high alcohol vs low alcohol

[dfc]

I just polished off my last batch - it finished about 3% ABV - ended up dumping the last of the keg b/c I am very unsatisfied with such a low alcohol beer. I made it to placate SWMBO - it was supposed to be like ***** Modelo but my stomach is expanding unnaturally with the low alcohol beer.

I have decided to make nothing weaker than 5% ABV. My preference is a beer that is 5 to 7% ABV.

My point of view is to have a good buzz with 22oz of beer.

What do other homebrewers think? Do you value a low alcohol beer? When you brew it do you brew it with other people in mind or b/c that is what you want to brew?

What is the ABV of a Bud/Coors/Miller/***** Modelo anyway?

It depends on what type of beer I have available and what type of beer I'm in the mood for. Sometimes I'd like a 12% beer, other times I'd like a 4%-5% beer.

What do you have on hand?

 

[carnevoodoo]

I brew berliner weiss that is 3.3% pretty often. I have a brown that sits at 4%. I like a lot of beer that is lower in alcohol. I don't drink to get drunk, though, so it all depends on your goal.

 

[kennedtj]

I am new to homebrewing ....how do you control your alcohol content? I just bottled my first batch and the OG was 1.04 and the FG was 1.01.....i was told thats about 3.9% ....i would like a higher content. how do i achieve that?

 

[unionrdr]

Well,I generally get from 4.8% to 5.9%. The higher on being my whiskely ale. Most are from 4.8%-5.3%. I like pale ales,ambers,etc. My APA turned out great. Waiting on the IPA to test/taste Saturday.
Sure,I like some ABV,but I want great flavors out of less alcohol too. By less I mean under 6%. Sure,I like some beers that happen to be higher ABV,but that's just part of the beer in question.
Like Paulaner Salvator doppel bock,DFH IPA's,that sort of thing. I just believe that I can brew beers with good flavor complexity & mouth feel without the big alcohol. That way,we can enjoy more of them.

 

[Yooper]

I am new to homebrewing ....how do you control your alcohol content? I just bottled my first batch and the OG was 1.04 and the FG was 1.01.....i was told thats about 3.9% ....i would like a higher content. how do i achieve that?

An easy rule of thumb to figure approximate ABV is (OG-FG) x 131= ABV%

So, in your example:

(1.040- 1.010) x 131 = 3.93%. If you bottle conditioned, and added some priming sugar (say, 5 ounces), that would add about .29% for a total of 4.2% ABV.

If you want to have a higher alcohol beer, the way to do it is to provide more fermentables in the beginning.

 

[MazdaMatt]

ABV is not relevent to my enjoyment of a beer unless it is too high and prevents me from drinking a delicious beer all day long while staying productive. If you want buzz, shoot whiskey.

 

[unionrdr]

...or bourbon,or vodka...! Please note---At my age,it's more like Granny Clampet's rumatiz!

 

[febbrewro]

I don't brew anything less than 5% ABV. The reason is that I feel like the "buzz" is part of the experience of the beer. Now, I'm not talking about stumbling around hammered, but enough to relax myself after having a few. Some people have a glass of wine or two to wind down at the end of the day, I have a beer or two. As a seasoned "professional" my tolerance is high enough that a 3% beer won't do much for me.

Of course, alcohol also contributes to the overall taste of the beer, and I find that I enjoy the taste of beers more when they are at 5% or above.

 

[unionrdr]

You know,that's much the way I look at it. It's historical that beer was seen to be relaxing,& promoted a pleasant feeling of well being. So we're right in there with what we brew on average in here.

 

[Petey]

To me there's something about the more "Sessionable" beers. I mostly brew beers from the British Isles region, Scottish 60, 70, 80, Irish Reds but something about Bitters keeps me coming back.

Also note that tying on a buzz when it's 110 out is ill advised. Winter time though will see more of the seasonal "warmer" beers.

Just my preference.

 

[Beezy]

I have one conditioning now that is a little over 3% but it wasn't intentional. I have my doubts whether I will like it or not. I just think the body is too thin at that percentage. Now like a Guiness or a nice brown ale at 4% or so is nice. I can drink a lot of those without gettig blitzed. But it doesn't work for most beers imo. At home I might have a beer or two and thats it so a bigger beer is welcome. I can get a nice buzz without having to slam a 6 pack. So I guess the short of it is different abvs for different occasions. As long as it tastes good.

