homebrew packs a wallop

[NordeastBrewer77]

I've noticed the same thing, as have a couple friends. I've assumed it's a combo of a bit of extra alcohol from bottle conditioning, fresher beer, yeast and inaccurate calculation. I use the equation: OG-FG*131.25=abv. That's per my brewing software. I'm sure that temp fluctuations and the presence of alcohol effect readings a bit and this is probably the main reason some of our brews seem stronger. That or we're buzzed when we do the math and drink a batch of '5.8%' beer that's really 6.8% thinking the whole time, 'man, this is one punchy 5.8. Redhook esb's 5.8 and it doesn't get me this wasted. I love homebrew!!!'
:rockin:

 

[1ratdog]

unfilterer and unpastreurized. the yeast are still active when we consume them. 98.6 degree body temp would spring them back to life. lol. just throwing it out there

 

[bob1852]

unfilterer and unpastreurized. the yeast are still active when we consume them. 98.6 degree body temp would spring them back to life. lol. just throwing it out there

and stomach acid of ~1.5pH takes out any live yeast....

 

[1ratdog]

and stomach acid of ~1.5pH takes out any live yeast....

darn u stomach acid. my belly would make a nice fermenter.

 

[Boodlemania]

My friends swear that the beers I make hit them like a hammer. This coming from guys who can (and will) drink BMC all day long without drastic response. Doesn't surprise me as most recipes I make are 5-6%.

Friend of a friend gave me a chest freezer in trade for some homebrew. I gave him a milkcrate full (25) of bottles of a 5.5% pale ale (EdWort's recipe). He said "Thanks, man. I'll chill these down and drink them Saturday night." OK, I thought.

A couple weeks later, the dude said "Yeah, man. I tried your beer and thought 'This is really good.' So when it was gone, I opened another one. After that, I opened another... Then I went to bed."

 

[kapbrew13]

My friends swear that the beers I make hit them like a hammer. This coming from guys who can (and will) drink BMC all day long without drastic response. Doesn't surprise me as most recipes I make are 5-6%.

Friend of a friend gave me a chest freezer in trade for some homebrew. I gave him a milkcrate full (25) of bottles of a 5.5% pale ale (EdWort's recipe). He said "Thanks, man. I'll chill these down and drink them this weekend." OK, I thought.

A couple weeks later, the dude said "Yeah, man. I tried your beer and thought 'This is really good.' So when it was gone, I opened another one. After that, I opened another... Then I went to bed."

Lol. Had the same thing happen recently. Wonder if we aren't calculating abv correctly. Oops.

 

[1ratdog]

i love my beer

 

[TotemWolf]

My Old St Nick is 9.8% ABV. I love watching BMC drinkers after a pint of that.

They always come back for more.

 

[Wakadaka]

I am the master if my creation! It shall not intoxicate me!! Hey, I wonder what my old girlfriend is up to ...

LMAO that's great.

 

[1ratdog]

My Old St Nick is 9.8% ABV. I love watching BMC drinkers after a pint of that.

They always come back for more.

i'd like a pint of that.

 

[redcoat_or_rebel]

i remember when Real Ale first started getting around Austin and they would provide kegs for various parties etc. back then i had no idea what "real ale" was but i DO remember getting a different kind of wasted much faster than i was used to.

me thinks it has something to do with not pasturizing it. pasturization turns a living product into a dead one.

 

[gclay]

Can you take hydrometer reading after bottle conditioning or will the carbonation screw it up?

 

[Yooper]

Can you take hydrometer reading after bottle conditioning or will the carbonation screw it up?

You can take an SG reading. You want to decarb the sample- shaking the hydrometer sample tube with your hand over it and letting it sit works great- then drop the hydrometer into it when it's warmed up to 60 degrees and decarbed. Spin the hydrometer gently to knock off any co2 bubbles and it'll be fine!

 

[1ratdog]

i love my brews

 

[Acoma]

I'm right there with you. I had one bottle of my IIPA last night and it felt equivalent to at least 4 Bud Lights. But then again its ~7.5% so all you need is one or two and you are set.

 

[IXVolt]

A lot of times I forget to correct my OG readings for temperature, which makes my calculated %alc low.

