desirable outcome. I don’t get the appeal of the high octane stuff myself, but to each their own.

Back in my BMC days I never thought twice about ABV because all of the most common beers are right within a low and narrow range. I’ve definitely found that I have to be mindful of ABV when exploring craft beer because it tends to be all over the map and can creep up on you if you’re not paying attention.

 

[TheMadKing]

I think a lot of the stronger beers are a result of the trend toward Belgian styles which tend to be stronger in general. I'm a German beer guy myself. I've never had a Saison I liked or a Belgian Wit. They all taste like refried beans to me.

 

[Remmy]

7-9% is right in the wheelhouse for a session beer, be it an IPA or darker beer.

Now, a few reasons why I like drinking a 12%+ ABV beer...

1) Usually more complex.
2) Get buzzed faster (when I don't have the time to drink 5-6 9% ABV beers).

 

[TheMadKing]

7-9% is right in the wheelhouse for a session beer, be it an IPA or darker beer.

Now, a few reasons why I like drinking a 12%+ ABV beer...

1) Usually more complex.
2) Get buzzed faster (when I don't have the time to drink 5-6 9% ABV beers).

The first step is admitting you have a problem

 

[Remmy]

The first step is admitting you have a problem

It's not the way it looks! Nobody knows the trouble I've been through! You signed up for this when you married me!!!

A better title for this thread would have been: "Low ABV beer? What's the point?"

@qhrumphf

 

[TheMadKing]

It's not the way it looks! Nobody knows the trouble I've been through! You signed up for this when you married me!!!

A better title for this thread would have been: "Low ABV beer? What's the point?"

@qhrumphf

Shhhhhhhh Hug it out man. It'll be ok

 

[Qhrumphf]

Hey, whatever. I like big beers and small beers. But mostly small beers. Bigger stuff on the weekends, sometimes.

 

[Teromous]

Now that we are headed to Michigan, the top 50 rated beers there range from 10-16% alcohol content.* WTF????

I think this is the tail wagging the dog. People decide what beer they like. Apparently people like the 10-16% ABV beers from Michigan. The breweries didn't just say "you had better rate this high ABV monster the highest." That doesn't mean you have to drink the highest rated beers or the highest ABV beers. I'm sure many of these breweries make excellent low ABV beers that people just don't want. That usually means more for you, and a lower price point.

 

[metanoia]

"80 proof alcohol... What's the point?"

Just because a 3% wheat and a 12% barleywine are both called beer, doesn't mean you have to drink them the same way. The high alcohol beers are typically designed to be shared (big bomber bottles) or served in smaller quantities at the bar, as well as enjoyed slowly to appreciate the complex flavors, not pounded like a Bud Light on initiation night. Just because a RIS is a beer doesn't mean you *have to* be able to drink 5-6 of them in one sitting.

Take a step back and appreciate craft beer for what it is today, instead of trying to fit craft beer into a single viewpoint.

 

[Ariza-Poet]

because they taste better!

starting out in craft beer I wanted high ABV as best bang for my buck.
But then I cared less and less about alcohol and more about the flavor and experience.

To me theres nothing better than a bourbon county or a parabola.
I've also had black tuesday at like 19% that was amazing
and pugachev's cobra at 18.9% that was disgusting.

So high ABV isnt automatically a great beer, but I love big imperial stouts.
Its not a trend, its just different people like different stuff.

I think sours are gross, but my wife loves them. Not my place to knock anothers palate.

 

[Psylocide]

You guys ever had that Patron beer? Comes in a weird shaped bottle, almost no carb (cask style, maybe?), but I get pretty wrecked after a few pints of that stuff.

 

[zoomzilla]

I live on the Michigan border and to be fair the Michiganders like their beer heavy. Something about 7 months trapped in the snow.... I imagine Wisconsin and Minnesota breweries are about the same.

 

[blizz81]

History
In ancient Greece, a style of fermented grain beverage was referred to as "κρίθινος οἶνος" (krithinos oinos), barley wine[1] and it is mentioned amongst others by Greek historians Xenophon in his work Anabasis[2] and Polybius in his work The Histories, where he mentions that Phaeacians kept barleywine in silver and golden kraters.[3] These barley wines would be dissimilar to modern examples as their mention predates the use of hops (a key component in modern barley wines) by several centuries.

Modern barley wine was developed as a response to the aristocracy's desire for strong drinks, especially Claret, during the conflicts between Britain and France in the later 18th century.[citation needed] As such, barley wine was available to the upper classes exclusively for some time.[4] The first beer to be marketed as barley wine was Bass No. 1 Ale, around 1870.[5]
==================

Darn these new young kids today and their high ABV beer trends! Get off my lawn!

 

[Spartan300man]

Now that we are headed to Michigan, the top 50 rated beers there range from 10-16% alcohol content.* WTF????
Too bad because we also really like beer and would like to sample more of them, not face plant after a few."