 

[funkapottomous]

I don't think individual brands vary, do they? I know some states have a 6% cap which keeps out a lot of beers, but are there brands produced differently from state to state?

No, it varies. I know in Colorado in order to get beer that's more than 3% you have to buy it in a liquor store. So all the BMC swill is even more watered down in the grocery store.

 

[Beezy]

No, it varies. I know in Colorado in order to get beer that's more than 3% you have to buy it in a liquor store. So all the BMC swill is even more watered down in the grocery store.

Thats so stupid. I have heard so many dumb state laws I can almost excuse PA. OH you can stuff anywhere. There is a joint in Boardman where you can get beer, wine, booze, whatever under one roof. It's great but DFH 120 is illegal there lol.

 

[norsk]

I concentrate on Belgians and IIPAs so it varies between 7.5-11.5%. I brew the Wit for summer at about 4.5-5.5%. I do need more practice for the lower ABV beers though.

It took some time to obtain the correct balance between higher ABV and flavor, just need to work towards the same with lower ABV brews...

 

[the_trout]

Kinda related... SWMBO wants me to make her a low cal beer.

My understanding is that the calorie count is related to the ABV. If I make her something more like a session beer around 3% will that automaticly lower the calorie content?

I'm thinking of something like an American Pale as opposed to the Imperial IPAs I've gotten her hooked on.

 

[metalbrewer]

I use to just want big beer but it doesn't matter any more to me. I've had some small brews with great flavor, taste is what matters , my goal is brew big beer with great flavor as well. Taste is #1 but I do usually drink 6.5%+ brews , and a good buzz is a plus for me, buzz not drunk

 

[regulark]

I prefer to stay on the high end of the styles profile. It means I get more out of my batch by having to savor it a little bit more.

 

[pm5k00]

No, it varies. I know in Colorado in order to get beer that's more than 3% you have to buy it in a liquor store. So all the BMC swill is even more watered down in the grocery store.

Is the beer in the grocery store cheaper since it lower abv?

 

[pm5k00]

I have a wheat pale ale bottle conditioning right now (all my kegs are in use) that is only 2.1% ABV ..... tasted pretty good warm and flat, so I got my fingers crossed.

 

[user 70770]

I do consider ABV when I brew my beers because alcohol content does fact in the overall qualities of a beer. That said, I don't restrict myself to particular range. I very much love my 3% ordinary bitters as well as my big boozy barleywines. It all depends on what I want from each recipes. I've been brewing for a little while, but I don't brew often so I still don't always reach my objectives. Take for example the last beer I brewed. It ended at an ABV of 6% which I thought would be nice, but after the fact, I'll tone it down maybe half a percent next time I make it.

 

[doctorRobert]

The problem with session beers is that I'll drink them too quickly. If I'm doing all that work, I want to make that 5 gallons last.I want a beer that takes a while to enjoy a pint. Something strong, and goes with that is alcohol

 

[unionrdr]

Mine average 5.3%,so I think that works pretty good. I just like good beer too much,I guess.

 

[funkapottomous]

Is the beer in the grocery store cheaper since it lower abv?

Not sure. It was last summer and we were only there for nigh on a week and I didn't buy any of that crap.

Went into the liquor store and they had a **** ton of lone star beer but no shiner. WTF man. I think I bought some fireman's instead.

 

[Gameface]

I live in Utah and part of my motivation for brewing my own was to stick it to the man by making beer above the allowed limit for beer sold at the grocery store/gas station. So most of my beers were well above the guidelines for alcohol content, like an ESB at 8%abv, or a porter at 11%. That was fun while it lasted, now I'm working my recipes down so they fall pretty much in the style guidelines and they are tasting better that way. I still prefer something around 5-6% but 7% or more in a beer not suited for that much alcohol just doesn't taste as good as it should/could.

 

[remilard]

No, it varies. I know in Colorado in order to get beer that's more than 3% you have to buy it in a liquor store. So all the BMC swill is even more watered down in the grocery store.

3.2% by weight which is 4.0% by volume.

 

[Coldies]

I never look at the ABV % of a beer unless its getting past 7% when I make a recipe. I look for what looks good and sounds fun to make. That being said I tend to make beers in the 5-6% range most of the time. My problem is that I enjoy the actual process and everything that goes along with it of drinking beer, I would much rather have 12 or more smaller beers than only have 6 or more high ABV beers.