 

[petey_c]

Yeah, went to my cousin's annual Memorial Day pool party and brought several homebrews. We usually drink massive quantities of commercial stuff and it doesn't really affect me because we're swimming, playing pool volleyball, etc., burning it off. Well the weather was kind of cloudy and cool. No one went in the pool. You shall not quaff large volumes of homebrew in a short amount of time. That little man came up from behind me and hit me with a hammer. I slept for almost 12 hours! (I haven't slept more than 7 in years...). Moderation is the key. Now I'm being referred to as "grandpa." We'll see what happens 4th of July.

 

[1ratdog]

A lot of times I forget to correct my OG readings for temperature, which makes my calculated %alc low.

i always correct my hydrometer readings. OG and FG

 

[unionrdr]

I've found that home brewed beer is like moonshine. A purer form of Ethyl alcohol. That's why I have to agree with the old timer's describing it as being "higher than a Georgia pine"!
Not to mention,being a higher ABV than the usual BMC swill by nearly double on average. You feel more high than drunk. Even my pale ales are between 4.8% & 5.3%. Doesn't sound like much,till you get half way through one,& you're already getting a pretty good buzz on.
Which reminds me...Gotta check the camera for that one in another hour. We're gunna paint the town,we're goin drinkin oh boy,oh boy,& we won't fool around. Bring along your home brew,leave my BMC's behind! If you've got the home brews honey,I got the time!!lolz:cross:

 

[barrog]

I haven't really had this happen. I drink my home brew like any store bought. What effects me more than anything is my mood. If i'm beat from working all day or just in a relaxing setting 1 or 2 beers of ~5 percent alcohol will hit me harder than being in a upbeat or party atmosphere.

 

[unionrdr]

That's true too,endorphins & all. But there's always the break even point.

 

[1ratdog]

it must be the hops. i brewed today and only drank water while brewing, and i have that "high" feeling. could it be from breathing in the hops? i was sniffing the bags of hops before putting them in the pot.
ive had this feeling on other brew days, especially when i used to brew indoors.

 

[bill42]

no

 

[TheBrewinator]

I had this same experience when I had a BBQ with a bunch of guys. This is the same group of guys that I go to the cabin with and we will kill 2 kegs of BMC between the 6 of us in 3 days no problem. We killed 2 cornies of a cream ale I made, it was 5.2% because I killed my efficiency somehow so it wasn't that much higher than BMC. Everyone said it was the fastest and most drunk they have been.

 

[kpr121]

I had this same experience when I had a BBQ with a bunch of guys. This is the same group of guys that I go to the cabin with and we will kill 2 kegs of BMC between the 6 of us in 3 days no problem. We killed 2 cornies of a cream ale I made, it was 5.2% because I killed my efficiency somehow so it wasn't that much higher than BMC. Everyone said it was the fastest and most drunk they have been.

Dude 2 cornies between six people is 16-17 beers per person. You better be F*C*E*D up after that! Or was that over a couple days?

 

[1ratdog]

Dude 2 cornies between six people is 16-17 beers per person. You better be F*C*E*D up after that! Or was that over a couple days?

dude, ive had 16-17 miller lites in a day before. there's no way i could have that many homebrews without being F*C*ED up.

 

[TheBrewinator]

We had more than 6 guys and if guess by time I had filled them and pulled some off to save like I always do there was probably 8 gallons. Either way we all can do a 12 pack of BMC over an entire day without getting that hammered (which is what id guess each of us drank in homebrew).

 

[kpr121]

We had more than 6 guys and if guess by time I had filled them and pulled some off to save like I always do there was probably 8 gallons. Either way we all can do a 12 pack of BMC over an entire day without getting that hammered (which is what id guess each of us drank in homebrew).

Yeah I guess it doesnt sound that unreasonable now that I think about it. I've put down the better part of a 30 rack at a tailgate or two.

For some reason I was thinking over a few hours span, not an all day event like a BBQ.

Whens the next get together?!

BTW I have 2 kegs of Blonde Ale (5.7% ABV), a keg of IPA (6.5%), and a keg of Dunkel (6.2%) set to be demolished at my brothers grad party tomorrow. I'll report back my findings of the homebrew theory, hopefully with some pictures lol.

 

[PaulHilgeman]

If you are bottle conditiong, remember to add the sugar to the OG calculations. It will ferment out completely and add a little more than 0.1%, that and general measurement uncertainty can make a total of ~.3-.4% difference.

 

[screamingcities]

it must be the hops. i brewed today and only drank water while brewing, and i have that "high" feeling. could it be from breathing in the hops? i was sniffing the bags of hops before putting them in the pot.
ive had this feeling on other brew days, especially when i used to brew indoors.

Natural gas- it gives you ideas!