How does ABV affect flavor?

[KafkasRevenge]

I recently brewed a pilsner, and I missed my OG by quite a bit (This was my first AG, and my efficiency was very low). However, my FG came out exactly the same as the recipe I used (I think due to a high mash temperature). Here are my numbers compared to the recipe numbers, with the recipe numbers in parentheses:

OG: 1.055 (1.065)
FG: 1.015 (1.015)
ABV: 5.25% (6.56%)

Everything else in the recipe was the same, including the grain bill, hop schedule, and yeast.

So, my question is, what do you think would be the difference in flavor between the two beers?

 

[Teromous]

Everyone has a different palate so take my advice with a grain of salt, but the lighter the beer the more I tend to notice a shift in ABV. I feel it's generally better to have it accidentally come in lower rather than higher if you are worried about how the flavor will come out. For example a beer that comes in at 5.25% probably won't have any negative flavors, but if you came in at 7.25% you will probably notice an increase in alcohol and it could stand out more in a beer that wasn't designed to support that higher alcohol content. Also there tends to be a sweet spot in that 5-6% range where an increase or decrease in a percent isn't as noticeable as it would be in the 10% range.