There's a ton of great beer in Michigan. Some of the higher rated beers are indeed the Imperials and limited release beers that also come with some fanfare and whatnot. But the bread and butter beers available at the brewery bars have a ton of local 4-7% ABV brews that are outstanding:

HopCat brewery
light side of the sun session IPA 4.7
not right Meow AIPA 6.3
Football Saison Saison Farmhouse 7.9
Zugspitze Hefeweizen 5.7

Pike 51 Brewery
Brett Pale Ale American Wild Ale 5.1

Bells Oberon Wheat ale 5.8
Bells Best Brown English brown 5.8
Oarsman Berliner Weissbier 4
Winter White Belgian white 5

Shorts Noble Chaos Marzen 5.5

Founders Porter porter 6.5
Nitro Pale Ale PA 5.4
Reds Rye IPA Rye IPA 6.6
harvest aLe PA 7.6
Rubaeus raspberry wheat 5.7

 

[Curtis2010]

There's a ton of great beer in Michigan. Some of the higher rated beers are indeed the Imperials and limited release beers that also come with some fanfare and whatnot. But the bread and butter beers available at the brewery bars have a ton of local 4-7% ABV brews that are outstanding:

HopCat brewery
light side of the sun session IPA 4.7
not right MeowAIPA 6.3
Football SaisonSaison Farmhouse7.9
ZugspitzeHefeweizen5.7

Pike 51 Brewery
Brett Pale Ale American Wild Ale5.1

Bells OberonWheat ale5.8
Bells Best BrownEnglish brown5.8
OarsmanBerliner Weissbier4
Winter WhiteBelgian white5

Shorts Noble ChaosMarzen5.5

Founders Porterporter6.5
Nitro Pale AlePA5.4
Reds Rye IPARye IPA6.6
harvest aLePA7.6
Rubaeusraspberry wheat5.7

I will pass those suggestions on.

Maybe I should have titled the thread "Lower ABV Recommendations"...but I doubt that would have been nearly as lively! ;-)

 

[Curtis2010]

I like the increase in choice of stronger beers here but they are still a niche product really. Most people still tend to drink beer rather than taste it.

Tell him to come visit the UK lots of tasty lower abv beers

Ironic turn of events isn't it? Decades ago I used to travel to the UK on business. This was way before the craftbrew explosion in the USA. Always felt like I needed to detox when I got back after drinking all those stronger beers...not to mention pint mugs. :beer: Coors Light was the big deal back in the States then.

 

[Spartan300man]

Way back in the day, I remember driving across the Canadian border to get Bradors, because it had an extra percent or two ABV over the American beers. i think that was when the drinking age was 18, because we were somewhere around that age, give or take a couple years.

 

[slym2none]

I like the increase in choice of stronger beers here but they are still a niche product really. Most people still tend to drink beer rather than taste it.

Tell him to come visit the UK lots of tasty lower abv beers

OK, in this pic, it lists the style - what are the styles "80 shilling" and "hop trial"?

 

[Qhrumphf]

OK, in this pic, it lists the style - what are the styles "80 shilling" and "hop trial"?

80 Shilling is a Scottish Ale. ~4-5% or so. I'm assuming that the "Hop Trial" is something along the lines of a SMaSH or single hop IPA/Pale Ale/Bitter/Whatever using Topaz hops.

 

[wallybangbang]

Whats the point? So I can drink two, get a good buzz and tell SWMBO I only had two beers.

 

[Qhrumphf]

Eh. I like the low ABV stuff, because I can drink 4 beers, but tell SWMBO that the ABV is equivalent to only drinking 2 beers.

 

[bobeer]

There's a few breweries by me that only offer 7+% beers. It's sort of their "thing" it's hard to go drink there because everyone drives and needs to get home afterwards. I'd think, as a business plan goes, you'd want people to drink more than 2 beers when sitting at the bar. Their growlers are $20+ which is too rich for my blood. Plus, in the summer here it's hot and humid as hell and the last thing i want us an 8% imperial. Will be interesting to see how long these guys last.
Once it gets cold I'll start drinking the big beers but its got to be nice and frosty out there!

 

[Qhrumphf]

There's a few breweries by me that only offer 7+% beers. It's sort of their "thing" it's hard to go drink there because everyone drives and needs to get home afterwards. I'd think, as a business plan goes, you'd want people to drink more than 2 beers when sitting at the bar. Their growlers are $20+ which is too rich for my blood. Plus, in the summer here it's hot and humid as hell and the last thing i want us an 8% imperial. Will be interesting to see how long these guys last.
Once it gets cold I'll start drinking the big beers but its got to be nice and frosty out there!

Adroit Theory? All high octane stuff. I definitely get what you're saying. I don't like the weird adjunct flavored beers generally, so it's not my place anyway, but the all-high-ABV is the final nail in the coffin in my book. I respect if other people like it, but I certainly agree that there's a flaw in the business plan (not unsurmountable, and I doubt there's a perfect business plan anyway, but you get my point, there's a cost to that approach).

 

[pdxal]

Different people have different levels of alcohol tolerance. I only brew high gravity beers and I generally drink 6-8 beers of 8% or more in a "session". If I were drinking session beers it would take all day to catch a buzz and I'd spend an entire paycheck doing it. I like to sample low abv beers but only as an appetizer to the main course.

You do realize that 6-8 glasses of 8%+ beers is equivalent to 9.6 to 12.8 standard drinks in a session, right?
How many days/nights a week do you put this much away?